Page "Algonquin Provincial Park" Paragraph 25

As recreational use of the park increased during the 1950s and 60 ’ s, it became clear that a long-term plan to manage the park was required.

Six years of consultation with park users resulted in the 1974 publication of the Algonquin Master Plan, a management plan that sought to ensure that the park could continue indefinitely to serve all of the competing park interests.

Three major changes came about as a result of the plan.

One, the park was divided into zones with different specified purposes and uses: Nature Reserve and Historic ( 5. 7 % of land area ), Wilderness ( 12 %), Development ( 4. 3 %) and Recreation-Utilization ( 78 %) zones.

Logging in the park is limited to the Recreation-Utilization zones, but is separated as much as possible from users of the park interior in order to maintain the park's natural environment.

Each year only a small percentage of the park is being actively logged.

Two, all existing timber licenses were cancelled, and all logging in the park is now done by the Algonquin Forestry Authority, which supplies timber to 10 private mills outside the park.

Three, rules were put in place to limit the impact of recreational use of the park.

Almost all cans and bottles are banned in the interior, and limits are placed on the number of people per campsite, and the number of people who can enter the park interior per day at each access point.

Also the use of boat motors is limited, both in power and to a few of the larger and more accessible lakes.

The master plan has been reviewed and updated four times since 1974, with the latest version being published in 1998.