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Land use agreement for Cumberland bike trails extended

The land use agreement between Mosaic Forest Management and the United Riders of Cumberland (UROC) has been renewed, allowing non-motorized recreation on Mosaic’s private forest lands near Cumberland.
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A mountain-biker checks out a map of the trails in Cumberland. Photo by Mike Chouinard

The land use agreement between Mosaic Forest Management and the United Riders of Cumberland (UROC) has been renewed, allowing non-motorized recreation on Mosaic’s private forest lands near Cumberland.

The Cumberland Trail Network is an extensive, multi-use trail network shared by mountain bikers, hikers, and trail runners. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was also signed between Mosaic, Manulife Investment Management, the Village of Cumberland, and UROC to guide the activities for all associated lands in this area.

The United Riders of Cumberland is a registered non-profit society that manages and advocates for the Cumberland Trail Network.

“This access agreement means the community can continue to enjoy the Cumberland trails that are a showcase for this region,” said Dougal Browne, Eexecutive director of UROC. “In co-ordination with Mosaic, we communicate with our network of trail users about things like trail conditions, forestry operations, and wildfire risk to ensure trails are safe for non-motorized use.”

The announcement will benefit the village as a whole, as the trails are a tourist destination for mountain bikers and hikers alike.

“Our MOU with Mosaic, Manulife Investment Management and UROC demonstrates the benefit of collaborating on recreational access to the Cumberland Trail Network to the benefit of our residents and visitors,” said Cumberland Mayor Vickey Brown.

“The new access agreement and MOU are consistent with our focus on managing Mosaic’s private forest lands to provide sustainable forest stewardship and a variety of recreational opportunities to our neighbouring communities,” said Domenico Iannidinardo, senior vice-president, climate & forest, and chief forester of Mosaic. “Many years in the making, this access agreement and MOU provide mountain bikers and trail users with exceptional access to Cumberland’s world-class trail network.”

“We want to congratulate all parties on the new MOU, which represents Manulife’s commitment to good stewardship of our forests and the communities around them,” said Matthew Merritt, Vancouver Island manager for Manulife. “The collaboration stands as another example of how communities and landowners can work together to promote recreation in the working forest.”