REGULATION FOR THE CODE OF ETHICS of O.Reg 145/01 of the Professional Forester Act

A professional forester shall be governed by the Code of Ethics set out in this section in carrying out his or her professional duties.

A member of the Ontario Professional Foresters Association observes the duties of the profession and honours his or her duties to citizens, employers and clients, fellow members and Ontario’s forests by embracing the following values:

1. Fidelity – A member works in the interest of and with fidelity to citizens, employers, clients and fellow members and provides services that are specifically related to the objectives and requirements of the employer or client.
2. Integrity – A member is obligated to disclose fully any direct or indirect pecuniary interests related to the work undertaken in his or her professional capacity and to take active measures to prevent the perception of any conflict of interest.
3. Credibility – A member shall undertake only work that he or she is competent to perform by virtue of training and experience and, where advisable, shall retain and co-operate with other professional foresters and specialists and, further, shall endorse only those plans, reports, maps and specifications that he or she produces or directly supervises.
4. Confidentiality – A member shall hold as confidential information concerning the business affairs, technical methods, processes or practices of employers or clients and shall only disclose such information with the consent of the employer or client or where required to do so by law.
5. Diligence – A member shall disclose to his or her employer or client the consequences of any action that may be harmful to their interests or the interests of any other party.
6. Respect – A member shall maintain the honour and integrity of the profession and act at all times with responsibility and dignity. A member is respectful of other professional foresters and behaves with courtesy and good faith toward them and celebrates the accomplishments of other professional foresters.
7. Commitment to learning – A member shall dedicate himself or herself to continuous improvement of his or her forestry science skills and use their knowledge and skills to aid public awareness of forestry in Ontario. O. Reg. 145/01, s. 1 (2).