An environmental organization is urging the Progressive Conservative government to "hit the reset button" on New Brunswick's forestry policies.

The provincial government is holding a one-day forestry summit in Fredericton on Friday that will put industry players and interested groups in the same room to discuss the future of the province's biggest economic sector.

David Coon, the executive director of the Conservation Council, was critical of the former Liberal government's forestry policy that he said was "destructive to the health and resilience of New Brunswick's forest ecosystems."

"It's an opportunity to hit the reset button so our forest policies can be brought into line with the values, goals and objectives of New Brunswickers," Coon said in a statement.

Natural Resources Minister Bruce Northrup said he hopes the forestry summit, which was promised by the Tories during the fall election campaign, will help revitalize the industry that has fallen on hard times in recent years.

"The forest sector is critical to providing wealth and employment to New Brunswickers,'' Northrup said in a statement.

"The purpose of this summit is to bring together key stakeholders for meaningful dialogue on the competitive issues facing today's forest sector and to identify the fundamentals for future success."

Many New Brunswick communities, such as Miramichi and Dalhousie, have been hit hard by mill closures in recent years.

The industry has blamed high power rates, a high Canadian dollar and a weak U.S. market on the downturn.

The Conservation Council is going to recommend at the forestry meeting that the provincial government create a Crown Lands Trustee, which would be an independent officer of the legislature, similar to the auditor general.

"Our Crown lands are held in trust by the provincial government to ensure they are managed for public well-being, for time immemorial," Coon said.

"Surely, stewardship of public lands and resources should be regarded as important by the legislature as stewardship of our public finances."