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Projected job losses caused by the Liberal government's decision to slash silviculture funding have been revised up to 1,000 by the New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners.

"This is having an even larger impact than we anticipated," said federation manager Ken Hardie in an interview Wednesday.

The federation initially estimated the decision by Natural Resources Minister Donald Arseneault to reduce silviculture funding from $8 million to $4 million - and requiring woodlot owners to pay more for silviculture work - would cost 700 jobs.

But Hardie said in the past week the federation has done a more detailed survey of the various wood-marketing boards in the province.

The figure of 1,000 jobs lost doesn't include all marketing boards reporting in, he said. Hardie said layoff notices are being issued by some boards.

"This has done a devastating blow to the rural economy," he said. "The money in the silviculture program went directly to jobs.

"Those people are going to be out of work now."

The federation sponsored a meeting in Boiestown at the Woodsman's Museum on Wednesday night to talk to silviculture stakeholders about the cuts.

Hardie said the federation called the meeting because it wants to make sure all the people affected know what's going on.

He said the federation wants to report what it's been doing since the cuts were announced in the provincial budget and get feedback on what it should do next.

He said he was expecting more than 100 people from as far away as Bathurst and Sussex.

"They need to talk to, obviously, the people in power - the Liberal MLAs, the government," he said.

The federation also wants to keep the pressure on the government by getting a good turn out.

"If I was sitting in government I would be paying attention," said Hardie.

A spokesperson for Arseneault's office said the minister wasn't invited to the meeting and wasn't planning to attend. Hardie confirmed that Arseneault wasn't invited.

He said the federation is still hopeful that Arseneault will change his mind about the cuts.

"I would hope that he is listening to what people are saying. We have not heard any really good reasons as to why this cut has been made."

Official Opposition leader Jeannot Volpe said Wednesday he will be attending the meeting.

"I want to hear the concerns from the people." he said.

Volpe said when the Liberals came to power, they promised to spend $10 million a year for 10 years on silviculture and many businesses bought equipment based on that pledge.

Those businesses now face bankruptcy, he said.

"Some people don't understand that it is not just money involved," said Volpe. "There are people involved."

If the Liberals had increased investment in silviculture, it would have provided jobs for some of the people who were thrown out of work when paper and saw mills across the province closed because of the slow market, he said.

"Now we are going to lose them," said Volpe.