Shady Accounting and Vanishing Forests on Nova Scotia’s Crown Lands 14Jul2024

Posted on July 15, 2024 by admin

By Nina Newington

SUMMARY

New forest road at Goldsmith Lake, October 2022  Forest lost to roads is NOT included in the harvest removal tallies.
Photo: Nina Newington.
Click on images for larger versions

To justify the sacrifice of biodiversity in the 10% of Crown land to be consigned to High Production Forestry under the Forest Triad, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) tells us that “90% of Crown and protected areas land will always be committed to the two zones that prioritize biodiversity”.  The Conservation zone (aka protected areas) does protect biodiversity but is biodiversity really prioritized in the 1 million hectares currently assigned to the Ecological Matrix?

Both government and industry resort to an ecological rule of thumb, stating that “Two-thirds of the forest will be left standing” in areas subject to ‘ecological’ harvest prescriptions. Closer examination reveals that all but two of the prescriptions generated by the new Silvicultural Guide to the Ecological Matrix result in the removal of at least 50% of the forest.

This article examines the shady accounting used to conceal this fact, with specific reference to the variety of harvest plans approved for 462 hectares around Goldsmith Lake in Annapolis County in 2022.

View more on nsforestmatters.ca

Posted in Citizen Science, Conservation, Independent Review, Natural Resources & Renewables, New PC Government, Show Us the Science, Tree Harvests, Variable Retention, Wabanaki Forest | Comments Off on Shady Accounting and Vanishing Forests on Nova Scotia’s Crown Lands 14Jul2024

Lichen Camp Day 127: symbiosis is always the topic 7Jul2024

Posted on July 7, 2024 by admin

Wrote Nina Newington on  Jul 6, 2024:

As word spreads about the camp and our work to protect this area, we get an ever more interesting mix of visitors, from Antonija Livingstone, performance artist living in France, to Haeweon Yi from South Korea, PhD candidate and Climate Theatre person, to Keith Eggers, mycologist and retired professor, surveying fungi in some of the old growth forest here, to two members of the Southwest Paddlers Association and their canoes, come to check out the pristine lake they’ve heard about, to Carman Kerr, our MLA, and his constituent assistant, Evan Fairn.

Read more  on NS Forest Matters

Posted in Biophilia, Old Growth, Wabanaki Forest | Comments Off on Lichen Camp Day 127: symbiosis is always the topic 7Jul2024

On our Wabanaki Forest 21Jun2024

Posted on June 21, 2024 by admin

Wabanaki Forest by Lower Trout Lake on the Chebucto Peninsula 
Click on images for larger versions

On June 21, 2024, we in the northern hemisphere  celebrate the summer solstice, as our ancestors have done since prehistoric times.

Since June 21, 2017, the day is also known as Canada’s National Indigenous Peoples Day:

In cooperation with Indigenous organizations, the Government of Canada chose June 21, the summer solstice, for National Aboriginal Day, now known as National Indigenous Peoples Day. For generations, many Indigenous peoples and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day due to the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.

Read more

Posted in Wabanaki Forest | Comments Off on On our Wabanaki Forest 21Jun2024

Fourteen students completed the first official tree marking course in Nova Scotia 20Jun2024

Posted on June 20, 2024 by admin

Guest Post by Minga O’Brien

Tree marking is an integral step in partial harvesting systems geared towards managing for quality timber products, and healthy forest habitats.

Nova Scotia Tree Marking Course: Marking for Selection Harvest at Medway Community Forest.
Click on image for larger version

From June 4-7, 2024, it was my pleasure to be an instructor for a tree marking course offered by Nova Scotia Community College’s Centre of Forest Innovation. Accommodation and morning classes took place at NSCC’s College of Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown, and field sites were situated on Crown lands licensed to the Medway Community Forest Co-op. There were 14 participants and 7 instructors, 2 of whom (Al Stinson-from the Canadian Institute of Forestry and Martin Streit – from Forests Ontario) traveled from Ontario to lead what many hope to be the first of many tree marking courses in Nova Scotia.

Read more on nsforestmatters.ca

Posted in Conservation, Selection Harvest | Comments Off on Fourteen students completed the first official tree marking course in Nova Scotia 20Jun2024

Feedback sought on Wood Pellet Association of Canada’s Regional Risk Assessment for sourcing biomass from Nova Scotia’s harvestable forest land base 16Jun2024

Posted on June 16, 2024 by admin

Please, all stakeholders, register and review this RRA. A wide range of stakeholders is considered relevant.

One of the ways I attempt to keep up with News related to forests and forestry in Nova Scotia is by subscribing to a Google Alert, specifying “Forestry, Forests, Nova Scotia” as the topic.

Under my Alert this am:

Clicking on it takes one to https://biomassrra.ca/nova-scotia/
where I learned that the Wood Pellet Association of Canada has conducted a “Regional Risk Assessment” for Nova Scotia, and is seeking input from stakeholders.

Read More on nsforestmatters.ca

Posted in Biomass, Certification, Conservation, Tree Harvests, Wabanaki Forest | Comments Off on Feedback sought on Wood Pellet Association of Canada’s Regional Risk Assessment for sourcing biomass from Nova Scotia’s harvestable forest land base 16Jun2024

What’s it take to convince Nova Scotia DNRR to give interim protection to an area with 33 occurrences of SAR Old Growth Forest Indicators? 15Mar2024

Posted on March 16, 2024 by admin

That’s what Forest Protector Nina Newington asks on Day 13 of “Lichen Camp”.

Forty SAR occurrences, 33 of them an old growth forest indicator species, are not enough, it seems, to convince DNRR to give the whole area interim protection while final decisions are made about areas that will be given permanent protection to meet the 20% goal.

Follow the developments at and related to Lichen Camp on the Facebook page for the Friends of Goldsmith Lake Wilderness. For the convenience of those not on FB,  key posts are copied (with permission) on a page on this website –  see Lichen Camp GLWA 2024

The first post in the Lichen Camp series explains what it’s all about… Read More on www.versicolor.ca/nstriad

Posted in Old Growth, Triad, Wabanaki Forest | Comments Off on What’s it take to convince Nova Scotia DNRR to give interim protection to an area with 33 occurrences of SAR Old Growth Forest Indicators? 15Mar2024

BDO Zone Initiative issues an “A-rating” for Southwest Nova Scotia as a location to develop “Bioeconomy Projects” 4Feb2024

Posted on February 4, 2024 by admin

Press Release, Feb 1, 2024

This latest “Bioeconomy” initiative would involve use of 550,000 green metric tons per year of sawmill residuals and by-product wood fibre from the forest sector. In the formal BDO Zone Report, cautions are expressed that are not amongst the highlights cited in PR lit about about the Bioeconomy prospects for SW Nova Scotia and presumably are why a higher rating (AAA or AA versus the A-rating given) was not realizied, e.g. related to nutrient limitations, uncertainty about buy-in of private woodlot owners. The basic concept goes back to Dexter Days and dreams of “Cellufuel” and other biorefinery products replacing the markets for residuals and low grade wood lost with closure of  the Bowater Mill;  now we have the loss of the NP Mill as well contributing to supply, and  advocates are able to cite the harmony/sustainability created by the Lahey Report/implementation of the forest Triad as a supporting factor in development of a regional Bioeconomy. There is clearly a need and significant opportunities for use of the forest residuals, but also needed is a dose of realism about what is actually compatible with true sustainability economically, ecologically and socially in SW Nova Scotia.

Read more on versicolor.ca/nstriad

Posted in Biomass, Natural Resources & Renewables, New PC Government, Pulp & Paper, Triad | Comments Off on BDO Zone Initiative issues an “A-rating” for Southwest Nova Scotia as a location to develop “Bioeconomy Projects” 4Feb2024

Could Nova Scotia-produced Mass Timber reduce our housing shortage AND save our Old Forests? 7Jan2024

Posted on January 7, 2024 by admin

“The Lake Mjøsa Skyscraper in Brumunddal, Norway, is built of cross-laminated timber (CLT)”,   one of the major Mass Timber types in use today. Photo by Øyvind Holmstad, on Wikipedia

The first Mass Timber manufacturing facility east of Quebec is due to begin production in Hants Co., N.S. in 2026 and could supply as much as 1/4 of the housing supply in NS by the end the decade.  Can it be matched up with innovative forest managements practices introduced following the Forest Practices Review (2017-2018) to ensure truly sustainable wood production and protection of our Old Forests?

I began keeping a bit of a tab on developments in Mass Timber (or MTC for Mass Timber Construction) while writing NS Forest Notes (2016-2022) in my “quest to understand forests and forestry in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada”.

Read more on versicolor.ca/nstriad

Posted in Conservation, Old Growth, softwood lumber, Triad | Comments Off on Could Nova Scotia-produced Mass Timber reduce our housing shortage AND save our Old Forests? 7Jan2024

Would “thinning areas where harvesting isn’t allowed” as advocated by Forest Nova Scotia reduce wildfire risk? 23Nov2023

Posted on November 23, 2023 by admin

Forested land in NS that burned in late May viewed on Sep 27, 2023. New growth mostly aspen and raspberry.
Click on image for larger version

Forest Nova Scotia, “the largest organization of forest interests in the province of Nova Scotia, on the East coast of Canada” says it would.

In recent blog posts, the organization also maintains that we are “worsening climate change and increasing wildfire risk by protecting too much land”.

I am not so sure, but I would like to see people more knowledgable than myself on such matters, weigh in.

Read More on www.versicolor.ca/nstriad

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Posted in Conservation, Fire | Comments Off on Would “thinning areas where harvesting isn’t allowed” as advocated by Forest Nova Scotia reduce wildfire risk? 23Nov2023

Nova Scotia NRR seeking Program Admin Officer 4 (Resource Forester) 17Nov2023.

Posted on November 17, 2023 by admin

Click on image to go to the advertisement on indeed,com

It’s difficult for the public to find much out about ” who does what at NRR”  – the positions that exist at NRR,  the overall hierarchy, and what individuals/the department accomplish and plan in a particular year. There are no comprehensive directories, no annual reports. To be fair, this statement may apply to most departments under both the current and previous governments.

One small insight as to direction the NRR is taking is given by the public advertisements to fill vacancies or new positions.  That’s all we get; there are no, or rarely, any announcements about who actually fills a position, or about what they do down the line.

I did manage to find an organizational chart for Lands and Forestry in a 2018 FOIPOP document which helped for a while when I was writing NS Forest Notes, Under the new PC Government there has been a lot of reorganization, so it’s no longer helpful.

When I do see a job advert for an upper level position in the Forestry Section of NRR that seems to provide some info, I post it. I do so partly as a matter of record, but also to help advertise the position. So here are some excerpts from the latest (from indeed.com)

Program Admin Officer 4 (Resource Forester)… Read more on www.versicolor.ca/nstriad

Posted in Natural Resources & Renewables, New PC Government | Comments Off on Nova Scotia NRR seeking Program Admin Officer 4 (Resource Forester) 17Nov2023.