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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Halifax Councillor requests staff report on plan to address Hemlock Wooly Adelgid threat to Eastern Hemlock in HRM 13Nov2023

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. “Their name comes from waxy white filaments they make to protect themselves from drying out. In a heavy infestation, hemlock trees can look gray from all the “wool” on twigs and branches. They can’t fly, but are spread by wind and also hitch rides on the feet of birds, which can carry hemlock wooly adelgids for long distances. These “hemlock vampires” were first discovered in 1951 in Virginia, and by 2005 had spread to fifteen other states.
Source: Paul Hetzler, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Photo source: Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Bugwood.org

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UPDATE Nov 16, 2023: Councillor Morse was asked to include Sandy Lake and Sackville Lake Parks are mentioned in the motion; she agreed, the motion passed unanimously.
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Presence of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, aka the “Hemlock Vampires” in NS was first realized in the summer of 2017 when it was found to be in the southwestern counties Yarmouth, Digby, Shelburne Counties, and shortly thereafter in Queens and Annapolis Cos; it was found in Lunenburg Co. in 2020 (Invasive Species Council Info) HWA was spreading eastward… In August of 2023, HWA was found on a property in Bedford (Halifax Co.) – view post.

In May of this year, NS Environment and Climate Change advertised a position for a “HWA-OGF Coordinator”.

Now HRM Councillor Kathryn Morse is urging HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality) to develop a plan to address the issue locally… Read more on www.versicolor.ca/nstriad

Posted in Conservation, Pests | Comments Off on Halifax Councillor requests staff report on plan to address Hemlock Wooly Adelgid threat to Eastern Hemlock in HRM 13Nov2023

Sunday Oct 22, 2023: Chebucto Moose Field Meeting

For details, go to www.versicolor.ca/nstriad

Posted in Conservation, Wildlife | Comments Off on Sunday Oct 22, 2023: Chebucto Moose Field Meeting

Nova Scotia Forest Notes: a record of goings-on in forests and forestry in Nova Scotia 21Jun2016-21Jun2022

Wabanaki Forest Love Affair Yellow Birch at left, and Eastern Hemlock at right on a mound in old forest by Sandy Lake (Bedford) More about it here.

A new blog/website has been set up at www.versicolor.ca/nstriad which  focuses on the unfolding of the Triad in NS

——————–

This blog/website was created on June 21, 2016;  I stopped updating it on June 21, 2022. As such it provides a record of sorts of goings-on related to forests and forestry in Nova Scotia over that interval.

It will be maintained at this URL (nsforestnotes.ca) until July 21, 2024.

The site is archived regularly on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine so by July 2024 all of the material currently on the site will still be in that archive. The website on the archive is essentially a perfect replica of this one – it is searchable,  and can be viewed in different stages of its development.

Items on this blog/website that are posted chronologically are (i) links to news items, found under   In the News and its subpages; and (ii) “posts” (the blog component of the website), found under About this Site/All Posts

I am not leaving the topic of forestry in NS entirely. I have set up a new blog/website at www.versicolor.ca/nstriad which will focus on the unfolding of the Triad in NS over the next few years.  That seems appropriate as nsforestnotes.ca was initiated before the Lahey process  (The Independent Review of Forest Practices in Nova Scotia) was conceived, and I have followed it for now almost 4 years beyond when the ‘Lahey Report‘ was tabled (Aug 21,  2018).

I post various natural history materials on several websites I currently maintain or contribute to (see www.versicolor.ca).

– david p
(aka JackPine, JackPine22)


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Posted in About the website | Comments Off on Nova Scotia Forest Notes: a record of goings-on in forests and forestry in Nova Scotia 21Jun2016-21Jun2022

Call for “Hemlock Heroes” in Nova Scotia 15Jun2023

“Hemlock Heroes are trained citizens who volunteer to help save tall, dark hemlock forest ecosystems. Becoming a Hemlock Hero enables you to participate in a great cause to conserve some of the finest old growth forests in the province [Nova Scotia].

“You will help to ensure that eastern hemlocks continue to provide the many essential ecosystem services required to sustain life and the health of many other forest species, as well preserve the extraordinary beauty of hemlocks.”

Currently scheduled training sessions are on Sat June 17, 2023 and Sat June 24, 2023.

Read more on www.medwaycommunityforest.com/

Posted in Conservation, Wabanaki Forest | Comments Off on Call for “Hemlock Heroes” in Nova Scotia 15Jun2023

Forest fires rage in Nova Scotia, Premier bans forest activities, but not those of forestry 1Jun2023

Evening sun, Halifax area on May 28, 2023. Forest fires are raging in the province – See NASA

I just read a letter by Annapolis Valley naturalist Bev Wigney sent yesterday to  Premier Houston and NRR Minister Tory Rushton in which she appeals to them to to “shut down forestry operations completely, with *no loopholes*”.

I  had read yesterday the headline and first few lines in the news about the ban:

‘For God’s sake, stop burning’: N.S. premier bans all activity in forests, urges residents to abide by burn ban (CTV Atlantic news May 31, 2023)… Premier Tim Houston has banned all activity in forests as of Tuesday, and says the wildfire damage is “extensive” and “heartbreaking.”

I  felt encouraged the premier had acted so forcefully in this instance so I wondered if Bev Wigney had made a mistake – the headlines had announced that all activity in forests is banned.

She didn’t.

Read more on www.versicolor.ca/nstriad

Posted in Conservation, Fire, Natural Resources & Renewables, New PC Government, Tree Harvests | Comments Off on Forest fires rage in Nova Scotia, Premier bans forest activities, but not those of forestry 1Jun2023