The authors of the hallmark 2010 Natural Resources Strategy report Restoring the Health of Nova Scotia’s Forests comment in the CH today on Mike Parker’s Op-ed of Oct 28 in the CH in which he challenged NSDNR to “Show us the science that says clear cutting is proper forest management”.
Speaking from their personal experience, Crossland and Bancroft say that “Time and time again we would put relevant science on the table” only to see it dismissed by a woodlands manager for a pulp company who is now a senior bureaucrat in the Department of Natural Resources. View Crossland and Bancroft comments in CH Letters to the Editor, Nov 1st
More about Restoring the Health of Nova Scotia’s Forests:
This was a panel of expertise report on forests by Bob Bancroft and Donna Crossland to the steering panel for the Nova Scotia Natural Resources Strategy 2010 process. This report was widely applauded, the Steering Panel adopted most of their recommendations, and then NDP Minister of Natural Resources John MacDonell promised fundamental change. Within 6 months, however, Premier Dexter shifted MacDonell to another Dept. and the Bancroft/Crossland Report was tacitly shelved in favour of an alternative, industrial forestry-oriented Report by Jon Porter. Four years later the new Liberal government hired Porter as the executive director of the NSDNR’s renewable resources branch… Regardless, this report still says a lot about the current state of our forests (just add 6 more years of extensive clearcutting and the “biomess”) from a scientific perspective and where we should be headed. Also see the Research Addendum.