Monthly Archives: June 2017

Retired Environment Canada employee appointed Ministerial Assistant to Nova Scotia DNR Minister

Stephen McNeil has just appointed Liberals MLAs who aren’t already ministers to new positions as ministerial assistants. Bill Horne is the new DNR ministerial assistant with a special focus on forestry. See http://nslegislature.ca/index.php/people/members/bill_horne ” From CH 2013, when the Liberals … Continue reading

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CBC InfoA.M. attempts to sort out issues between smaller private owners and operators and the WestFor consortium – #3 The Government view

Deputy Minister Julie Towers defends NSDNR CBC Halifax Information Morning has carried several lengthy interviews recently to do with the state of forestry in Nova Scotia, and in particular controversies surrounding cutting on the Western Crown lands by the WestFor … Continue reading

Posted in clearcuts, Economics, Ecosystem Services, Letters&Editorials, Lumber, NSDNR, Private Woodlots, Pulp & Paper, Show Us the Science, Social Values, WestFor, Wildlife | Leave a comment

CBC InfoA.M. attempts to sort out issues between smaller private owners and operators and the WestFor consortium – #2 WestFor responds

CBC Halifax Information Morning has carried several interviews recently to do with the state of forestry in Nova Scotia, and in particular controversies surrounding cutting on the Western Crown lands by the WestFor consortium. Below is an abbreviated transcript of … Continue reading

Posted in clearcuts, Economics, NSDNR, Private Woodlots, Pulp & Paper, WestFor | Leave a comment

CBC InfoA.M. attempts to sort out issues between smaller private owners and operators and the WestFor consortium – #1 Private Operator

CBC Halifax Information Morning has carried several interviews recently to do with the state of forestry in Nova Scotia, and in particular controversies surrounding cutting on the Western Crown lands by the WestFor consortium. Below is an abbreviated transcript of … Continue reading

Posted in clearcuts, Private Woodlots, WestFor | Leave a comment

Nova Scotia, PEI and Nfld & Labrador likely to be excluded from U.S. tariffs on softwood lumber

“The U.S. Commerce Department said on Monday it had made a preliminary decision to exclude three of Canada‘s Atlantic provinces from a U.S. investigation into whether Canada is dumping or subsidizing exports of softwood lumber…Much of the wood in the … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, softwood lumber | Leave a comment

New Nova Scotia Natural Resources minister queried about clearcutting

CBC reporters managed to get in a few moments with new Natural Resources Minister, Margaret Miller, to talk about the Wentworth clearcut and related issues. Following is an abbreviated transcript of the 5 minute audio file. It was carried on … Continue reading

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Latest Nova Scotia Crown land allocation includes residual Deer Winter Area

Markus Kehoe makes this plea: Our wildlife need some help. Today [June 22], the province updated their forestry harvest plan map with a cutting plan in Upper Vaughan. The area they are planning to cut has been designated by the … Continue reading

Posted in clearcuts, NSDNR, Uncategorized, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Annapolis Co. warden says municipalities should have a say in forestry practices in Nova Scotia

Why not? Ontario passed legislation enabling municipalities to pass Tree Bylaws in 1946! In early March, Annapolis County council sent a letter to Premier McNeil (also the MLA for the area) requesting that the county be excluded from the impending … Continue reading

Posted in Acadian Forest, clearcuts, Conservation, Economics, Private Woodlots, Recreation, Selection Harvest, Show Us the Science, Social Values, WestFor | Leave a comment

Summer Solstice reflections

I try to spend June 21, the summer solstice, “in the outdoors” somewhere as a celebration of life on Planet Earth and managed to do so this year, albeit part of it traversing a 4-year old clearcut with a friend. … Continue reading

Posted in Biophilia, clearcuts, Indigenous Peoples, Mi'kmaq | Leave a comment

Wentworth Valley on the front lines of tourism versus clearcutting in Nova Scotia

As I set out in the a.m. on the Summer Solstice, I caught the last bit of a CBC Information Morning piece on the Wentworth Valley clearcut. I had missed earlier reports about it, the first, apparently, by Carol Hyslop: … Continue reading

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