Above: A piece of largely undisturbed mixed, multi-aged Acadian forest on a Halifax area drumlin – we still have some to celebrate!
Also to celebrate: private woodlot owners who value and nurture these forests while harvesting trees from them. To its credit, that (rather than industrial forestry) is what NSDNR is choosing to celebrate for National Forest Week:
September 24th to the 30th is National Forest Week and two award-winning, family-operated, Nova Scotia woodlots are holding public field days in September to help celebrate…
— Sept. 23, western region winner, David Bent, will host a field day on his property in Annapolis County
— Sept. 30, the provincial and central region award recipients, Peter and Pat Spicer of Spencers Island, will welcome visitors to their woodland in Cumberland County.
Mr. Bent and the Spicers were recognized earlier this year as outstanding woodland stewards who encourage sustainable woodland management and increase public awareness of the importance of private woodlands. – NSDNR Press release
Kudos to the winners and to NSDNR on the Woodland Owner of the Year Awards.
About National Forest Week
Established circa 1920 as Forest Fire Prevention Week, the intention was to encourage greater public awareness towards Canada’s forests. At the time, there was no apparent shortage of trees for industrial expansion – the greatest threat came from forest fires, due mainly to human causes. Since then National Forest Week, as it was renamed in 1967, has evolved to encompass the many and varied human and environmental aspects of Canada’s forest resources – past, present and future. Although special activities are promoted across Canada, National Forest Week remains first and foremost a challenge to individual Canadians to learn more about their forest heritage and support greater recognition of this valuable resource. National Forest Week is observed annually during the last full week of September, Sunday through Saturday. – From Newfoundland & Labrador, Fisheries and Land Resources – National Forest Week
There is also a National Tree Day, on the Wednesday of National Forest Week. Not much happening on that front in NS, as far as I can see.
I will make a belated contribution: a photo (at left) of Striped Maple (also known as moose maple), normally an understory species, going for the overstory in the mixed, mult-aged Acadian forest near Halifax depicted above. I’ve never seen one quite like this.
I am much more used to seeing it in the understory as in this pic.
Either way, it’s a tree to celebrate.
(Click on images for larger versions.)
For more about Striped Maple, see