While we wait for the Independent Review of Forest Practices in Nova Scotia, Lands & Forestry on the Hire

I hesitate to add the latest rumour about when the Report from the Independent Review will materialize, now it looks as though the last rumoured date (sometime this week) is likely to be untrue.

In the meantime, NS Lands and Forestry is on the hire for a “Policy Analyst” who “will support the planning and implementation of the Department’s major strategic policy initiatives, projects and associated action plans.”

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NSNDR didn’t and I am guessing NS Lands and Forestry won’t make any announcement about new hires. As I have commented under Who does what, the NSDNR (NSLF) website does not provide much detail about who does what at DNR beyond listing some of the staff in various sections. There is next to no information about the qualifications and backgrounds of directors and staff. There are no annual reports describing activities and outcomes over the previous year in any detail.

I had wondered a few months back about the carbon modeller they were looking for, commenting

Recently, I learned that NSDNR is looking for a “carbon modeller”; the requirements as cited on a U of A website: “A Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry or Natural Resource Management plus 6 years’ experience in forest resource modelling or a Masters Degree in Forestry or Natural Resource Management and 4 years of related experience is required.”

I guess I should be encouraged that NSDNR is now beginning to look at GHG fluxes as a component to be considered in forest management, but I am concerned that the position was not opened up to candidates with backgrounds in ecological sciences or atmospheric sciences or earth sciences and to PhD level candidates. From the outside, the requirement for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Forestry or Natural Resource Management makes it looks like their primary need beyond the basic modelling skills is for someone who would be comfortable in the NSDNR forestry bunker.

I guess the person they took on is James Steenberg, described on www.james-steenberg.com as “the forest carbon and climate change analyst with the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry”. He has a PhD from Ryerson, spent several years as a postdoc at Dal’s in School for Resource and Environmental Studies.

I have previously highlighted a 2011 paper for which James is senior author: Exploring adaptation to climate change in the forests of central Nova Scotia, Canada.

‘Good to know a little about who is doing what for us at NSLF!



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