So… The Review is in. If the recommendations are adopted, this sort of practice would likely end.
View Update from Markus Kehoe/WWNS, Sep 13, 2018
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From a post on Woods and Waters Nova Scotia (Facebook page):
Time to circle the wagons and rally the troops – again!
This map and update just in from Markus Kehoe:
“They’re back with a new plan….after public outcry, they scrapped the partial cut plan for the deer yard and have decided to spare a small portion at the top and clear cut the rest now.”
As a backgrounder for those who missed it,
here is a W&WNS post from June 25, 2017:W&WNS:
Markus is fighting the good fight and needs your help Nova Scotia. Time to stand up and speak up. The clock is ticking.
Contact info for West Hants Liberal MLA Chuck Porter:
http://nslegislature.ca/index.p…/people/members/Chuck_Porter
While you’re at it fire a salvo at the Premier and DNR minister.Markus Kehoe:
June 22, 2017
“Our wildlife need some help. Today, 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 province as a Deer Winter Area. Everything around this block of mature softwood has already been cut. Its all they have left. The area also has documented sightings, signs, hair samples, captures and photo’s of endangered wildlife like mainland moose and pine marten.“I’m not against logging, but i am against cutting this area. It’s all the wildlife have left. It makes no sense why would take the last block of mature softwood from them, or why we would cut an area thats been designated by the province for wildlife.
“I’m asking for public support. The province gives us a standard 20 days to comment on the proposal before final appoval is given. Please consider taking a few minutes and let the province know this not acceptable. Please send comments to forestrymaps@novascotia.ca and please send Chuck Porter a message at chuck@chuckporter.ca as well.”
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UPDATE ON WWNS, Sep 13, 2018:
Thanks to Markus Kehoe for the pictures and attached letter regarding the proposed clear cutting of winter deer yard.
“I sent a second letter to the DNR, Minister of Environment and our local MLA with the following concerns…
“The Forestry Review Recommendation #11 was not in place when harvest approval was given. “The pre‐treatment assessment process under the ecosystem‐based forestry management process should be expanded to encompass and address relevant wildlife issues”. And the Independent Review of Forest Practices in Nova Scotia Addendum also states on page 26 – “6.2.1 Wildlife and the Code of Forest Practice (CFP) The CFP requires that pre‐treatment assessments (PTAs) be performed prior to harvest and silviculture operations on Crown land. Nova Scotia’s Forest Management Guide (DNR 2018) encourages their use on private land as well. According to the Guide, the PTA is a cruising/inventory system designed to collect information on site and stand conditions to identify the best means by which to implement ecosystembased management (EBM). The system is comprehensive from an inventory and silviculture perspective and is supported by in‐depth instructions on its use, a detailed user manual and tally sheets, and software that facilitates collection, compilation, and submission of required PTA data. However, a shortfall of the system is that the data collected are not used to (1) predict impacts on wildlife, (2) consider wildlife‐based concerns in silvicultural prescriptions, or (3) identify ameliorative measures. The data collected include information on tree species, maturity, size class, patchiness of the stand, the state of existing regeneration, and Forest Ecosystem Classification (FEC) vegetation types, soil types, and ecosites – all information that could be interpreted from a wildlife perspective or used as input to habitat suitability indices or models, or even broader stand‐level ecological impact analyses. In addition, data collected do not include any related to specific wildlife conditions, such as existence of stick nests, dens, or vernal pools. Instead, wildlife issues are considered at a later stage during DNR’s Integrated Resource Management (IRM) review. The province’s Code of Forest Practice and other strategic material herald the use of EBM as a system that strives to balance ecological goals with economic and social goals, and notes that forest management practices designed in an EBM template respect ecological integrity. It is striking that a potentially useful tool by which EBM is to be implemented (via PTAs) is not used to address an ecosystem value (wildlife) that is the subject of considerable interest and concern.harvest planning process should more generally be designed to ensure that wildlife issues are considered earlier in harvest planning and design.”
ALSO: Hunter worried clearcut targets deer habitat (audio)
INFORMATION MORNING NS Sep 13, 2018. Bruce Nunn of L&F will respond on Sep 14.
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So… The Review is in. If the recommendations are adopted, this sort of practice would likely end. Time to write the Premier and tell him to get on with it. Use this mis-use of The People’s Land as an example of why action is needed sooner rather than later and to begin with nixing these cuts.