Screen shot of HPMV, Sep 20, 2018. Titles added for Keji and Nature Reserave
Sep 19, 2018
ML: Check out the latest updates for the Harvest Map Viewer.
Queens County is getting the largest area harvested at just over 740 ha, or 1828 acres. 399 of those ha (985.5 acres) are clearcuts, the equivalent of just under 746 American football fields, for perspective.
So, the good news is that almost 50% of the harvests for Queens County are some form of partial harvests and that that 37% of the partial harvests are slated for individual tree selection. Unfortunately, the majority are uniform or strip shelterwoods, which some (including the National Forest Database) would call 2 stage clearcuts.
The bad news (besides, you know, an area not too shy of 2,000 acres getting clearcut in one county alone) is that around 100 ha (247 acres) of the clearcuts will occur within 3 km of Keji’s south-east border, many of them occurring roughly 1 km away. A further some 240 ha (592.8 acres) is also slated for clearcut across the province.
It seems to me that the Department of Lands and Forestry may want to hold the reins in a little more on the clearcutting at this point. The Lahey report outlines the concerns that many share; the general loss of faith in the forestry policy decisions being made at the Department of Lands and Forestry, their objectivity, and claims of ecologically-based forestry.
It saddens me to think of the lost potential of these lands.
Please submit your comments to ForestryMaps@novascotia.ca. We have until Oct. 29th to submit feedback.
Comments
NH: Thanks for bring that to attention, ML. Clearcutting in the riparian areas of Paddy Brook is of concern as this is critical habitat for the Threatened Eastern Ribbon Snake. This species will be beginning to make its seasonal move out of wetland hunting areas to find overwinter dens (hibernacula). Harvesting in the watershed of Keji is harvesting in what should be the buffer area of a Biosphere Reserve or barring that in the case of Keji, in the Cooperation Area where the local community works w conservation and industry to come up with agreeable solutions.
DGP: Also, some cuts are right up to the border of the Dunraven Bog Nature Reserve (to the south of Keji)