Healthy Forest Coalition, Jan 9, 2019:
The following took place in just over an hour beginning at approx 6:30 pm; this post made at 7:50 p.m.
SH shared a post.
Minister Iain Rankin expects Nova Scotians, who care about our forests, to WAIT ANOTHER YEAR before the Department of Lands and Forestry moves towards ECOLOGICAL FORESTRY. THERE WON’T BE ANYTHING LEFT MINISTER RANKIN. —- THE PEOPLE OF NOVA SCOTIA WANT YOU TO STOP YOUR DEPARTMENT AND WESTFOR NOW. We are talking about standing in front of harvesting equipment. Is this what we need to do? It appears to be the only option we have left.
Ecological Forestry in Southwest Nova.
Minister Iain Rankin expects Nova Scotians, who care about our forests, to WAIT ANOTHER YEAR before the Department of Lands and Forestry moves towards ECOLOGICAL FORESTRY. THERE WON’T BE ANYTHING LEFT MINISTER RANKIN. —- THE PEOPLE OF NOVA SCOTIA WANT YOU TO STOP YOUR DEPARTMENT AND WESTFOR NOW. We are talking about standing in front of harvesting equipment. Is this what we need to do? It appears to be the only option we have left.
DGP [nsforestnotes] It seems public protest is appropriate at this point as all else has not worked. Perhaps legal challenges as well..
Iain Rankin: Actually I didn’t say anything about waiting a year. I can only guess that interpretation stems from the estimated timeline a fully amended Forest Management Guide will be realized (also doesn’t preclude changes along the way, and concurrent site visits that have already occured with some of the authors and crown license holders). I understand that some want forestry activity halted. The department will stay focused on implementing the recommendations, and the retention guidelines which promotes more mutli-age forest management, and augmented emphasis on long-lived shade tolerant retention. These guidelines are in place in approvals since the department’s response to the independent report. The public input on proposed harvests is taken into consideration and decisions are carefully made to ensure the spirit of the report is endorsed. I appreciate opinions on all sides of how to conduct forestry (including those against intensive forestry all together), especially those who have reached out in a professional manner to help support the meaningful change required to restore Acadian forests.
DGP: “In addition, Government will extend forestry licensing agreements by one year. This will allow time to begin the work required and, in the interim, provide continued access to Crown land for Crown licensees.” – https://novascotia.ca/…/Government-Response-to…
RG to Iain Rankin: this is where we’re heading. With all due respect I don’t think you have the slightest idea what the environmental impacts are, or if you do you’re not very concerned which is a far more distressing situation.https://youtu.be/Fu43md5Z9
SH: CBC: And by more advanced, what kind of time-line are you talking about for finishing up out implementing the Lahey recommendations on Crown land?
RESPONSE: So as speaking to the authors of the report, to get feedback they believed it would take time. The Forest Management Guide we put in a timeline of roughly 12 months. So we are looking at a year before that’s , we have a revised iteration. It’s important that we engage our stakeholders in this.
Iain Rankin to DGP: David crown license agreements expired and needed to be extended to access crown land as you quoted. But it does not mean they can operate without restrictions and conditions on each approval. One year is a very short amount of time for planning for this industry, and most others. And as for the next comment, I respectfully do believe I have more than an idea of environmental impacts but I am no expert. I guess this is where the discussion ends. [added later as an edit]: – when productive dialogue quickly turns into unfounded aspersions.
DGP [writing as the comment above was posted which I don’t totally get] The cod stocks collapsed because the Government viewed the biologists estimate of Maximum Sustainable Yield as a negotiating position; the fishing industry wanted much higher harvests, so the Gov, to keep everyone happy took a ‘balanced approach’ and went somewhere in between. ‘Trouble is, MSY was just that; the Max Harvest you could take without collapse. Because of the intensity of fishing and the overall low age of the cod that took only a couple of years, with a big change from 2 years before it collapsed and they were still getting the yields year to year to the piint at which it essentially collapsed. My description may not be totally precise but conceptually its fairly accurate I believe. (I had many discussions with some of those fishery biologists.) We’re at the same point in regard to forests and forestry, only on a longer life cycle… The forests have suffered by catering to industrial demand so readily and we are now at a very critical juncture. Two reviews with a lot of scientific input and in the last one professional foresters.. have issued the warnings… it’s no different than the warnings about climate change and the results will be the same if we ignore them. There is also a big link between forests, forestry and climate change..we are rapidly reducing carbon stocks in NS; with a full accounting it’s pretty likely NS’s pride in meeting the GHG commitments would be found to be highly exagerated, the losses in carbon stocks (and generation of CO2) greatly exceeding the gains through windmills etc. Mr. Minister, get the very best scientists to advise you, e.g. Robert Seymour who was on the Ind Rev panel… (he has already given his assessment)… Again Thx for participating in Social Media Discussion.
AM: It seems a certain Dr. Glaze might be able to speed up the process of tabling a report and implementing it the very next day…. just a suggestion 👍🏽👍🏽
DGP to Iain Rankin: After thanking you for participating (as I have before) I am disappointed to hear that comment. ( “I guess this is where the discussion ends.”)
SH to Minister Iain Rankin – Many of us feel that we are not going to be very happy with the results of the clear-cut harvests in Allendale and Wagner Lake. None of us are here to say something that you did not say – so if I misinterpreted that, I am sorry. I can delete the post. We are caught in the middle of a very difficult situation. We have equipment moving onto land that we care about. We see the results of clear-cuts around our province. And yet – we have not been given enough information to be reassured, and sadly, for many years now we have been ignored. It’s very hard to be in your shoes and ours too…
DC: Thank you Ian Rankin for putting your oar in the water before the pond is completely drained (or is it already in the books). If you consider this Global View and are not totally ashamed of what you see and are sadly a part of then you’re ready for Steve’s shuffle (as if the cards could be stacked more badly). MLA’s do deserve respect and civil communication. Respect is earned through trust and a proven track record. That has yet to be earned. Telling concerned citizens that you no longer want to talk about your responsibility to us, the environment, Global warming and more suggests a disturbing picture of what the McNeil regime claims to hold dearly. See: http://nsforestnotes.ca/2019/01/08/global-forest-watch-satellite-images-and-plv-maps-of-nova-scotia-speak-volumes/
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Regardless, I appreciate Minister Rankin’s efforts… it’s more than most MLAs & Ministers have done.
View also:
Jan 7, 2019: Nova Scotia L&F Minister Rankin again joins discussion on Social Media
Post on NSFN Jan 7, 2019
Nova Scotia L&F Minister Iain Rankin joins social media discussion about further cuts of Old Growth
Post on NSFN Dec 20, 2019
———– 8:11 p.m.
Interestingly the Global Forest Watch item cited above was the major component of a jump in views on NSFN:
——————-Added 8:30 p.m., in part to illustrate efforts are made to keep these discussions respectful
RG: Iain Rankin that’s the problem isn’t it, this is where the discussion ends for you. Instead the discussion should be escalating. The fact is the continuing destruction of natural habitat is putting more pressure on wildlife than it can tolerate, right down to insects. When insects are gone everything collapses. When the microbiome is dead so is the soil, do you see the pattern here? We all know the experts have been telling you what the issues are but it’s increasingly obvious you’re not listening. Did you bother to look at the very short video I shared?
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ML [HFN Facebook page admin]: Richard, it’s not fair to say that Minister Rankin “(doesn’t) have the slightest idea what environmental impacts are”. Those kinds of comments will shut discussion down, not inspire it. I think it’s important that we stick to the facts; of which there are many on our side, clearly demonstrating to the Minister the scale and scope of the problem.
AR: Iain Rankin there is no one in any department of our government that uses the Precautionary Principle. When our ministers are no experts, when our scientists themselves know they don’t have all the answers, they ask that the precautionary principle be adhered to. I repeat, there is no one in any department of our government that uses the Precautionary Principle. I agree with DGP the collapse of the forest is imminent and the list of endangered species will be added to. The legacy of people making really bad decisions.
RG: You’re right ML[HFN Facebook page admin] I’ll reframe my comment. I tend not to water things down and call them like I see them. An increasingly unwelcome trait.
ML[HFN Facebook page admin] to KM: I just deleted a profane comment of yours that was totally unnecessary. I give lots of warnings, this is your first.
ML[HFN Facebook page admin] to KM: Warning #2.
MN Reply: Explicative
SH: So this is the clear-cut harvest plan in Allendale prepared by Northern Pulp. Because I may be misinterpreting the Minister…I want to understand. He mentions in his post above that the “retention guidelines which promotes more mutli-age forest management, and augmented emphasis on long-lived shade tolerant retention.” And – “These guidelines are in place in approvals since the department’s response to the independent report.” —- Maybe Minister Iain Rankin – or someone else, can explain to me and our community what the actual – visual – on the ground – result will be – at this approved clear-cut harvest site. I am not a forester – and a lot of this jargon is confusing…I want to know what all this ‘LAF LANGUAGE” means to those of us who have all these clear-cut harvests going on in our back yard. (((I am THINKING that they will still look like CLEAR-CUTS.” —- so educate me please.
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NSFN: I have to stop tracking comments at this point…many other things to do!