Nova Scotia L&F “eliminates clearcutting” – the word that is

UPDATE feb 28, 2019: L&F responds to questions

On Feb 11, 2019, Shelly Hipson, one of the more active of the many Nova Scotians now keeping an eye on those elected and appointed officials who are supposed to keep an eye out for the health of our forests, noticed something different in the NSDNR/L&F Harvest Plan announcements – the word “clearcut” had disappeared, without explanation.

This feat follows upon NSDNR’s developing a  definition of clearcutting in 2012  such that they could claim that they were well on the route to reducing clearcutting to 50% of all harvest, as recommended by the Natural Resources Strategy; and their  explanation for eliminating the 50% goal altogether in 2016, on the grounds that “We have now developed tools that ensure that all harvest treatments are aligned with the nature-based requirements of Nova Scotia’s lands.”

So what’s the story this time? There was no grand announcement about the changes in terminology, no explanation on the page introducing the HPMV, no e-mail to subscribers to the HPMV announcements.

Forestry Maps on the other hand recently sent out a (dubious) explanation of why approved harvests are no longer shown on the HPMV:

...harvest plans that are no longer open to comments will be removed from the map and the legend in order to simplify the mapping, speed up the application’s response time and adhere to the intention of the HPMV.

The sleight-of-hand they pulled to eliminate the word “clearcut” was brilliant in some ways.

L&F/Forestry Maps simply eliminated “Harvest Type” from the lists sent out to subscribers, and from the info provided on the HPMV, thereby avoiding any mention of “clearcut” altogether.

To figure out what in the new terminology corresponds to a clearcut by the old terminology is…complicated.

Under the old system, there were two Prescription Types commonly given for Clearcut as a Harvest Type: Overstory Removal – stocked or not stocked (as I understand it, Overstory Removal is the second cut in a 2-stage shelterwood cut); and Seed Tree Harvest (meaning, as I understand it a simple, do-it-all-at-once clearcut).

I guess we can still equate “Overstory Removal” with Clearcut – Overstory Removal under the old system.

“Seed Tree Harvest”, however,  has apparently now been removed from the list of Prescription Type on the HPMV, while Variable Retention is now a common Prescription but was hard to find in the older lists/maps. So I am guessing that Variable Retention, which is not defined in the Forest Management Guide, (nor can I find definitions elsewhere on the NSDNR/L&F website*), includes many or all of what were Clearcuts – Seed Tree Harvest under the old system.

But who knows.

I have asked L&F for some clarification.
______________
*The Feds provide the following definition for Variable Retention: “A silvicultural system that follows nature’s model by always retaining part of the forest after harvesting. Standing trees are left in a dispersed or aggregated form to meet objectives such as retaining old-growth structure, habitat protection and visual quality. Variable retention retains structural features (snags, large woody debris, live trees of varying sizes, canopy levels) as wildlife habitat.”

———
Also view – By Any Other Name: Nova Scotia’s Department of Lands and Forestry just made “Clearcuts” disappear
Linda Pannozzo in The Halifax Examiner feb 16, 2019 (subscription required to access full article). I had not looked at Linda’s piece when I wrote the above, so that my take on it would be independent of hers. ‘Am about to have a look at it.
–
Discussion of harvest terminology on HFC Facebook Page
Initiated Feb 17, 2019

———–
Addendum Feb 22, 2019

The questions to L&F

Feb. 20 at 12:34 p.m.
To: ForestryMaps@novascotia.ca
Cc: Bruce Nunn; krista.higdon@novascotia.ca

As others have noted, “Clearcut” has now been removed from HPMV descriptions.

I notice that in recent postings, “Variable Retention” is common, but was not so in older postings, while Seed Tree Harvest, a prescription type attached to Clearcut in older postings, is now not one of the listed Prescription Types.

I can find no definition/description of “variable retention” in the FMG, but I do have a NRCAN definition:
“”A silvicultural system that follows nature’s model by always retaining part of the forest after harvesting. Standing trees are left in a dispersed or aggregated form to meet objectives such as retaining old-growth structure, habitat protection and visual quality. Variable retention retains structural features (snags, large woody debris, live trees of varying sizes, canopy levels) as wildlife habitat.”

I have a few questions

1. Can you refer me to a L&F document with a definition of Variable Retention, or otherwise provide me with a definition/description?

2. Is use of “Seed Tree Harvest” as a prescription being dropped?

3. Is it the case now that what were previously described as “Clearcut- Seed Tree Harvest”, are now given by “Variable Retention”?

4. Does “Variable Retention” include treatments that would NOT have beeen described as clearcuts under the older postings? If so, how were they described?

Thanks for any clarifications you can offer.

UPDATE Feb 25, 2019: Evidently, Nova Scotia L&F considers adherence to the Interim Retention Guidelines as equivalent to Not Clearcutting 25Feb2019

—————-

UPDATE Feb 28, 2019: L&F Response to Questions:

Hi David,

I am taking over covering for Bruce Nunn, so Krista sent me your questions.

Here are the responses:

1. Can you refer me to a L&F document with a definition of Variable Retention, or otherwise provide me with a definition/description?

The Forest Management Guide (FMG) is in the process of being revised, as recommended by Professor Lahey in his “Independent Review of Forest Practices in Nova Scotia”, and will include all harvest prescriptions that are in use. A definition for ‘variable retention’, which is not included in the current guide, is shown below:

‘Variable retention’ is a silvicultural system that retains forest structural elements for at least one rotation in order to preserve environmental values associated with structurally complex forests. In Nova Scotia, the implementation of the “Interim Retention Guide” dictates the amount of retention required as well as the type of trees to be retained (https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/Forest_Review/Retention-Guide-NS-Crown-Land.pdf).

2. Is use of “Seed Tree Harvest” as a prescription being dropped?

Seed Tree prescriptions will continue to be a harvest prescription from the Forest Management Guide (FMG) that is used on Crown lands. With seed tree prescriptions, licensees are applying the Interim Retention Guide, until the FMG is revised. As the guide’s recommended retention levels will be implemented as well as the required seed tree dispersal, they will be called ‘Variable Retention’ on the Harvest Plan Map Viewer.

3. Is it the case now that what were previously described as “Clearcut- Seed Tree Harvest”, are now given by “Variable Retention”?

Any harvest treatment that retains 10 to 30% of the stand’s basal area will be called ‘Variable Retention’ on the Harvest Plan Map Viewer.

4. Does “Variable Retention” include treatments that would NOT have been described as clearcuts under the older postings? If so, how were they described?

As is explained in the Interim Retention Guide, the retention features are designed for treatments other than selection, commercial thinning and shelterwood.

Hope this helps!

Thanks,
Lisa Jarrett
Communications Advisor
Communications Nova Scotia
C: 902-478-9954

My response: (Feb 28, 2019)

Thx.

It would help if some clear language* describing Variable Retention were posted on HPMV Home Page as there is a lot of confusion (and considerable upset) about recent changes in terminology amongst members of the public who make use of the HPMV.

*I noticed today that the Interim Retention Guidelines use the term “retention” but not “Variable Retention”, which adds to the confusion. (I was referred to that document to explain ‘Variable Retention’ by CrownInquiries@northernpulp.com)