The following are verbatim from Bev Wigney, moderator of the Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology public Facebook Page; item posted on that site at about noon today (Fri Jan 11, 2019)
NEWS!!! NEWS!!! NEWS!!!
JUST RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING LETTER ABOUT THE CORBETT-DALHOUSIE LAKE FOREST!!
Basically, they intend to go ahead and harvest it. They are trying to explain (making the excuse) that they were able to change the parcels without a proper public consultation based on the way an old “larger” parcel was approved in 2014. This is really BAD NEWS because it is now obvious to me that ANY larger parcel that was approved even YEARS AGO could be redesigned into a smaller parcel and then wouldn’t have to go through any consultation process — at least that’s how it looks to me. Legal minds? Read this and let me know before I respond to Iain Rankin. Anyhow, I guess we need to get some legal advice on this and also decide how to proceed – and see what our Annapolis County council’s response will be. Supposedly, no harvest work will be done until spring 2019, but I wouldn’t count on that. . At the very least, I think we should have MAJOR INPUT on EXACTLY how the rest of the parcel is harvested — EVEN IF that means having some of us out there in the forest directing what ecological features to leave in place. Anyhow, here is the letter: I will post the diagrams they sent as well. SHARE AND SHARE WIDELY. EVERYONE HAS TO BE TOLD ABOUT THIS “NEW” TACTIC REGARDING REDESIGNING PARCELS TO GET THEM PUSHED THROUGH WITHOUT A PUBLIC CONSULTATION PROCESS.
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Dear Ms. Wigney:
I am responding to your email of December 27, 2018, concerning harvest parcels AP08637B and AP08637D in Annapolis County. We appreciate public feedback, which is the objective of the harvest plan map viewer or direct correspondence. Details on past processes are given below, as well as changes that have occurred, and will occur.
These parcels were provided in error by Westfor and posted by the department on the Harvest Plan Map Viewer on December 10, 2018 and have since been removed from the viewer. The error was the result of a change in the parcel identification number from 2014 to 2018 as explained below.
The department’s initial response to inquiries on December 31 was that the original posting was a clearcut in 2015. However, a detailed review of previous postings shows that this parcel was actually originally posted as an 85-hectare partial harvest in November 2014. At that time pdf maps were being posted on the department website. The system was upgraded with the move to the Harvest Plan Map Viewer (HPMV) in April 2016. The screenshot below from that pdf map shows the parcel number 409 and the legend of the map shows the identification number of M5311521 and a partial harvest prescription. For your information, no public comments were received at the time on that proposed harvest. This parcel was assigned to a sawmill who had a short-term license, but the harvest was not carried out.
Once the individual licenses to mills were replaced with a short-term license to Westfor, 40 hectares of the original parcel was submitted for approval as a partial harvest as block number AP068637 (map below).
The intent of posting proposed Crown land forest harvests is to seek public input and additional information for consideration by the Integrated Resource Management (IRM) teams and as part of the approval by senior management. The department procedure that has been in place for the past few years and has been communicated to licensees is as follows:
If, following the initial posting, it is proposed to extend the boundary of the harvest outside of the original posting or to change the harvest type from a partial harvest to a clearcut method, the revised proposed harvest will be reposted on the HPMV for further public input.
If, following the initial posting, it is proposed to change the boundary of the harvest within the original posting or to change from a clearcut to a partial harvest method, reposting on the HPMV is not required.
Westfor received approval for the partial harvest of block number AP068637 from Minister Miller on June 20, 2018. They also received approval to carry out road maintenance and construction and the road was constructed in July 2018. A 20-hectare cut of the approved 40-hectare partial harvest was completed in August/September 2018. We understand that Westfor plans to complete the remaining portion of the approved partial harvest plan in spring 2019. Despite the unusual planning and consultation process involved in this site, we have listened to the various forms of feedback. Consistent with recommendations from Professor Lahey, I am directing that any future harvest of these 40 hectares will be designed to continue on a path of multi-aged management and will not involve overstory removal i.e. a clearcut.
I trust this letter clarifies what has occurred, and addresses your expressed concern that this site could become a clearcut. Thank you for your interest.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Iain Rankin
Minister of Lands and Forestry
c Honourable Stephen McNeil, Premier
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