There’s not a lot happening on the forests and forestry front these days with The Mill down and Covid19 lockdowns.
However, L&F continues to put out plans for harvesting on the HPMV and, presumably, some related activity is happening on the ground. The various activities for advancing the Lahey Recommendations continue at a snail’s pace as we approach 2 years since the report was submitted (Aug 2018).
Nervousness about where all of this is going continues on some Social Media fronts, e.g. with the arrival of migratory birds to forest nesting areas. That was a major (and still unresolved) issue raised on Social Media in the spring/early summer of last year, e.g. see posts of May 12, 2019, June 5, 2019, June 12, 2019, June 15, 2019, June 28, 2019.
The graphic at top left appeared yesterday on People for Ecological Forestry in Southwest Nova Scotia. It cites an interview on CBC InfoAM Monday May 11 at 8:15 a.m. about the HPF Discussion paper, commenting as follows:
The Department of Lands and Forestry issued a Discussion Paper on High Production Forestry or a Tree Plantation Plan for potentially 333,000 hectares or 822,000 acres of Crown land in February with a deadline of March 30, 2020 – right in the middle of COVID-19 concerns.
We felt that the public needed to know about this…so we forwarded the High Production Forestry Discussion Paper to CBC.
This land is home to wildlife, songbirds and species at risk.
Yes – forestry is important and vital to the economy of Nova Scotia – YET we want to make sure that other aspects are considered FIRST – not last.
The department has not completed new criteria to determine old growth. The Crown Lands Act has not been changed. The Species at Risk Act has not been implemented –
But they are determining where High Production Forestry will go on potentially over 600,000 football fields of forest.
In our opinion the process is backwards.
While Northern Pulp is closed –
Isn’t it time to slow down – and look at harvesting in a way that is kinder – more gentle on the forest?
But no – that is not what is happening in the woods.
Last year the department proposed over 25,000 acres of clearcuts. They have plenty to cut in the next couple of years and clearcuts are still coming out every 10 days…and is still the harvest method of choice for the department and several timber license holders.
The Forestry Management Guide is five months late…
And we are not seeing any signs of ecological forestry.…the Lahey Report has now been out for 20 months.
When are we suppose to see this dramatic reduction in clearcutting Minister Iain Rankin promised?
Where is our forest hero to slow this all down and to put the forest first?
View post on People for Ecological Forestry in Southwest Nova Scotia, further discussion on Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology (both are Public Facebook groups).