Category Archives: Conservation

Executive Director of Climate Change at Nova Scotia Environment challenged on the “renewable energy” status of Pt Tupper biomass facility

Posted on February 25, 2018 by admin

In a letter to Mr. Jason Hollett, Executive Director of Climate Change at Nova Scotia Environment, Energy Analyst Peter Ritchie begins: As you are no doubt aware, the biomass boiler owned and operated by Nova Scotia Power Incorporated (NSPI), located … Continue reading →

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Loon Lake clearcuts continue, illustrate lack of landscape level planning

Posted on February 11, 2018 by admin

The conflict over clearcutting in Nova Scotia could hardly be presented more graphically than in the poster above, which I just received. In May I posted an item about proposed clearcuts near the Loon Lake Nature Reserve in Guysborough Co. … Continue reading →

Posted in Biomass, clearcuts, Conservation, Loon Lake, Parks & Protected Areas | Comments Off on Loon Lake clearcuts continue, illustrate lack of landscape level planning

Will our governments enable Forest Smart, Climate Smart and Dollar Smart opportunities for private woodlot owners in Atlantic Canada?

Posted on February 9, 2018 by admin

New Brunswick based Forest International’s efforts to promote carbon offsets as an income generator for private woodlot owners in Atlantic Canada is featured in the business section of today’s Chronicle Herald. Atlantic Canada’s woodlot owners could benefit from the growing … Continue reading →

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Bancroft on the real costs and dismal returns to Nova Scotians of running the PHP biomass plant 24/7

Posted on February 7, 2018 by admin

It had been rumoured that the PHP Biomass plant had returned to 24/7 operation. Now Bob Bancroft confirms that we are back at it, burning 50 to 60 tractor-trailer loads of wood per day to generate electricity at 21% efficiency… … Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, Biomass, clearcuts, Conservation, Independent Review | Comments Off on Bancroft on the real costs and dismal returns to Nova Scotians of running the PHP biomass plant 24/7

Saturday Forestry, continued… Feb 3, 2018: how much displacement of our natural world is acceptable?

Posted on February 3, 2018 by admin

Saturday’s Chronicle Herald again carries several items on the forestry/resources front. First in clear contrast to PC leadership hopeful John Lohr, Pictou County Conservative MLA Tim Houston “is calling for an increased level of ministerial scrutiny of a proposed wastewater … Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, clearcuts, Conservation, Gold Mining, Independent Review, Mining, Parks & Protected Areas, Pulp & Paper | Comments Off on Saturday Forestry, continued… Feb 3, 2018: how much displacement of our natural world is acceptable?

Startup group interested in funding and managing a Community Forestry Hub in Cape Breton

Posted on January 17, 2018 by admin

A reader of this blog forwarded the following announcement: Are you interested in the sustainability of our forests and rural communities? A group, interested in helping to address both the health of our forests and the issue of how to … Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, Conservation, Lumber, Private Woodlots, Wood Construction | Comments Off on Startup group interested in funding and managing a Community Forestry Hub in Cape Breton

Birds nests versus industrial forestry in Nova Scotia & what the Independent Review can do for us

Posted on January 10, 2018 by admin

Two items in the forestry related news for Nova Scotia last week illustrate the quandary we are in when it comes to figuring out ‘what to do about forestry in Nova Scotia’. First was an article about the impacts of … Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, Conservation, Economics, Independent Review, Show Us the Science | Comments Off on Birds nests versus industrial forestry in Nova Scotia & what the Independent Review can do for us

Editorials and letters about forestry in Nova Scotia continued late 2017: responses to Saunders and a New Year’s wish

Posted on January 1, 2018 by admin

My wish for the New Year: the Independent Review surprises me, and comes out with strong recommendations to protect our remaining older forests, allowing only selective cutting (if any); then the Premier and his government surprise us all by accepting … Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, clearcuts, Conservation, Letters&Editorials, WestFor | Comments Off on Editorials and letters about forestry in Nova Scotia continued late 2017: responses to Saunders and a New Year’s wish

Nova Scotia forests and forestry are in the news and cameras lenses as the Independent Review moves into Phase 2

Posted on December 17, 2017 by admin

About mines, pulp effluent, hemlock vampires, the state of the forest, land protection and the Independent Review deliberations Sometimes my attempt to provide a “record of events, news and opinions on the subject of forests and forestry in Nova Scotia … Continue reading →

Posted in clearcuts, Conservation, Independent Review, Letters&Editorials, Old Growth, Parks & Protected Areas, Pests, Pulp & Paper | Comments Off on Nova Scotia forests and forestry are in the news and cameras lenses as the Independent Review moves into Phase 2

Mining Association of Nova Scotia’s continues its aggressive campaign to undermine our protected areas

Posted on December 13, 2017 by admin

Are all protected areas ecologically unique? So asks MANS presenting a host of photos of clearcuts in protected areas as evidence that protected areas ar not special and should be opened up for mining. Their photo evidence is quite a … Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Parks & Protected Areas | Comments Off on Mining Association of Nova Scotia’s continues its aggressive campaign to undermine our protected areas