… that provide succinct descriptions of effects of clearcutting the Acadian forest
On tree species and fitness
“The Acadian Forest Region is situated between the deciduous forest to the south and west and the boreal forest to the north and includes elements of both. Catastrophic, stand-replacing disturbances were rare, and normal natural disturbance was characterized by small gap-producing events.
Shade-tolerant, mixedwood forest types have been incrementally diminished by a combination of high-grade logging for softwood sawtimber that has removed softwood seed sources, and large-scale clearcutting for pulpwood, practices that are not based on natural disturbance and stand development.
Short-rotation clearcutting has led to increasing representations of formerly rare, large-opening opportunist species that are more common in boreal ecosystems.
Plantation silviculture with boreal conifers to enhance softwood fiber production has hastened such species transitions.
Clearcutting has diminished the incidence of multiaged forests and large ultimate survivor trees that provide reservoirs of reproductive fitness and genetic diversity.
Raised rotten-wood nursery microsites, which prevent the smothering of small-seeded species regeneration, have become rare.
Exposure-resistant boreal forest species are expected to be less able to adapt to the significant northward shift of life zones that is forecast.”
From: Silvicultural Discipline to Maintain Acadian Forest Resilience
by Peter Salonius. 2007. Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 24(2): 91-97. (The text is from the introduction to the Salonius paper. Supporting references were deleted in the copied text above; paragraphing is mine.)
On what the landowner decides
I am very fortunate to have 169 acres on Little River Lake that has an old growth Acadian stand. Never saw the axe. It also has large areas of bogs and wetlands people go there this time of year to find rare wildflowers, ducks, beavers other wildlife lives there.It is surrounded by clear cuts basically all thats left is on me. Now I harvest wood on my land just not on that old growth. The landowner has the say on how the wood is harvested on his land, I had a major cut a few years ago by Irving and I laid out the cuts with regards to wildlife corriders, old dead trees left for bird nests etc. set backs on brooks, certain hardwood stands left. They decided they could make money and I would as well so it was done as I instructed and done well. Not far from me the landowner clear cut his woodlots. His decision.
If the deciding factor is as much wood fiber as possible and no other value is assigned that is what happens. There is no monatary value given to clear sparkling brooks, birds flitting thru the trees, walking in moss up to your ankles, the quiet silence of a mature forest it doesnt stand a chance of survival outside of protected areas. What is happening to Crown Lands and Private woodlots is not IMO sustainable and in the future the protected areas will be considered to be in the public best interest to harvest. This will take time and what is now a clearcut will be bio mass to cut again. The only thing missing will be old growth and everyone will forget how NS can grow massive trees but it takes a couple hundred years to see it again. Thats if we as a society can wait that long.
A post by the Moderator for NovaScotiaFishing.com in a discussion of Clear Cutting Nova Scotia – The Bio-Massacre (June, 2013)
On the lack of protection for migratory birds
Sadly, the Migratory Birds Act does not get in the way of forestry unless we stand by the machines and point to the nests, so it seems. Little did we know 100 years ago that the biggest threat to migratory birds would not be shooting them for their feathers or destroying birds for some other cause (which the Act does seem to help), but rather it would be habitat loss, plain and simple. We can’t convince a bay-breasted warbler to forage in a clearcut. No way, no how.
– Donna Crossland on ABA Birding News//Nova Scotia// rusty blackbird clarification Apr 23, 2017