FFF

Forest-Friendly Forestry

Portable Bandsaw in use at Windhorse Farm, 1998

Portable Bandsaw in use at Windhorse Farm, 1998, allows production of lumber on-site. View video of bandsaw in use at MacPhail Woods, PEI

Below are some examples of forest-friendly forestry and some groups that I believe promote truly forest-friendly forestry in Nova Scotia. These are just some examples. I appreciate that there are many individuals, families and small groups that practice forest-friendly forestry without any fanfare. Also, it’s appropriate to think of wood products as only one category of the possible products of forestry; there are a few existing and many potential NTFPs (non-timber forest products) that can support rural economies such as maple syrup, mushrooms, ecotourism.

Mi’kmawey Forestry (Facebook Page)
“Our mission is: “To support Mi’kmaw participation in the transformation of Nova Scotia’s forests through the practice and promotion of Netukulimk.”

Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources
“Since 1999, UINR–Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources has been Cape Breton’s Mi’kmaw voice on natural resources and environmental concerns. UINR represents the five Mi’kmaw communities of Unama’ki–Eskasoni, Membertou, Potlotek, Wagmatcook, and We’koqma’q – and was formed to address concerns regarding natural resources and their sustainability…At the soul of everything we do at UINR is Netukulimk.”

NSWOOA . On Facebook
“The Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association is committed to being your best source for information and advice about the sustainable management of the Acadian Forest. We do not offer silviculture or harvesting services; our interest is only in the protection and enhancement of the native forest ecosystems of Nova Scotia.” The website provides links to relevant resources. View A short history of NSWOOA.. It was founded in 1969, and is the oldest independent woodlot owners and operators group in the province. It was “never a favorite of the Department of Lands and Forests”.

The Forestry Lab
An initiative of NSWOOA. “The Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association is hosting a unique project called The Forestry Lab to address challenges in Nova Scotia’s forestry sector. See Event Summaries for a sense of what it is about.

WoodsCamp
“WoodsCamp is a dedicated community of forestry professionals, woodlot owners, and technology developers who share in a mission to increase the health of our forests and the families that rely on them. We believe that technical, process, and business model innovation offers us an exciting new way to manage forests sustainably.” Note, Fall 2018: This was a NS startup group, that unfortunately couldn’t make a go of it in NS but is now in three states in the U.S. I am pretty sure they want to come back

The Healthy Forests Coalition (HFC) | On Facebook
A fledgling organization set up in the spring of 2016 following discussions by many people around the topic of use of forest biomass to generate electricity. These discussions began when a St. Margaret’s Bay resident, Helga Guderley, floated the idea of a public petition urging the Premier (as representative of the N.S. government) to “Stop destroying Nova Scotia’s forests for biomass power generation”. From their website: “The Nova Scotia Healthy Forest Coalition is an alliance of organizations and individuals united to raise public awareness of the critical state of our forests and the need for fundamental reform of forest policy.”

Woods and Waters Nova Scotia (Facebook Page)
“Pjila’si – Welcome. My name is Mike Parker. I am an author of wilderness history and heritage and an outdoors advocate and enthusiast who is dedicated to fostering the sustainable use – not the unfettered abuse – of Nova Scotia’s forests and forest ecosystems. The goal of this page is to effect positive change, to be educational and thought provoking, reflective and introspective by celebrating the traditions, natural beauty, and intrinsic values of our woods and waters while decrying the calculated, self-gratifying attitudes, doctrines and practices that wantonly destroy and pollute the land, poison the water and foul the air in the name of progress and pursuit of the omnipotent dollar…”

Friends of the Redtail Society…Sheltering Forests
Based in Scotsburn, Nova Scotia.”We must create a different way of relating to the forest, one that values the forest system as much greater than the sum of its parts; one that restricts human impact to what a healthy forest can sustain.”

Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology
Public Facebook Group formed fall 2018. “This is a group for those in Annapolis Royal, NS, and the surrounding area, who are interested in ecology and the environment. It will be a place for us to network about environmental issues, coming events, and also to share our observations about the natural world in this area.”

Medway Community Forest Co-op
“Community forests exist across Canada – each as unique as the communities they are part of. What they have in common is direct governance by local people, economic benefits that stay in the community, land that is managed for multiple values, and a commitment to environmental stewardship. The Medway Community Forest Co-op was formed to bring this model to Nova Scotia. The forest industry in this province is undergoing a major transition and a community forest offers a new creative approach to managing our natural resources.” View also this news story (Aug 17, 2017): The only community-owned forest in Nova Scotia sets out its stall

Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association | On Facebook
“The Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association was founded in 1998 by a group of concerned citizens who support a vision of sustainable forest practices. Members of ESFWA understand that humans are but one of hundreds of species in any region, each of which is important in its own right as an integral part of the ecological web. Members include established Eastern Shore families and new residents, woodlot owners, foresters, business owners and professionals, teenagers and octogenarians, all deeply concerned about the health and future of our forests and wild lands. Simply stated, we address local environmental issues as they emerge, with reasoned argument and passion for the Earth.”

Snow Lake Keep Homesteading Community
We are an off-grid, queer-positive homesteading community, using permaculture principles to live in harmony with our natural surroundings. We are located on 140 acres of forest on the North Mountain of the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, on the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq nation. There are currently six residents living here year-round. Our mission is to create a safe, healthy, peaceful community in which members can live together, fostering an environment of egalitarianism and personal development. We also aim to steward the land in a sustainable manner, one that allows members to provide for their food, fuelwood, and water needs collectively, while improving the fertility and biodiversity of the land…Our homestead is built on a clearcut. Completed in 2001, what is now Snow Lake Keep was a Bowater Mersey cut. Purchased in 2005, the landscape was unrecognizable. Visitors of the farm today can hardly believe that the lush forest and active ecological farm that surrounds them here was only recently the sort of landscape that would have them reaching for their Extinction Rebellion banners.

Woodland Owner of the Year
“The Nova Scotia Woodland Owner of the Year Award (WOYA) recognizes and rewards landowners for outstanding stewardship of their woodlands. It was developed to encourage woodlot owners to practice sustainable woodlot management and to increase public awareness of the importance of private woodlots in Nova Scotia and good woodlot management.” Descriptions of woodlot operations by winners of this award going back to 1999 make some pretty interesting reading.

Community Forest International
“An environmental start-up, working to connect people and their communities to the forests that sustain them.” Highly innovative, Maritime based.

Fair Trade in Forestry
Facebook page. “Our goal is achieve stakeholder representation on how publicly owned land is managed and promote sustainable forestry in Nova Scotia.” @fairtradeinforestry

The Nova Scotia genuine progress index forest accounts volume 2 a way forward: case studies in sustainable forestry (2001)
Six case studies are described in detail. GPI Atlantic.

Stop Spraying & Clear-Cutting In Nova Scotia
Public Facebook Group