“It’s time for Nova Scotia political leaders to stop what seems to be a runaway, and rationally incoherent, biomass energy policy” 9July2019

Posted on July 9, 2019 by admin

So reads a line in EDITORIAL: Senseless biomassacre (Chronicle Herald Fri July 5, 2019). Some  extracts:

A groundbreaking scientific study released earlier this week showed the unparalleled power of the world’s trees to quickly and cheaply limit climate change.

The new report from scientists at ETH-Zurich university in Switzerland looked at where, and how many, more trees could be grown worldwide. Crucially, the study also highlighted how much of an unexpectedly large effect those trees could have on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

…Which brings us to Nova Scotia’s current wrongheaded policy of allowing a growing amount of biomass — meaning the trees in our forests — to be cut down and burned, or exported to be burned, for energy.
Continue reading →

Posted in Biomass, Climate Change | Comments Off on “It’s time for Nova Scotia political leaders to stop what seems to be a runaway, and rationally incoherent, biomass energy policy” 9July2019

Nova Scotia Healthy Forest Coalition provides summary/critique of the L&F June 25 meeting 9July2019

Posted on July 9, 2019 by admin

“This department could do as much or more than the rest of the Government of Nova Scotia put together to mitigate global warming if it adopted just two policies: (1) recognized that the maintenance of intact forests is one of the most effective ways to mitigate climate change, and (2) recognized that harvesting and burning biomass to generate electricity absolutely does not create ‘green energy’” – Paul Pross

L&F provides terse periodic updates on their progress in implementing the recommendations of the Lahey Report, and I look to news items, articles in Atlantic Forestry Review and such for more nuanced perspectives.

Thus a summary and critique of the June 25 meeting written by Paul Pross and posted on the HFC Facebook site (a Public Group) is particularly welcome. It is reproduced below. I have added some bolding.
Continue reading →

Posted in Ind Rev Post-Report, L&F | Comments Off on Nova Scotia Healthy Forest Coalition provides summary/critique of the L&F June 25 meeting 9July2019

Sue Skipton on The Bears of West Dalhousie, Nova Scotia 5July2019

Posted on July 5, 2019 by admin

Sue Skipton urges us to rethink how we perceive and live with these “human critters” in Nova Scotia

UPDATE: View Bear Necessities – Living with the bears no hardship for animal-loving West Dalhousie woman
By Lawrence Powell for the Annapolis County Spectator, July 15, 2019
——–

Sue Skipton of West Dalhousie has frequently commented on Social Media about the bears who share the surrounding lands with her. She recently assembled a remarkable set of photos and videos that were posted on Woods and Waters Nova Scotia on July 2, 2019.

I asked Sue if I could copy the post and photos onto NSFN, to which she graciously agreed. I have added some of the lengthy discussion that occurred on WWNS, which was not always gracious; also a section with Some Articles & Websites and Research Literature on Black Bears

Thank you Sue S. for your care and respect for these bears and for sharing your concerns about disruption of their natural habitats and habits in Nova Scotia.

The Bears of West Dalhousie
“The story behind these bears is that I have lived here now for 16 years. For the first 11 years Bowater owned the land behind me and DNR used to bring the nuisance bears out here all those years and drop them off. There has ALWAYS been food around my property as I rescue Feral Cats here and have Racoons too. However, 4.5 years ago when Crown took over Bowater and started cutting the 900+ Hectares behind me, the bears started moving out and yes, into my yard which really is a haven for them as there are apple and pear trees, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and so much more , which have always been here since I moved here. Now, this is a daily routine here. I now have two new bears in my yard plus a Mommy with this years cub, I don’t have a picture yet of the new cub and its Mom.” – Sue Skipton Continue reading →
Posted in clearcuts, Conservation, Social Media, Social Values, Wildlife | Comments Off on Sue Skipton on The Bears of West Dalhousie, Nova Scotia 5July2019

Extinction Rebellion NS & friends protest clearcut on private land in Nova Scotia 29June2019

Posted on June 29, 2019 by admin

To date, most of the public concern about logging in NS has been focussed on Crown lands. On Thursday, June 27, 2019, 27 people participated in a XRNS protest at a clearcut on private land

Nina Newington photos

To date, most of the public concern about logging in NS has been focussed on Crown lands. Earlier in June, the first BC-style on-site protest occurred at an ongoing logging operation at the Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land forest in Annapolis Co. when a group of women spent more than a week camping at the site in tents. It was organized by XRNS (Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia) and friends.

On Thursday, June 27, 2019, 27 people participated in a protest at a clearcut on private land. Wrote Nina Newington on Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology (Public Facebook Group):
Continue reading →

Posted in clearcuts, Private Woodlots, Social Media | Comments Off on Extinction Rebellion NS & friends protest clearcut on private land in Nova Scotia 29June2019

Annapolis Ecology Group seeks “Silent Summer Forestry” in Nova Scotia 28June2019

Posted on June 28, 2019 by admin

Says Bev Wigney on Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology (Public Facebook Group):

In Nova Scotia, the Northern Parula (a wood warbler) shrouds its nest in Beard Lichen (Usnea spp) “where they are impossible to spot except by the actions of the parent birds” – Audubon (Photo taken in forest by Gays River, Nova Scotia on May 19, 2018)

Many of us are feeling that something needs to be done about protecting birds that are nesting right now. We’re seeing forests being hacked to pieces as we speak this week — on private and Crown land. Earlier today, I spoke with someone working on a news story who thought that Rankin’s “hold” on logging was for all Crown land through nesting season and they were horrified to hear it was only at Corbett-Dalhousie peninsula.

Well, I think we have to get something done about this issue. Conscientious foresters practice “Silent Summer” which means they do not harvest during the bird nesting season, which also coincides with the time when turtles are laying eggs (often on gravel shoulders of rural roads). It coincides with the final development of amphibians in vernal pools that would be crushed during forestry operations. It coincides with the raising of young mammals such as flying squirrels, porcupine, etc.. often living inside hollow trees, and of fox and other animals that often den in cavities under the roots of trees.
Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes | Comments Off on Annapolis Ecology Group seeks “Silent Summer Forestry” in Nova Scotia 28June2019

Nova Scotia L&F June 25 update: no surprises, all is well 27June2019

Posted on June 27, 2019 by admin

On June 25, 2019, L&F released a second update to its Dec 3, 2018 response to the Lahey Nova Scotia Forest Practices Report 2018 released Aug 21, 2018

The Ecological Forestry Implementation June 25, 2019 update, on the webpage for the Forest Review, begins:

“Project teams made up of department employees and external experts like scientists, researchers, academics and subject-matter experts are working on several key projects related to ecological forestry. These projects were identified as foundational priorities. The department is committed to engaging stakeholders and the public to gather their input on these projects”.

The page goes on to list the projects (Forest Management Guide, Natural Disturbance Regimes etc), identifying leaders and external experts and indicating when we can expect to see the projects completed – for most, some time in 2020. There are also separate Information Sheets for each Project:
Continue reading →

Posted in Ind Rev Post-Report | Comments Off on Nova Scotia L&F June 25 update: no surprises, all is well 27June2019

L&F to report on progress on Lahey Recommendations June 25, critiques by HFC and Annapolis Ecology Group 24Jun2019

Posted on June 24, 2019 by admin

Gathering at Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes forest, June 15, 2019. Bev Wigney photo

Whether and How L&F responds to these critiques  and actively engages all Nova Scotians going forward will be telling

On May 30, 2019, an e-mail went out from Lands & Forestry to 150+ people inviting recipients to “Hold the Date for an Ecological Forestry Forum” to be held in Truro on Tuesday June 25, 2019, Place TBA.” Those invited are apparently “people who participated in the process to develop Lahey’s report” . View pp 6-11 in the Addendum to the Lahey Report for a list of participants.

In the 10 months between the release of the Report on the Independent Review of Forestry Practices (Aug 21, 2018, often cited as the “Lahey Report”) and this first extended report from L&F on progress towards implementing the recommendations of the report, little has changed in the way forestry is practiced on Crown lands. That has hardly gone unnoticed. Over the past year, we have seen widespread expression of concern about climate change, destruction of forests for biomass energy, and species extinction globally and locally – the latter specifically in relation to forestry in NS, as recorded in posts and under In the News and Social Media Posts on this website.

Two recent documents released by groups concerned about forests and forestry in Nova Scotia underscore these concerns:
Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, Citizen Science, Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes, Ind Rev Post-Report, Independent Review, L&F, Social Media | Comments Off on L&F to report on progress on Lahey Recommendations June 25, critiques by HFC and Annapolis Ecology Group 24Jun2019

Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land NOW officially on-hold 15Jun2019

Posted on June 15, 2019 by admin

It was obviously good news, but no one was singing ‘The strife is o’er, the battle done.’

One of many cavity trees  in as-yet unharvested areas at Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes forest, June 15, 2019

UPDATE JUNE 17, 2019:
Clarity on the Migratory Birds Convention Act
Listen to The Migratory Birds Convention Act regulations are getting an update
Information Morning A.M. Halifax June 14, 2019 “Canada’s Migratory Birds Convention Act makes it an offence to destroy migratory bird nests. The person in charge of the migratory bird act says logging companies should avoid destroying nests to avoid breaking the law.”

and Today (June 17, 2019):
A naturalist says logging companies should stop operations (audio)
CBC Info AM-Halifax, June 17, 2019. “Nova Scotia’s Minister of Lands and Forestry has put a hold on a controversial proposed logging operation involving Crown land in Annapolis County. Minister Iain Rankin has ordered Westfor to stop operations because he received information from the public that species-at-risk have been identified on the site. Naturalist Scott Leslie has documented the migratory birds in the area. He spoke to Information Morning’s Phlis McGregor.”

It seems likely it wasn’t only the “feedback of staff and the public” that changed the Minister’s mind.

——-
ORIGINAL POST (June 15, 2019)

Within a few days of firmly turning down Annapolis County’s request for a freeze on logging at the Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes forest, L&F Minister Iain Rankin reversed track:

Lands and Forestry News Release
June 14, 2019 – 3:06 PM
Ministerial Statement, Harvest Plan on Hold
NOTE: The following is a statement from Iain Rankin, Minister of Lands and Forestry.

Over the past few days I have heard from concerned community members and recently received information that points to there being species at risk in the proposed harvest area between Dalhousie and Corbett Lakes in Annapolis County.

As the Minister of Lands and Forestry it is my duty to ensure responsible management of forestry practices while protecting the province’s biodiversity.

I have ordered Westfor to put a hold on the harvest until further investigation can be done.
Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes, L&F, Social Media, WestFor | Comments Off on Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land NOW officially on-hold 15Jun2019

Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land NOT delayed, WestFor’s Marcus Zwicker: “it would be inevitable that nests are destroyed” 12Jun2019

Posted on June 12, 2019 by admin

Apparently, L&F/Iain Rankin have drawn a line in the sand at Corbett-Dalhousie Lake

Chimney Swift, photo by Jim McCulloch. Chimney Swifts, listed as Threatened in Canada and Endangered in Nova Scotia, have been sighted above the Corbett-Dalhousie Lake forest and may nest there.

I made an inference I apparently shouldn’t have made from the CTV News story I commented on yesterday (Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land delayed by company doing the cut to respect Migratory Bird Convention Act 11Jun2019).

In an interview on CBC Information Morning for Halifax this a.m. WestFor’s General Manager Marcus Zwicker said that all across Canada, logging continues though nesting seasons; especially those on the front line in NS, he says, where a nesting bird, an owl, anything that can be identified is seen they will bring in experts as necessary and make adjustments (but not stop harvesting).

Mr Zwicker said they do not contravene the Migratory Bird Convention Act. However, on further questioning, Mr. Zwicker said “it would be inevitable that nests are destroyed”.
Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes, Ind Rev Post-Report, L&F, WestFor | Comments Off on Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land NOT delayed, WestFor’s Marcus Zwicker: “it would be inevitable that nests are destroyed” 12Jun2019

Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land delayed by company doing the cut to respect Migratory Bird Convention Act 11Jun2019

Posted on June 11, 2019 by admin

WestFor was scheduled to resume logging on Corbett-Dalhousie Lake Forest on June 9, 2019

UPDATE June 12, 2019: My report of yesterday (below) is likely not completely accurate. On CBC AM this morning (7:20 am June 12, 2019) : WestFor’s Marcus Zwicker says all across Canada, logging continues though nesting seasons; especially those on the front line in NS, he says, where a nesting bird, an owl, anything that can be identified is seen they will bring in experts as necessary and make adjustments (but not stop harvesting); he denies they contravene the MBCA…However, on further questioning, Mr. Zwicker said “it would be inevitable that nests are destroyed”. I tried to reach Stephen Saunders of Valliside Forestry this a.m. to clarify whether his statement as reported by CTV that ‘logging at Corbett-Dalhosuie Lakes would not be starting until later in the summer and that they follow strict guidelines’ meant they are respecting the Migratory Birds Convention Act; he was “in the woods” and not available at the time. Mr. Zwicker said the delay at Corbett-Dalhousie lake was related to weather, not to concerns about nesting birds. It’s all about balance he says. He said that they did change some harvesting plans during the past winter to accommodate recreational snowmobilers.
Also:
– N.S. logging firm says concern for birds must be balanced against industry needs
By Michael Tutton, THE CANADIAN PRESS on CTV news, June 11, 2019
– Turned down – Forestry minister Rankin rejects Annapolis County bid to preserve old growth forest
Lawrence Powell on www.trurodaily.com June 11, 2019

————-
Original Post (June 11, 2019)

This appears to be the first time that a logging operation on Crown land has been delayed in order to respect the Migratory Bird Convention Act

According to a report on CTV News for Monday June 10 2019 (19min:21sec-20:34)

A peaceful protest is continuing outside of Bridgetown in the Annapolis Valley…Naturalists arrived at the site yesterday [Sunday] and camped out overnight. They are concerned about logging in the area which could disrupt migratory birds in and around West Dalhousie, also concerned about losing Old growth Forest and they intend to take steps to disrupt those operations…

“Its time the province listens to the people…People simply don’t support cuts like these in the midst of a climate crisis…Its also about what’s happening all over NS”…

A sign went up last week from WestFor saying cutting would resume as early as today… One wildlife biologist said he has called police and Environment Canada to enforce provisions of the Migratory Bird Convention Act. The company says they follow strict guidelines and the cut hasn’t started yet and it won’t start until sometime this summer*.
__________
*May 11, evening: It has been pointed out to me that this does not necessarily mean that the apparent delay is related to the Migratory Bird Convention Act.

Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, Conservation, Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes, Social Media, WestFor | Comments Off on Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land delayed by company doing the cut to respect Migratory Bird Convention Act 11Jun2019