Soils, Restoring Forests on Abandoned Farmland, Invasive Plants, Agroforestry, & the Forest Triad are amongst a range of topics covered in the latest issue of the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve Newsletter.
I think most of us are aware that SW Nova Scotia has a high level of biodiversity and a rich cultural heritage, but the special status of the area as a “Biosphere Reserve” is not so well known. Read more at www.versicolor.ca/nstraid
Nina Newington, writing on Extinction Rebellion Mi’kma’ki / Nova Scotia (public FB group), Mar 9, 2023:
“Citizen scientists working to protect the forest around Goldsmith Lake got some good news last week and some excellent media coverage this week: thanks to the 17 (and counting) Species at Risk they have identified in the area, Natural Resources and Renewables has put on hold harvesting in all the cutblocks touched by the SAR. NRR’s Resource Manager for the Western Region noted that, with the discovery of multiple occurrences like this, the response would go beyond just adding individual buffers, saying the department would look for ‘alternative avenues’ to steward the area.Read more on www.versicolor.ca/nstriad
Application of EA or EA type of process to FULAs (Forest Utilization License Agreement) was seen by Prof Lahey as a critical “to bring transparency and accountability to the [planning] process and to mitigate the concerns about how DNR internally manages its competing responsibilities”. Yet, there has been no mention of an EA or equivalent process in NRRs recent announcement that its FULA with Port Hawkesbery Paper has now been extended to 2043. I asked Prof. Peter Duinker, the chief architect of the EA process, “What happened to the EA?”. Evidently he has the same question.
Can an EA type process for forestry on Crown lands in NS as recommended by Lahey ensure that planning for biodiversity conservation takes place on a landscape level scale and put to rest public concern about Crown land forestry practices? Clearly it can’t if it’s not conducted!
Click on images in this post for larger versions
I saw the NRR Press release Port Hawkesbury Paper Agreements Extended, Renewed (NRR Feb 8, 2023) and wondered immediately what happened to the EA (Environmental Assessment) process that I understood from the Lahey Report was supposed to apply to such agreements in future.
I figured a person who would know and might answer my question would be Dalhousie University Emeritus Professor Peter Duinker. Prof. Duinker proposed the EA process when he served as an Expert Advisor to Independent Review of Forestry Practices (see Addendum to Lahey Report, pages 99-100), clear recommendations were made to implement such a process in the Lahey Report, an Environmental Assessment project team was formed within L&F to move it all ahead and finally Prof Duinker served as a member of the consulting team contracted to develop the process.
To my surprise, Prof Duinker has the same question – I received this response shortly after I wrote to him: READ MORE ON www.versicolor.ca/nstriad
Curved arrows represent biologically mediated flows of GHGs: the straight arrow, industrial emissions of GHGs; and the symbols at bottom right, long term sequestration of carbon in the oceans. Carbon dioxide is the most important GHG in relation to forestry.
“New paper out on life cycle #GHG dynamics for different scenarios of forest-based bioenergy in Nova Scotia”.
So reads an announcement on Twitter by James Steenberg, first author of the paper on Twitter. The tweet provides a link to : Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Forest Bioenergy Production at Combined Heat and Power Projects in Nova Scotia, Canada, by James W N Steenberg, Jérôme Laganière, Nathan W Ayer, Peter N Duinker, published in Forest Science Jan 2, 2023.
Comment. The full paper is not publicly available on the publisher’s site. I learned about the paper from a Facebook Post on Jan 20, 2023 in which a PDF of the paper was also provided. I was asked to comment. Read more
From NS NRR Twitter feed
From Natural Resources and Renewables News Release (italics inserted):
The Province has dedicated a high production forest zone, completing its triad model of ecological forestry.
This will support the economy while ensuring that 90 per cent of Crown land is managed with biodiversity as the top priority.
Read more on versicolor.ca/nstriad
Announcement from Nature Nova Scotia
Join us for our next Nature Talk:
“The Chebucto Peninsula and Moose Habitat Connectivity”
Tues Jan 10th at 7 pm
Nature Nova Scotia is still working to help save the Mainland Moose. Its been over a year since the the Mainland Moose recovery plan with core habitat was released. During this webinar, We will be discussing the Chebucto peninsula and its value to the Mainland Moose population, with special attention to how areas were identified for core habitat. We will also be discussing the health of the moose population, research done in this area, and the potential for better connectivity through wildlife overpasses or underpasses.
Read more on versicolor.ca/nstraid
The Big Question: Will we see an end to “Highgrading at the Landscape Level” on Crown lands on Jan 1, 2023?
‘Just wonderin’ re: items (c) and (d) below and ‘The Big Question” (right).
The current* NS Government’s Commitment (clause 10 in the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act, As Passed on Nov 5, 2021, bolding inserted):
*A PC Government was elected with a majority on Aug 17, 2021, replacing two successive Liberal Governments (2013-2019).
The Government’s goals with respect to the protection of land are…
Read More on www.versicolor.ca/nstriad
“A group of citizen scientists in Southwest Nova Scotia are asking the premier to freeze harvests and road-building immediately in the forests surrounding Goldsmith Lake in Annapolis County.
Drone view of the new road
“This patch of crown land on the South Mountain inland from Tupperville is known to biologists and local residents for its old, relatively undisturbed forests. It includes two provincially recognized patches of old-growth. Citizens, including a respected conservation planner, alerted the province to the high conservation value of the area earlier in the year. But on October 22nd, a group of citizen scientists out exploring and documenting the biodiversity of the western side of the lake came upon a brand new logging road. The Department of Natural Resources and Renewables has confirmed to Annapolis County MLA Carman Kerr that harvest plans for 1355 acres around the lake have been approved.
“In the month since the discovery of the road the group has identified eight occurrences of Species At Risk in the area…”
Read full Press Release on www.versicolor.ca/nstriad
There has been very little info and essentially no public consultation coming from the government through 2022 in regard to fully implementing the Triad system of forest management by the beginning of 2023 (re: commitment stated in item 10c in the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act of Oct 2021, and lots remains to be done (View post July 13, 2022).
A related commitment under item 10 – (a) the protection of 20% of land and water area by 2030 and (b) a strategy for the same by December 31, 2023 – is highly relevant to the Triad.
The scuttle has been that “nothing is really happening” in regard to new Protected Areas but it seems the pressure is on, with the release of ad for a Planner to play a “leading role in developing and implementing various priorities directed towards legally designating new areas.” It’s a Term Position. Read more on versicolor.ca/nstriad
I just learned about it today, in the course of some correspondence with Peter Bush (Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables Old-Growth Forest Coordinator). A notice about this talk was, apparently, just posted today on the MTRI Facebook Page.
Read more on versicolor.ca/nstriad
