School Strike 4 Climate in Nova Scotia May 3, Shelburne students also target local clearcutting 2May2019

Posted on May 2, 2019 by admin


UPDATE May 7, 2019
– Climate change makes teens fear for the future (CBC Info AM Podcast)

UPDATE May 3, 2019
– Students across Maritimes march to join Youth Strike 4 Climate CTV News May 3, 2019
– Youth march on at climate protest despite warnings from Halifax school administrators Francis Campbell in Chronicle Herald May 3, 2019 (item available without subscription) – but at least one school encouraged participation.
– Halifax students lead climate march through downtown Global News, May 3, 2019
– Shelburne Students March To Protest Clearcutting
Ed Halverson for www.ckbw.ca/, May 3, 2019. Their Logo: “Stop the Chop”

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What it’s about:
In August 2018, Greta Thunberg began striking for the climate. Canada’s first climate strike in solidarity with Greta was Friday, November 2, 2018. By Friday, December 7, 2018, there were nine youth groups in Canada striking with Greta. Many youths in Canada are now striking regularly. Canada’s national climate strike is Friday, May 3, 2019. Canadian youth will next prepare for the global strike anticipated on September 27,2019. – Fridays for Future Canada

Events are cited currently for Halifax, Truro, Antiginish, Bridgewater and Shelburne. (View this link for details).

Students at Shelburne are using the event to highlight local concerns about clearcutting Continue reading →

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Nova Scotia Forestry Maps/L&F respond to concerns about South Mountain cuts & now L&F, not the licensee, address comments sent to the HPMV 1May2019

Posted on May 1, 2019 by admin

But, what seemed positive news turned out to contain some very sour grapes
(New content added 8: 15 pm)

UPDATE May 3, 2019
Bev Wigney requests “a map showing all of the parcels in Annapolis County that were granted approval for harvest before the HPMV was established…all those that were approved before the HPMV and that are either going to be harvested by whoever licensed them, or that will be or have been turned over to Westfor without going through the current HPMV process with its public consultation period. View post on Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology (public Facebook group). Response, within a few hours: “Thank you for your comment. The department will discuss this topic and get back to you.”…and a few hours after that: “We are searching for the old pdf maps that showed proposed harvest areas before the HPMV was put online in April 2016 so that we can restore that webpage. We will notify you when we have that information.”

UPDATE May 2, 2019: A Petition has been launched to stop logging in the Corbett-Dalhousie Lake area. From the Petition:

The Minister of the Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry has given his approval to the continued destruction of the forests on the peninsula between Corbett and Dalhousie Lakes in Annapolis County. Much of this is “old forest” with “super canopy trees” – many of which are more than 8 feet in circumference. Much of it is shade tolerant forest featuring important tree species such as Yellow Birch, Sugar Maple, and Red Spruce — all of which are long-lived species typical of what was once the pride of the renowned Acadian forests of Nova Scotia before they were all but reduced to a pathetic shadow of their past.
….A few strips of this forest have already been chopped down (see photo). This was done last autumn before work ceased for the winter. It is a scene of destruction. The best of the trees in these strips were removed, leaving misshapen and multi-trunked survivors standing – trees that are *SUPPOSED* to be “overstory”
…. Now the plan is to do the same to the remaining forest…

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Received today in an e-mail to those who Sign up for map-update notification (accessed via via DNR › Forestry › Harvest Operation Maps): Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, clearcuts, HPMV, Social Media | Comments Off on Nova Scotia Forestry Maps/L&F respond to concerns about South Mountain cuts & now L&F, not the licensee, address comments sent to the HPMV 1May2019

Nova Scotia L&F Minister Rankin comments on changes to harvest prescriptions in the South Mountain Ecodistrict 27Apr2019

Posted on April 27, 2019 by admin

It would surely help if we (the public) were routinely informed about changes to Crown land harvest plans posted on the Harvest Plan Map Viewer

UPDATE Apr 30, 2019: In relation to the Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Old Growth cited below, view
Annapolis County residents want ‘Old Growth’ Corbett Lake Crown forest left alone by Lawrence Powell In Annapolis Co. Spectator, Apr 30, 2019 “Biologist Bob Bancroft toured Crown forest at Corbett Lake April 28 and described it as intact and unique. He said a fraction of one per cent of forests in Nova Scotia are as complete with species and ground cover as the woods south of Bridgetown on the Neaves Road”.

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In response to a post about a Halifax Examiner article* made today (Apr 27, 2019) on the Healthy Forest Coalition public Facebook Page and discussions of the same,
L&F Minister Rankin responded as follows:
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*“We are down to our last month’s rent”: naturalists say clearcutting is accelerating by Jennifer Henderson in Halifax Examiner April 8, 2019

There have been changes to harvest prescriptions for several proposed sites in the South Mountain Ecodistrict. The changes are based on a combination of public comments, additional site information, and staff reviews that align with the recommendations of the Independent review of forest practices.

Two sites are not approved for harvest: AP068677 Tupperville – 1 stand 19.85 hectares planned as a systematic patch shelterwood – partial harvest; and AP068331 Lower Sixty Lake – 7 stands 116.4 hectares planned as seed tree (clearcut).

For most sites, the harvest and silviculture prescriptions shift from predominantly even aged management (clearcut) to a focus on uneven aged management (partial harvest).
Continue reading →

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When the neighbours decide to clearcut in Nova Scotia 25 Apr2019

Posted on April 25, 2019 by admin

Good will works in many situations to reduce impacts of clearcuts on a neighbour’s land and does not work in many situations. It  currently takes more than proximity to neighbours who value the lands around them to stop or substantially modify a clearcut on Crown land.

“What if you learned that a clear-cut logging operation on private land was scheduled adjacent to your property?”asks Shelly Hipson on People for Ecological Forestry in Southwest Nova Scotia (Facebook Page) referencing a post by K.S. on Woods and Waters Nova Scotia.

Of course, in N.S., the neighbours are often the Crown.

Surely there is some irony in the fact that you can’t add a back porch to a house on urban land without a permit, can’t build too close to the next property and can get in trouble if you don’t take care of the trash properly, but you can clearcut your property – in the city or elsewhere – which can have far more impact on the neighbours, human and otherwise.
Continue reading →

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L&F nixes cut of Margaree Old Growth 20Mar2019

Posted on April 20, 2019 by admin

In 2019, not putting some old forest habitat on the chopping block is an advance in our thinking, but it is not a net improvement in the space for wild species in Nova Scotia which continues to decline

Old Yellow Birch

I had been hoping to see something upbeat  to report on the forestry front by Earth Day (Apr 22, 2019) and finally some good news arrived, or at least mostly good news. View:

Proposed cut of Margaree old growth stopped
Aaron Beswick in the Chronicle Herald Mar 20, 2019 (content currently available without subscription)

A proposed harvest of old growth forest in the Margaree area has been put on hold after a local resident raised concerns.

In February, Brian Peters wrote the Department of Lands and Forestry about a proposed 38-hectare cut in Coady Settlement. The pre-treatment assessment of the stand conducted by Port Hawkesbury Paper showed it to be one-third composed of yellow birch – a long lived climax specie of the Acadian Forest.

“I wish to emphasize that these older trees and old growth stands must be valued and retained as much as possible,” wrote Peters to the department.

Continue reading →

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More hires at Nova Scotia L&F, now Research & Planning Forester 16Apr2019

Posted on April 16, 2019 by admin

Don’t expect any announcement about who they hire

Little Owl asks for a recommendation for a position at L&F

“Reporting to the Senior Forester of Landscape Planning, as the Research and Planning Forester you will lead forest research and planning projects, develop management tools, and provide related advice to Department managers, Regional IRM resource professionals, technical staff, and external clients to ensure effective implementation of new and established program directions.

“…Bachelor of Science in Forestry plus 6 years of related experience; or Masters degree in Science of Forestry and 4 years of related experience. A comprehensive knowledge of forest ecology and forest management principles, practices, objectives, policies and procedures as well as regulations concerning natural resources.”

View Advert
Continue reading →

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XR Nova Scotia gets its message about forest biomass to Emera/NSP execs 15Apr2019

Posted on April 15, 2019 by admin

“Please Meet with Us!” They did.
Click on photo for a larger version.

UPDATE – For a Valley Perspective on the Day, see ‘Train wreck coming’ – Activists push for more media coverage, more action on climate change
Lawrence Powell for the Cape Breton Post, Apr 16, 2019

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Close to 100 participants, including a large contingent that came in by chartered bus from the Annapolis Valley, joined the Extinction Rebellion (XR) events today in Halifax. Similar events were being staged worldwide.

The XR Nova Scotia group went first to the Chronicle Herald on Joseph Howe Drive and then to CBC on Chebucto Road to demand that they “start reporting on the climate crisis and hold government to account”.  XR reps were able to meet with media execs or reps at both locations.

Then they tromped across the peninsula in heavy rain to Nova Scotia Power/Emera on Lower Water Street/Terminal Road to demand that they “stop burning coal and forest for electricity”. I joined a very wet but upbeat group of protesters at the NSP/Emera location. (Emera is the parent company of NSP, both Nova Scotia based.)

After an hour or so gathered on the steps of Emera on Terminal Road and calling on Emera to meet with them, talking about XR and a little rap and song, several senior NSP executives agreed to meet with representatives of XR-Nova Scotia. To paraphrase the brief report given by Eleanor X, as she emerged:
Continue reading →

Posted in Biomass, clearcuts | Comments Off on XR Nova Scotia gets its message about forest biomass to Emera/NSP execs 15Apr2019

Nova Scotia L&F and Energy, take note: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission petitioned to protect investors against misleading claims about biofuels and the like

Posted on April 11, 2019 by admin

One more reason to remove the veil of secrecy over NS government support of plans to develop a Forest Biorefinery for Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia’s flagship biofuel project -Cellufuel- heavily supported by public funds, is hardly thriving but the concept of a Forest Biorefinery is apparently still alive and well within the NS Government/bureacracy.

The Nova Scotia government, at least post-Dexter who touted NS’s first investments in biofuels in 2012, generally avoids mentioning its interests and direct investments in biofuels and the like (view Post May 4, 2017).

So I get nervous when such interests disappear from public view, particularly as the McNeil Government strategizes, presumably, on how to deal with possible, and it seems increasingly likely closure of the the NP Mill – and with biofuel advocates highly placed within the NSDNR/L&F bureaucracy and those currently outside of government pressing their interests behind closed doors. (View, e.g., Posts Feb 22, 2017; Dec 11, 2018; Dec 14, 2018; Mar 19, 2019)
Continue reading →

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Mon Apr 15, 2019: Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia to demand a stop to burning of coal and forests for electricity

Posted on April 10, 2019 by admin

The initiative of Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia to highlight Forest Biomass in the upcoming event is a breath of fresh air

Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia, founded in November 2018, lifted off in Nova Scotia on Feb 17, 2019

On the afternoon of Sunday, February 17th, some one hundred and fifty adherents to international climate crisis movement Extinction Rebellion blocked traffic at several major intersections in downtown Halifax. Bearing large banners proclaiming “Climate Crisis” and “Extinction Rebellion”, the crowd waved multi-coloured flags with the group’s iconic empty hourglass symbol, chanted and sang classic songs like Louis Armstrong’s ‘What a Wonderful World’ and Joni Mitchell’s ‘Yellow Taxi Cab’. The group had alerted Halifax Regional Police to their intentions in advance… – NS Advocate

Continue reading →

Posted in Biomass, Climate Change | Comments Off on Mon Apr 15, 2019: Extinction Rebellion Nova Scotia to demand a stop to burning of coal and forests for electricity

L&F looking for Resource Specialist for the Crown land IRM planning process and wood supply forecasts 2Apr2019

Posted on April 2, 2019 by admin

From jobs.novascotia.ca

Resource Specialist
Date: Apr 1, 2019
Apply By: 4/15/2019
Lands and Forestry
Resource Specialist, Permanent, TRURO

“As the Resource Specialist, you are part of a multi-disciplinary Integrated Resource Management (IRM) natural resource/land use planning team. Using your unique modelling expertise and leadership skills, you will develop and provide resource analysis for the Crown land IRM planning process and wood supply forecasts for forested lands…
Continue reading →

Posted in Ind Rev Post-Report, L&F, Landscape Level Planning, Tree Harvests | Comments Off on L&F looking for Resource Specialist for the Crown land IRM planning process and wood supply forecasts 2Apr2019