Nova Scotia Map Viewer folks acknowledge possible Old Growth amongst proposed harvest parcels

Posted on December 21, 2018 by admin

Received as a subscriber to the Harvest Plan Map Viewer:

referencing these parcels:
Continue reading →

Posted in L&F, NSDNR, Old Growth, Tree Harvests | Comments Off on Nova Scotia Map Viewer folks acknowledge possible Old Growth amongst proposed harvest parcels

Nova Scotia L&F Minister Iain Rankin joins social media discussion about further cuts of Old Growth

Posted on December 20, 2018 by admin

This is progress of some sort. At least the Minister is communicating more openly with the public than his recent predecessors, so he is hearing from the mice out there and yonder and not only the Big Cats in his department.

The lead-in was M.L.’s post on the Healthy Forest Coalition yesterday “I was informed today, by a very reputable source, that there are additional forest stands of Old Growth that are up for harvest” – view NSFN Post earlier today (Dec 20, 2018) for more on it.

Sometime after I made that post and copied some of the comments, L&F Minister Iain Rankin joined the discussion with the comment:

Iain Rankin: I will let the IRM team do their work and consider all comments. Any old growth stands will not be approved.

That stimulated further discussion on the “Iain Rankin thread”:

AF: DNR and westfor have lost the trust of the people. show us the westfor lease agreement…tell us how much has westfor paid in stumpage. whithout a good understanding of the deal the public will never trust you.

NHe: it seems that the IRM team is travelling down the wrong path. The public should not have to review their work to ensure proper protection. Your hand is on the wheel Minister Rankin, please correct the course so the public doesn’t have to.
You have a huge heart and love the environment. Please initiate a review of the past years so You Can determine just how often this has happened in the past
Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, clearcuts, Ind Rev Post-Report, L&F, NSDNR, Old Growth, Rankin, Social Media | Comments Off on Nova Scotia L&F Minister Iain Rankin joins social media discussion about further cuts of Old Growth

Cat and Mouse game continues: more Old Growth on Nova Scotia Crown land found to be on the block

Posted on December 20, 2018 by admin

Following the highlighting of a proposed cut on Hardwood Hill (Annapolis Co) by local residents and an eloquent appeal by Randy Fredericks (Post Oct 1, 2018) and activities of the newly formed Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology group (Facebook public group) the proposed cut (in the Premier’s riding) was eventually retracted , only to be followed by the discovery by a newly activated nature/L&F watch group of another proposed cut in a sensitive area (Post, Dec 17, 2018).

On the south shore, a similar sequence followed. M.L. and Co. who are leading the campaign to Protect the Ingram River Wilderness Area first highlighted clearcuts announced within the proposed Wilderness Area for the second time in three years (Post Dec 3, 2018), followed on Dec 17, 2018 by their realization that the latest proposed cuts included a highly significant Old Growth stand that had been documented by the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute. Remarkably, that was retracted by L&F within one day (Post, Dec 18, 2018) and Bruce Nunn stated in an interview: “I can guarantee you that the Department is going to be working very hard over the next day or two to ensure this (proposing Old Growth forests get harvested) doesn’t happen again.”

However, within a day of that news and Bruce Nunn’s statement, M.L. and Co. are expressing concerns about more Old Growth slated for the chopping block:
Continue reading →

Posted in Ind Rev Post-Report, NSDNR, Old Growth, Social Values | Comments Off on Cat and Mouse game continues: more Old Growth on Nova Scotia Crown land found to be on the block

Proposed cut of Old Growth on Nova Scotia Crown land nixed within one day

Posted on December 18, 2018 by admin

MTRI photo


Update, Dec 19, 2018: also view Old-growth forest with 400-year-old tree proposed for clearcut in error by Francis Willick for CBC (Dec 19, 2018)
——-
From Healthy Forest Coalition (Facebook public group)

ML: Breaking news! The Coolen Lake site old growth cut has been cancelled!!!

The Minister of Lands and Forestry, Iain Rankin, and staff acknowledge that the forest is in fact Old Growth and should not have made it past the Integrated Resource Management Team.
Continue reading →

Posted in NSDNR, Old Growth | Comments Off on Proposed cut of Old Growth on Nova Scotia Crown land nixed within one day

Tax incentives proposed for private woodlot owners in Nova Scotia

Posted on December 18, 2018 by admin

L&F has received a proposal and is considering it. Let’s hope the decisions are not made in the back rooms… that a proposal is released and vetted by the public, modified in response, and that the final scheme can be embraced by all of us.

“Possible tax break for woodlot owners” reads the title for an article by Aaron Beswick in the CH Dec 18, 2018 (subscription required)

Some extracts:

With the province implementing many of the Lahey report’s recommendations for cutting on Crown land, the available fibre easily accessible to industry is set to go down.

That is unless the industry is able to access more wood from private land….

“The existing woodlot program provides landowners with the necessary tools to voluntarily implement their objectives through sustainable forest treatments, managing for all values with independent guidance and quality assurance,” reads the pitch from The Nova Scotia Landowners and Forest Fibre Producers Association….The association’s pitch would see all woodlot owners in the province be able to register their properties on a website
Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, Ind Rev Post-Report, Private Woodlots | Comments Off on Tax incentives proposed for private woodlot owners in Nova Scotia

More Old Growth forest on Nova Scotia Crown land on the chopping (or chipping) block

Posted on December 17, 2018 by admin

From the Healthy Forest Coalition (Facebook public group), Dec 17, 2018:

MTRI photo

URGENT!

PUBLIC FEEDBACK NEEDED ON PARCEL LU0684021 – DEADLINE OF JAN. 19, 2019.

One of the oldest forests in the Maritimes, let alone Nova Scotia has been proposed for harvest.

With an average age over 271 years and a presence of individual trees at least 422 years old, this forest is now proposed to be harvested as a uniform shelterwood, or, as the National Forestry Database would refer to it as, a clearcut.

Last year, the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, using the Department of Lands and Forestry’s own Old Forest assessment score sheet, determined that this forest is, in fact Old Growth and deemed it to be “one of the most significant finds in the Maritimes”. See more about their assessment here: http://www.speciesatrisk.ca/oldforest/web/?q=view-plot/703
Continue reading →

Posted in NSDNR, Old Growth | Comments Off on More Old Growth forest on Nova Scotia Crown land on the chopping (or chipping) block

Crown land forest harvest proposed for Hardwood Hill (Annapolis Co., Nova Scotia) nixed

Posted on December 17, 2018 by admin

It’s been a rare occurrence that a proposed harvest is completely withdrawn, but here’s one to celebrate; unfortunately it was followed almost immediately by another proposed harvest likely to cause a lot of stress

Click on image for larger map

As announced on Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology (Facebook public group):

SHARING — HARDWOOD HILL — HARVEST IS WITHDRAWN!! Please see Randall’s post below. He received a confirmation that the proposed harvest has been scrapped. Congratulations to Randall Fredericks and all who helped to save this forest from being harvested, and to all who signed petitions, sent letters and made your voices heard. Good work everyone!!!

Randall Fredericks: Received a conformation call from Stephen McNeil’s office today that the proposed cut on the Hardwood Hill has been scrapped. Thank you for everyone’s concern and support.

Continue reading →

Posted in Acadian Forest, Conservation, NSDNR, Social Values, Wildlife | Comments Off on Crown land forest harvest proposed for Hardwood Hill (Annapolis Co., Nova Scotia) nixed

Don Wilson on what could happen if The Mill closes

Posted on December 15, 2018 by admin

On Woods and Waters Nova Scotia (Facebook Page) Dec 15, 2018:

This from Don Wilson:

Nova Scotia Privately owned Forests – Changes are coming

“Earlier this year, while standing in a Saturday afternoon smog generated at the Pulp Mill across the harbour, I realized that trees were being sacrificed to benefit a Privately owned mill to generate profit for the out of country owners. What could I / we do to reduce the smog or stop it completely?

“The Mill would have to modify process within the building including cleaning up the huge amount of process water contaminated by various chemicals. In the months since it has become clear the Mill’s owners are not planning to do more than slightly reduce the air and water contamination. It is also clear the present Government has no plan to reduce or remove the contaminations. Recently Government announced it was giving the Mill over six million dollars to put toward a plan. A plan the Mill claims to have but has never officially shown any branch of Government. Buying blind ?
Continue reading →

Posted in Pulp & Paper | Comments Off on Don Wilson on what could happen if The Mill closes

#nopipe rally to occur in Halifax Dec 18, 2018

Posted on December 15, 2018 by admin

UPDATE Dec 18, 2018
Northern Pulp due in court to seek injunction against fishermen’s blockade
The Canadian Press on CBC “About 80 people gathered outside Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax on Tuesday to protest the proposed pipeline..Kathy Cloutier, a spokesperson for Northern Pulp’s parent company, Paper Excellence Canada, confirmed the mill is seeking an interim injunction to prevent blockades of the survey work in the Northumberland Strait…Warren Francis, a 49-year-old fisherman and member of the Pictou Landing First Nation, said other protests would follow if an injunction is granted”

————–
Post Dec 15, 2018

NP is also making its case daily with an ad on 95.7
Continue reading →

Posted in Pulp & Paper | Comments Off on #nopipe rally to occur in Halifax Dec 18, 2018

McNeil & Co firm on closure of Boat Harbour, vague on plan B (Biomass, Biofuel, Biorefinery and Bioeconomy)

Posted on December 14, 2018 by admin

The government should be explicit (public and transparent) about the options it is exploring and talk to more than just the advocates for Biomass, Biofuel, a Biorefinery and the Bioeconomy before taking us further down that path

Plan B: Biomass, Biofuel, Biorefinery and Bioeconomy?
“The exponential growth of the bioeconomy is a global threat. Instead of contributing to climate mitigation, bioenergy and ‘bio’ products keep energy generation locked-in to the carbon cycle, decrease the amount of land available for food crops, drive land-grabs, and decimate forests – our most efficient carbon sinks.” – Global Forest Coalition

Update/Comment Dec 15, 2018:
The Forest Biorefinery Concept

No ‘Plan B’ for potential shutdown of Northern Pulp mill, minister says. So reads a Canadian Press item in The Star (Dec 13, 2018):

Premier Stephen McNeil reiterated Thursday that his government has no intention of backing away from its deadline.

McNeil said it would look at options to help diversify the forest industry as a whole, but he wasn’t specific.

“We expect them (Northern Pulp) to meet that deadline. If they don’t we will continue to look at how do we best diversify the sector.”

A CBC story provides some thoughts of Mcneil and Rankin about “the residual stuff”:

Continue reading →

Posted in Biomass, Pulp & Paper | Comments Off on McNeil & Co firm on closure of Boat Harbour, vague on plan B (Biomass, Biofuel, Biorefinery and Bioeconomy)