In an earlier post, I mused whether NSDNR has any forest management plans beyond the 10 years covered by recent fibre allocations for SW Nova Scotia.
How will our choices today affect our forests and forestry tomorrow?
After reviewing all of the documents I was able to find on the NSDNR website about this topic, I concluded that Continue reading
“The Cape Breton paper company says it is the only industrial company in the Maritimes that’s independently certified to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Forest Management Standards. And in its fifth year of operation, the company is enjoying some of its best third-party forest certification audit results to date.” Read Cape Breton Post article (Dec 4, 2016). A striking aerial photo for the article shows a matrix of CB hardwoods, with patches of managed softwoods near Hunters Mountain, CB.
Thanks for sticking with FSC, PHP.
UPDATE (Feb 13, 2017): NowNS: Online timber brokerage finds ways to make its mark. CH, Feb 13, 2017.
UPDATE (Dec 20, 2016): ACOA backs WoodsCamp’s forestry effort Article in LighthouseNow by Gayle Wilson. Thx to MP for pointing it out.
UPDATE (Dec 6, 2016):”WoodsCamp Technologies Inc. has received a $250,000 repayable contribution from the federal government”. View CH article.
—-
In The Signal, journalist Guillaume LaPointe-Gagner tells the story of how WoodsCamp was founded by video game designer Allistair Jarvis and forester Will Martin, outlines what it does and examines some of the challenges business-wise.
Will Martin
Will noted that the public debates around forestry in Nova Scotia tend to focus on Crown land, but that’s only 27% of the forested land. Sixty percent exists in small to medium sized private woodlots. It’s a constituency that must be addressed if we want to deal with urgent conservation issues and maintain forestry as a vital component of rural economies.
Continue reading
To clearcut or Not to clearcut…
Parker’s “Show us the Science” (May The Forest Be With You, Oct 29, 2016) stimulated a lot of back and forth including two rebuttals which he says “were short on substance and did not directly address the challenge to show the people of Nova Scotia the science (peer reviewed or otherwise) behind such questionable forestry practices as rampant clear-cutting, whole-tree harvesting and the biomass debacle that are claimed to be sustainable in perpetuity.” He cites recent soundbites by government such as
As always, these (harvesting) decisions are based on science and best practices.” — Bruce Nunn, DNR spokesman.
A Press Release on Nov 30, 2016 announced several changes to deputy-level assignments including positions at NSDNR effective Dec 12, 2016. Julie Towers becomes deputy minister at NSDNR. She is currently CEO of Aboriginal Affairs and CEO of Immigrations and previously spent several years in NSDNR.
Julie Towers brings some balance to the upper echelons of NSDNR, with a background in Aboriginal Affairs and Wildlife Biology. From her Bio at the Office of Aboriginal Affairs: “Julie started her career as a wildlife biologist after earning Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the University of Toronto and University of New Brunswick. Before becoming Deputy Minister and CEO of Aboriginal Affairs, Julie worked in applied research, environmental education and forest, parks and wildlife management.” Her responsibilities at the Office of Aboriginal Affairs included “Foster collaborative partnerships that improve the social and economic prosperity of Aboriginal communities and immigrants”, and “Enhance public awareness and appreciation of Mi’kmaq and Aboriginal history and culture”. So we can hope that Mi’kmaq perspectives on forestry, as well as wildlife needs, will receive greater attention at NSDNR. Continue reading
Conversion of mixed Acadian forest to industrial softwood forest is occurring on some, seemingly on a lot, of our Crown lands
Recent clearcut, wildlife shelter patch or seed tree patch (?) in background
I had been waiting for the PTA (Pre-Treatment Assessment) for the planned cut of Crown Land Block HX060122 NE of Halifax since I requested it in early November which was within 5 days or so of when it was posted. I still have not received it. Today I received a notice that “The Harvest Plan Map Viewer has been updated – https://nsgi.novascotia.ca/hpmv/“. So I looked at Block HX060122 and it says “Comment Period Expired”.
—-
UPDATE DEC 1: I inquired again about it and was told “Hi David, this information was sent to you on November 16, then again November 23. Please see the attached email which includes the PTA summary.” Indeed I found the e-mail from DNR on Nov 23 in which the original e-mail from CrownInquiriesATnorthernpulp.com was forwarded to me, but I could not find the earlier e-mail which came directly from CrownInquiriesATnorthernpulp.com. So an apology is in order. Although I may have some issues with what’s not available via the Harvest Viewer, it does what it offers very well, including ensuring that the PTAs are forwarded. (I had also acknowledged robustness of the viewer earlier.) Accordingly, I inserted NOT into the original title and made a couple of strikethroughs in the text below. Otherwise I have left the original rant intact.
—- Continue reading
“A Nova Scotia company that manages 220 private woodlots in the province is worried about an announcement that the U.S. Lumber Coalition is considering levying new duties on Canadian softwood lumber shipments… Ed MacDonell, the manager of Conform Limited, based in Middle Musquodoboit, N.S. comments “It costs a lot of money to fight these battles and if there was, say, a 15- or 20-per cent tariff put on our lumber, it would be very hard for us to compete and continue”. View CBC report (Nov 26, 2016).
——-
I guess this is more incentive to clearcut and reduce costs to remain competitive.
The CH reports that “A mystery buyer is kicking the tires ahead of inking a deal in January for all of iconic lumber company Hefler Forest Products’ assets in Sackville.” Hefler is a 150 year old company located in Sackville, NS with 59 employees. It holds over $30 million in debt and has been under creditor protection since July. The article reports that its most significant asset is a 19 year contract with NSP. View CH article.
The role of biomass in the company’s fortunes is hazy. In July, a former employee said that “They were able to get government money to build this biomass plant and it just isn’t working… Hefler Forest Products was chipping up logs to burn in the power plant.” (See Post of July 23, 2016.)
Dale Prest has highlighted a key change needed in Nova Scotia’s recently announced plan to adopt Cap and Trade: “Prest says the province needs to implement the right cap-and-trade system, one that openly trades with markets in Ontario, Quebec and California. But the province has initially committed to creating their own system, with all the trading done within Nova Scotia, although they’re open to options.” See CH article Nov 23, 2016.
Prest believes that major financial benefits for woodlot owners and rural communities could be realized and that opening the market up would prompt a move “From one [a forest industry] that rewards a low cost of production that results in clear cutting, to one that rewards maintaining and growing a healthy forest as possible.” Continue reading
