Nova Scotia Forest Notes

I attended the MTRI Old Forest Conservation Science Meeting at Debert this past week, anticipating that it would be a good experience and it was. I am guessing the attendance was about 80 people, from all walks – foresters, rangers, small wood lot owners, company men, academic and government scientists, people from conservation oriented NGOs such as NS Nature Trust, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, CPAWS and CCNB, and others without specialized interests but with a common interest in old forests.

As is now not uncommon (but still not common enough), the meeting was opened with an acknowledgment that we were meeting on un-ceded Mi’kmaq territory. Appropriately, Mi’kmaq poet and scholar Shalan Joudry was asked to start it all off. We fell quiet as she sang, her hands drumming the rhythm of a heart. It was the heartbeat, she said, of the people and the land.

The next day, we dispersed in several directions for jaunts in the forests. It was a totally glorious day weather-wise so we didn’t begrudge being indoors on the following, rainy day to view presentations and join discussions on a wide range of topics related to old forests. Those began with Shalan talking about “Reconnecting to Wapane’kati” Continue reading →