Thanks – and no thanks – for grey skies on Thanksgiving Monday

Posted on October 10, 2016 by admin

greyskiesIt’s certainly the first time I have welcomed a really wet Thanksgiving Monday, but welcome it is. Patrick Duplessis, a PhD in Physics & Atmospheric Science at Dalhousie University tweets about weather and early today it reads “Big numbers for total #rainfall across #NovaScotia & there’s much more to come for the Ern parts. 77mm in #Halifax YAW. #NSstorm #CapeBreton“. Continue reading →

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No more illegal logging on Crown Land

Posted on October 5, 2016 by admin

Fall in Long Lake Provincial Park

Fall in Long lake Provincial Park

The Province has announced stiff fines for illegal logging on Crown Land. View Press release.

I think it’s no coincidence that just under a year ago Martin Willison, a Halifax based naturalist, publicized an illegal cut in Long Lake Provincial Park. It generated widespread condemnation. In March of 2016 charges were laid against three firms.

It’s a fair bet that a selective cut in the same area would not have generated the same reaction from the public.

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Forest Soundscapes

Posted on October 3, 2016 by admin

This piece caught my eye recently: Gigantic wooden megaphones amplify the sounds of the forest in Estonia . It begins: “If you’ve ever enjoyed a walk in the woods, you’ve probably noticed the simultaneous “peace and quiet” and subtle busy-ness of Mother Nature. Students in Estonia certainly did – and for an extra dose of awesome, they decided to amplify these natural sounds with three huge wooden megaphones in a lush wooded area. Photographer Tõnu Tunnel captures the graceful giants.in all their glory”.

I could very much appreciate what the artist wanted to convey. One of the reasons I like to hike alone is to be absorbed in the sounds of nature, and especially those of our forests. I call it the sound of silence, referring of course to human activity (and incidentally to Simon and Garfunkel).
Continue reading →

Posted in Biophilia, Conservation, Social Values | Leave a comment

Nova Scotia Forests of the Anthropocene: More Youthful and Slender; Winners and Losers; Sunnier Soils Ahead

Posted on October 2, 2016 by admin

Hemlock was a common Witness Tree in historical documents in the area of Kouchibouguac Park, N.B., but is not common on that landscape today

Hemlock was a common Witness Tree in historical documents for the Kouchibouguac area, but is not common on that landscape today

Donna Crossland will talk on this topic at a meeting of the Blomidon Field Naturalists on Monday, October 17, 2016 at Acadia University. View details.

I attended an earlier version of this presentation at the Nature Nova Scotia 2016 Conference & AGM held at Acadia University in late May. Donna put together a fascinating perspective that covered time spans over the full history of the earth (4.65 bya), the last 350 years, the last 60 years, and then looked into the future. She talked about her research in the area of Kouchibouguac Park in New Brunswick in which she used Witness Trees in land ownership documents to indicate the composition of forests in the early days of European settlement. She compared that state to the composition today and explored the factors that have led to the very different forests we see today in NB and NS, and the ongoing challenges.
Continue reading →

Posted in clearcuts, Climate Change, Conservation, Fire, Natural History, Old Growth | Leave a comment

The Western Crown Lands: A “Forest Tragedy”

Posted on September 29, 2016 by admin

Western Crown Lands, modified from CPAWS map (2012)

Western Crown lands, modified from CPAWS map (2012)

The Western Crown Lands have been described as “the last great wood basket not committed to pulp companies”. They are essentially Ground Zero in the struggle to retain some semblance of our Acadian forest for future generations and wildlife, as we have have clearcut most or at least a lot of the crown land, and a lot of the private land in the rest of the province. Read more



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Working forest & trails go together

Posted on September 28, 2016 by admin

digbywoodlandsFrom the Kings Co. Advertiser/Register:
“Larry and Greta Goodwin will be officially recognized as Woodland Owner of the Year for the Western Region of Nova Scotia during a public field day on their Hillgrove property this Saturday, Oct. 1.

“The Goodwins manage 93 hectares with a variety of species, some old growth forest, and some new growth stocks. They run a small maple syrup operation on their land and are building and maintaining a growing network of public hiking trails.”

They have also been recognized for their trail work – see Digby Courier.
Continue reading →

Posted in Old Growth, Recreation, Social Values | Leave a comment

Moncton conference features Non-Timber Forest Products

Posted on September 25, 2016 by admin

Hemlock forest in SW Nova Scotia

Hemlock forest in SW Nova Scotia. NTFPs can be more valuable than the wood.

The From Field and Forest 2016 Conference, taking place Oct 20-21, 2016 in Moncton, is described as “a 2-day conference that will give natural resource managers and rural entrepreneurs the connections and insights to build sustainable businesses from non-timber forest products.

“Non-timber forest products (NTFP) are the goods and services provided by the forests other than conventional wood products (timber and pulp). They include medicinal plants, resins, saps, essential oils, fruits, nuts, vegetables, fish and game, greenery, and a range of ecological goods and services such as clean water, wildlife habitat, and aesthetics.”

Sponsors are UNB, BioNB, Wood Science and Technology Centre at UNB, ACOA, Province of New Brunswick. Continue reading →

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Big bucks in forestry but not for room rental

Posted on September 24, 2016 by admin

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What’s it worth?

“The forest industry activity accounted for $2.1 billion in total economic output (in 2015),” Forest Nova Scotia Executive Director Harry Sullivan told a Chamber of Commerce luncheon in Truro. However there was no time to discuss questions about the environmental impact of large forestry operations. See Truro Daily.

According to a NSDNR press release of Sep 21 forestry employed 11,500 Nova Scotians in direct or indirect jobs in 2015 and added $800 million to the province’s gross domestic product. (The GDP for Nova Scotia in 2014 was $39 billion.) A Royal Bank Report indicates there have been declines exports of paper and wood products from Nova Scotia in 2016.

It would be nice to see a more complete economic picture, Continue reading →

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Climate change will be hard on balsam fir, black spruce

Posted on September 23, 2016 by admin

Bur Oak at Grand Oaks on Grand Lake, Halifax Co., Nova Scotia. It occurs naturally in N.B. and elsewhere on the eastern seaboard, why not in N.S? Should we introduce this and other oaks species to anticipate climatic warming?

Bur Oak grown horticulturally at Grand Oaks on Grand Lake, Halifax Co., Nova Scotia. It occurs naturally in N.B. and elsewhere on the eastern seaboard, why not in N.S?

There are a dozen species of oak in Massachussetts, while there is only one species (red oak) native to NS. Should we be introducing species from New England to our forests to better adapt to climatic warming?

UNB prof. Charles Bourque is cited in a recent CBC report as predicting that “New Brunswick may see softwood species such as balsam fir and black spruce disappear from the province’s forests over the next 80 years or so.” Read CBC.

Nova Scotia is in the same boat, as Prof. Bourque and colleagues reported in a 2010 document prepared for NSDNR on Modelled Potential Species Distribution for Current and Projected Future Climates for the Acadian Forest Region of Nova Scotia, Canada:

“…Results for current and future climates indicate that boreal species in the Acadian forest of NS (e.g., balsam fir, black spruce) would be restricted to the cooler areas of the landscape, i.e., adjacent to cold water bodies (e.g., Bay of Fundy in the northwest and Atlantic Ocean on the south-to-northeast of the province) and high elevation areas, such as the Cape Breton Highlands and Cobequid Hills. Under similar climatic conditions, temperate hardwood species (e.g., red oak, beech) are projected to benefit Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Natural History, NSDNR | Leave a comment

Hines kicks off Forest Week in NS

Posted on September 17, 2016 by admin

Two woodlots in Nova Scotia: are harvests on both “aligned with the nature-based requirements of Nova Scotia’s lands? Close to 90% if all harvests are celarcuts.”

Two woodlots in Nova Scotia: are harvests on both “aligned with the nature-based requirements of Nova Scotia’s lands”? (In 2014, 88% of all harvests were celarcuts.

NSDNR Minister Lloyd Hines published an op-ed to kick off Forest Week (Sept. 18-24), reassuring us all is well. View Op-ed. He seems genuinely convinced that his department is conducting scientifically sound management of our forests.

I agree, if the goal is to achieve the maximum short term economic benefit for the big players. But if we want wildlife and our grandchildren to enjoy some semblance of the forests “bequeathed” to us by the Mi’kmaq and for our forests, forest life, and livelihoods on the smaller private woodlots to be sustained, the science tells us otherwise. For example…

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