The website as is will stay posted for a year at least. But I wont be making any additions, updates or new posts.
I am putting the efforts I put into this nstriad site into a new, group venture, nsforestmatters.ca.
Some of the materials from this website will be transferred to nsforestmatters.ca, e.g. In the News
That’s what Forest Protector Nina Newington asked on Day 13 of “Lichen Camp”.
Forty SAR occurrences, 33 of them an old growth forest indicator species, are not enough, it seems, to convince DNRR to give the whole area interim protection while final decisions are made about areas that will be given permanent protection to meet the 20% goal.
Follow the developments at and related to Lichen Camp on the Facebook page for the Friends of Goldsmith Lake Wilderness. For the convenience of those not on FB, key posts are copied (with permission) on a page on this website – see Lichen Camp GLWA 2024
The first post in the Lichen Camp series explains what it’s all about: Continue reading
Press Release, Feb 1, 2024
This latest “Bioeconomy” initiative would involve use of 550,000 green metric tons per year of sawmill residuals and by-product wood fibre from the forest sector. In the formal BDO Zone Report, cautions are expressed that are not amongst the highlights cited in PR lit about about the Bioeconomy prospects for SW Nova Scotia and presumably are amongst the reasons that a higher rating (AAA or AA versus the A-rating given) was not realized, e.g. related to nutrient limitations, uncertainty about buy-in of private woodlot owners, sustainability concerns and associated public opinion. The concept in NS goes back to Dexter NDP Days and dreams of “Cellufuel” and other biorefinery products replacing the markets for residuals and low grade wood lost with closure of the Bowater Mill; now we have the loss of the NP Mill contributing further to supply, and advocates are able to cite the harmony/sustainability created by the Lahey Report/implementation of the forest Triad as a supporting factor in development of a regional Bioeconomy. I am concerned that our federal, provincial, and municipal governments are more easily sold – or “oversold” – on the Bioeconomy prospects than is private industry (shades of Cellufuel) and that pressures will be applied by Big Forestry on the NS government to reduce perceived government restrictions on development of the Bioeconomy and to otherwise facilitate heavy reliance on Crown lands. There is clearly a need and significant opportunities for use of the forest residuals, but also needed is a dose of realism about what is actually desirable and truly sustainable economically, ecologically and socially in SW Nova Scotia. Continue reading
“The Lake Mjøsa Skyscraper in Brumunddal, Norway, is built of cross-laminated timber (CLT)”, one of the major Mass Timber types in use today. Photo by Øyvind Holmstad, on Wikipedia
The first Mass Timber manufacturing facility east of Quebec is due to begin production in Hants Co., N.S. in 2026 and could supply as much as 1/4 of the housing supply in NS by the end the decade. Can it be matched up with innovative forest managements practices introduced following the Forest Practices Review (2017-2018) to ensure truly sustainable wood production and protection of our Old Forests? Ans: In principle, Yes… but in practice there has been little if any serious attention given to what is required to ensure that happens, certainly nothing in the public domain.
I began keeping a bit of a tab on developments in Mass Timber (or MTC for Mass Timber Construction) while writing NS Forest Notes (2016-2022) in my “quest to understand forests and forestry in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada”. Continue reading
An example of forested land in NS that burned in late May 2023 viewed on Sep 27, 2023. This site is a managed conifer stand, ~ 30 years old. New, post-fire growth is mostly aspen and raspberry. According to Helen Whitman, “Those [Nova Scotia] fires burned in conifer-dominated areas” (Photo by David P)
Click on image for larger version
In recent blog posts, the organization also maintains that we are “worsening climate change and increasing wildfire risk by protecting too much land”.
I am not so sure, but I would like to see people more knowledgable than myself on such matters, weigh in.
Click on image to go to the advertisement on indeed,com
It’s difficult for the public to find much out about ” who does what at NRR” – the positions that exist at NRR, the overall hierarchy, and what individuals/the department accomplish and plan in a particular year. There are no comprehensive directories, no annual reports. To be fair, this statement may apply to most departments under both the current and previous governments.
One small insight as to direction the NRR is taking is given by the public advertisements to fill vacancies or new positions. That’s all we get; there are no, or rarely, any announcements about who actually fills a position, or about what they do down the line.
I did manage to find an organizational chart for Lands and Forestry in a 2018 FOIPOP document which helped for a while when I was writing NS Forest Notes, Under the new PC Government there has been a lot of reorganization, so it’s no longer helpful.
When I do see a job advert for an upper level position in the Forestry Section of NRR that seems to provide some info, I post it. I do so partly as a matter of record, but also to help advertise the position. So here are some excerpts from the latest (from indeed.com): Continue reading
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid. “Their name comes from waxy white filaments they make to protect themselves from drying out. In a heavy infestation, hemlock trees can look gray from all the “wool” on twigs and branches. They can’t fly, but are spread by wind and also hitch rides on the feet of birds, which can carry hemlock wooly adelgids for long distances. These “hemlock vampires” were first discovered in 1951 in Virginia, and by 2005 had spread to fifteen other states.
Source: Paul Hetzler, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Photo source: Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Bugwood.org
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UPDATE Nov 16, 2023: Councillor Morse was asked to include Sandy Lake and Sackville Lake Parks in the mention of Hemlock in HRM; she agreed, the motion passed unanimously.
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Presence of Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, aka the “Hemlock Vampires” in NS was first realized in the summer of 2017 when it was found to be in the southwestern counties Yarmouth, Digby, Shelburne Counties, and shortly thereafter in Queens and Annapolis Cos; it was found in Lunenburg Co. in 2020 (Invasive Species Council Info) HWA was spreading eastward… In August of 2023, HWA was found on a property in Bedford (Halifax Co.) – view post.
In May of this year, NS Environment and Climate Change advertised a position for a “HWA-OGF Coordinator”.
Now HRM Councillor Kathryn Morse is urging HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality) to develop a plan to address the issue locally. Continue reading
Details & Registration Here
Continue reading
“Hemlock Heroes are trained citizens who volunteer to help save tall, dark hemlock forest ecosystems. Becoming a Hemlock Hero enables you to participate in a great cause to conserve some of the finest old growth forests in the province [Nova Scotia].
“You will help to ensure that eastern hemlocks continue to provide the many essential ecosystem services required to sustain life and the health of many other forest species, as well preserve the extraordinary beauty of hemlocks.”
Currently scheduled training sessions are on Sat June 17, 2023 and Sat June 24, 2023.
Read more on www.medwaycommunityforest.com/
In Nova Scotia, forestry operations are not required to pause during nesting season, or even to reduce the risk of igniting a fire during the worst fire season ever.
Halifax area weather June 2 onward
Click on image for larger version
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UPDATE June 4, 2023: A significant rain break beginning late June 2; much better control achieved by June 4 – see NRR News Release
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UPDATE June 3, 2023: Liberal leader calls for a halt to all forestry activity until Nova Scotia gets rain
(CBC)
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UPDATE June 1, 2023: Nova Scotia wildfires put timber harvesting on hold
Bill Spurr Saltwire, June 1, 2023 “Wildfires in Nova Scotia are damaging employment at the same time they’re destroying homes…“Loggers on Crown land are permitted to work at night due to the lower temperatures and lower wind speeds, which significantly reduce the chance of uncontrolled starts and spreads of fire.”
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UPDATE: Also view “Safety is our top priority,” unless you’re a logging company, then the profit motive is by Linda Pannozzo in the Quaking Swamp Journal, May 31, 2023
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Evening sun, Halifax area on May 28, 2023. Forest fires are raging in the province – See NASA
I just read a letter by Annapolis Valley naturalist Bev Wigney sent yesterday to Premier Houston and NRR Minister Tory Rushton in which she appeals to them to to “shut down forestry operations completely, with *no loopholes*”.
I had read yesterday the headline and first few lines in the news about the ban:
‘For God’s sake, stop burning’: N.S. premier bans all activity in forests, urges residents to abide by burn ban‘ (CTV Atlantic news May 31, 2023)… Premier Tim Houston has banned all activity in forests as of Tuesday, and says the wildfire damage is “extensive” and “heartbreaking.”
I felt encouraged the premier had acted so forcefully in this instance so I wondered if Bev Wigney had made a mistake – the headlines had announced that all activity in forests is banned.
She didn’t. Continue reading