In the News

Items in the news related to forests and forestry in Nova Scotia
Asterisked items pertain directly to implementation of the Triad Nova Scotia

Page initiated June 13, 2022
On separate page: News Items June 13-Nov 2, 2022
On separate page: NS Forest Fires (lists news items related to forest fires in NS)
On separate page: Forest Carbon (lists news items related to forest carbon accounting)
On separate page: Mass Timber- In the News
On separate page: Lichen Camp Goldsmith Lake Wilderness Area 2024

Jun 3, 2024:
An ominous forecast
By Brian Sullivan in Bloomberg Green Daily (Subscribe to newsletter). “We are officially two days into Atlantic hurricane season… Today’s newsletter looks at how the season is shaping up. “The Atlantic has officially entered hurricane season. Again. While Saturday marked the official start, the US National Hurricane Center has been issuing advisories since May 15 because storms have managed to form early in recent years. Even though that hasn’t happened in 2024, the initial forecasts don’t bode well for the rest of the season, which has all the conditions in place to be a titanic year for storms. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has called for 17 to 25 cyclones (the generic name for tropical storms and hurricanes) between now and November. Colorado State University has forecast 25, the UK Met Office pegs the number at 22 and AccuWeather Inc. predicts 20 to 25. It’s even possible 2024 will match 2020, when a record 30 storms were named. Near-record warm water from the Gulf of Mexico to the African coast will fuel any storms that form. The possible emergence of La Niña in the eastern tropical Pacific later this year will remove one key barrier that can block Atlantic storms – wind shear. This is a perfect setup to tap the Atlantic’s ferocity, which is why the forecasts are so alarming. The wild card will be how much dust and dry air blows off the Sahara Desert, which can choke storms of needed moisture…”

Jun 2, 2024:
Organization buying N.S. forests to prevent clear-cutting
Jesse Huot CTVNewsAtlantic.ca “With World Environment Day(opens in a new tab) just around the corner, a local Nova Scotian organization is working to purchase and conserve forests which are in danger of being clear-cut. The CEO of Growing Forests, Dale Prest, says saving forests from being clear-cut is important to maintain our environment.”

May 30, 2024
Canada releases the Climate Science 2050: National Priorities for Climate Change Science and Knowledge Report
Environment and Climate Change Canada

May 29, 2024:
– Not Your Grandfather’s Mill
Forest NS Blog

May 28, 2024:
– Activists Turn Their Backs On Commitment To Ecological Forestry
Forest NS Blog

May 27, 2024:
– The Halifax Examiner investigates: Northern Pulp
Halifax Examiner. “Joan Baxter literally wrote the book on Northern Pulp Mill — it’s called The Mill: Fifty Years of Pulp and Protest. So it is Baxter who is both the originator and the go-to person for the Halifax Examiner’s reporting on all things Northern Pulp and on the broader forestry issues related to it…Since then, Baxter and the Examiner have reported on Northern Pulp as it worked its way through the creditor protector process, and most recently, the settlement agreement between the company and the province of Nova Scotia.
This page collects all that reporting in one place.
– Mayor Jim Ryan Celebrates Loss of Hundreds of Jobs

May 24, 2024:
Northern Pulp critics urge N.S. government to be wary of Paper Excellence
Jean Laroche · CBC News. “They weren’t always forthcoming with us,’ says Pictou Mayor Jim Ryan…Environmentalists were more pointed in their criticism of the company and the possibility of it setting up a new mill. “If I were on the South Shore, especially around Liverpool, I would be very concerned that this is just making another deal with the devil,” said Ray Plourde, wilderness co-ordinator at the Ecology Action Centre. He called the new mill being considered “a type of mill which is very heavily chemically dependent and therefore produces all this pollution.” As for the potential of jobs created by a new mill, he said: “Be careful what you wish for.” Mike Lancaster, the co-ordinator of the Healthy Forest Coalition, said the province doesn’t need another pulp mill. The only operating pulp mill in the province is in Port Hawkesbury, on Cape Breton Island.

May 23, 2024:
– Paper Excellence Canada and the province of Nova Scotia reach a settlement
Paper Excellence Canada
– Nova Scotia and Paper Excellence reach settlement over $450 million lawsuit and creditor protection process
Tim Bousquet in Hfx Examiner. Subscription required. Intro in Morning File for May 24
– Pictou County, Liverpool react to Northern Pulp settlement deal
CBC News “Local councillor in Pictou worries about job losses, while Liverpool residents hope for new mill”
– Alarming infestation brewing in Ontario: arborist
May 23, 2024 By Sandi Krasowski for Canadian Forest Industries “A forester and arborist is sounding the alarm on increasing spruce budworm infestations across Ontario’s Thunder Bay area and expects a further surge this season.
Vince Rutter, owner of Rutter Urban Forestry, works with his team in the city pruning and removing trees as well as providing treatments to control insects and improve plant health. “This year’s spruce budworm infestation leaves me with big concerns about tree health that start with losses to individual landscape trees and can lead to widespread tree mortality, which results in economic losses to the forestry sector, but worse, can lead to fuel for forest fires,” Rutter said. In the region, there are many spruce and fir trees and Rutter said he noticed significant feeding damage last year. This year he expects more damage and defoliation, a trend continuing for the next few years at least.
“I’m very concerned that the increased fuel load of dead fir and spruce trees will lead to some very explosive forest fire conditions,” Rutter said.

May 22, 2024
– Northern Pulp ponders a move to Queens County, say sources
By Michael GormanCBC News

May 15, 2024:
How can restoring forest ecosystems reduce the risk of wildfires?
CBC Info AM “Advocates say that a healthy forest ecosystem has a role to play in reducing the chance and spread of wildfires in Nova Scotia. Healthy Forest Coalition coordinator Mike Lancaster explains.”

May 8, 2024:
Hundreds rally to demand that province change course on Coastal Protection Act</a>
Yvette D’Entremont in Hfx Examiner. Good summary of the history. Intro on Morning File

May 7, 2024:
New Report: Forest Protection Promotes Clean Water
News on www.openspaceinstitute.org/ “New methods quantify multiple benefits of forest protection to water quality; offers important guidance for public leaders and the conservation community NEW YORK, NY (February 8, 2024)—The Open Space Institute (OSI) today released a new report quantifying the benefits of forest protection on water quality, with strategies and practical tools to ensure clean water programs can more effectively engage forest protection to achieve their goals.

Apr 28, 2024:
The questions haven’t changed — but answers are harder to get
Jean Laroche · CBC News ‘Holding politicians to account … is an essential part of democracy,’ says professor

Apr 26, 2024:
Finland and the Province of Nova Scotia increase cooperation in forest sector
Government of Finland “The action plan on closer cooperation on forests and the bioeconomy between the province of Nova Scotia in Canada and Finland was signed in Helsinki on 26 April 2024. The parties to the five-year action plan are the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland and the Department of Natural Resources of Nova Scotia. …The areas for cooperation include forest management practices, digital solutions for the forest sector, forest technologies and education. Cooperation is also sought for the industry and research. The action plan will improve the conditions for commercial cooperation as the forest and bioeconomy sector of Nova Scotia offer promising opportunities for Finnish companies…:
Comment: For a Biodiverity perspective of Finnish forests, see More wood but less biodiversity in forests in Finland: a historical evaluation by Mikko Monkkonen et al., 2022/ Memoranda – Societatis pro Fauna et Flora Fennica. 98. 1-11.

Apr 17, 2024:
No Spring Bear Hunt for Nova Scotia
NRR news release. Related: Did Premier Tim Houston promise a spring bear hunt to hunting groups before he was elected? One outfitter says he did. Hfx Examiner, Apr 17, 2024 (subscription required). Interesting discussion about the scientific basis for bear hunts follows, e.g. this post by Bradley Toms:

“It is very costly and labour-intensive to monitor wildlife populations across large spatial scales ie. across an entire province.”
Much larger provinces manage to do it. So I don’t buy that excuse for a second. I used to be one of those people collecting that information in Ontario. It can be as easy as paying low wage technical or even summer staff a few days work each year to run bait lines of sardine cans hanging from trees and go back and check them to see how many were hit by bears.
For a bit more cost you can set up barbed wire around the bait and send hair caught in the wire off to labs that specialize in this to get simple data like that it is bear hair and what the sex is etc.
Even this basic information has never been satisfactorily done for the bear population in NS. They are operating in an absolute dearth of information where most of the other provinces manage to do it just fine over much, much larger scales. And they are certainly not managing the habitat in NS to ensure natural food sources such as beech and cranberry mast are adequate and available across the province. The fact that the current level of effort, mostly based on hunter stats, is managing the population somewhat well…is pure luck. It could be way more scientific and way more methodical for honestly not that much money. But this is true for so many things regarding natural resources in NS…DNRR and DoE are both underfunded, which is why they see so many of these simple conservation needs as unachievable. They’re doing what they can with what they’ve been given.

Apr 11, 2024:
– Where Ideas Meet Impact: Hydrologist’s research positions her to take a global lead in atmospheric carbon dioxide removal
Andrew Riley for Dal News. “While pursuing research aimed to restore Nova Scotia salmon habitats, Dalhousie hydrologist Dr. Shannon Sterling and Dal alum Dr. Edmund Halfyard stumbled into the forefront of carbon dioxide (CO2) removal science and growing market demand to remove the gas from the atmosphere. The discovery led to her current role as founder and chief science officer of CarbonRun, a promising CO2 removal startup attracting investment from global players.”

Apr 3, 2024
– Lichen Camp Day 33
Nina Newington on Apr 3, 2024 “Goldsmith Lake is a rare, unspoiled lake where speckled trout still thrive. Here’s what DNRR has in mind for it,..”
– Forestry experts work to prevent pine-killing beetle from infesting Maine
by Lori Valigra in Bangor Daily News “The beetles can marshal into swarms that attack and tunnel through pitch pines, choking off nourishment and killing them within weeks. They already have killed thousands of acres of pine forest in the southern United States and on Long Island, New York. They have been spotted on Cape Cod in their move north but remain scarce in Maine, with no infestations reported yet…Jon Bailey wants to keep it that way. Bailey, southern Maine preserves manager for The Nature Conservancy, which owns the Waterboro Pine Barrens, is spearheading the drive to protect the woodland preserve along with other forestry organizations. The barrens are one of the first places in Maine where a small number of the beetles appeared in 2021…A cold snap can kill the beetles, as it likely did most of them in 2023. But with Maine’s comparatively mild winter this year,..The southern pine beetle favors pitch pines, but it also attacks red pines and jack pines.

Apr 2, 2024:
– Carbon tax protesters: What’s your counter-proposal for addressing climate change? Just ignore it?
Tim Bousquet in Morning File (Hfx Examiner) “The RCMP closed the Trans-Canada Highway at the Nova Scotia–New Brunswick border for about three hours yesterday in response to protesters against the carbon tax on the highway. Videos and still photos of the event posted on social media clearly show protesters dangerously close to or even on the roadway itself, presenting a safety concern to both the protesters and to drivers. I need to say something right up front: I don’t know if the carbon tax is a good idea or not. Which is to say, I don’t know if it will work — if it will achieve its stated goal of nudging us collectively off fossil fuels with the speed and to the degree required. But to the protesters and other people opposed to the carbon tax, I ask: What do you have? What is your counter-proposal for addressing the existential issue of our day, climate change? Let’s review.”
– Environmental groups call to expand review of forestry emissions
By Jordan Omstead The Canadian Press in Global News “Nearly a dozen environmental groups are calling on the federal government to expand its review of Canada’s forestry sector emissions, saying the current scope fails to address their concerns about underreporting. In an open letter, the groups say the federal government’s review must consider how forestry emissions are estimated in the first place.”

Apr 1, 2024
Plan for $30M in upgrades for Maine trail system advances
Associated Press on newsventremaine.com “A coalition of more than 500 organizations, businesses and towns in the state has rallied behind the proposal, which could go before voters in November…“In literally every corner of the state, trails are a valued resource for connecting Maine people and visitors with the natural world and reaching destinations to work and play,” the coalition said in a statement. It added that the trails support tens of thousands of jobs.””
Comment: How about it Nova Scotia?
– Washington timber sale blocked as judge orders climate change study
By Daniel Beekman The Seattle Times. “Washington state can’t auction an East King County forest for logging without first analyzing the local project’s climate change impacts, a judge ruled last week, blocking the controversial timber sale and putting officials under pressure to change how they evaluate public lands for harvesting.”

Mar 28, 2024:
New England Study Calls for Dramatic Increase in Sustainable Forestry
By Caitlin Littlefield and Basil Waugh The University of Vermon

Mar 22, 2024:
Group opposes the proposed harvesting of a 400-acre portion of forest
Info AM CBC “A community effort has been protecting more than 11 hundred hectares of Crown land –forests and waterways – that drains into St. Margarets Bay. But now, a portion of it could be opened up to forestry. The CBC’s Carsten Knox spoke with Mike Lancaster.”

Mar 20,, 2024:
Shuswap’s burnt forests – to log or not to log?
By Jim Cooperman, Shuswap Passion IN Salmon Arm Observer “Fed by extreme winds and extreme drought, the Shuswap Firestorm tore through thousands of hectares of forests leaving behind blackened sticks and fried soil, with nary a green leaf or stem where the fire was intense. …There is now a rush to salvage log the burnt trees that are merchantable before the timber dries and splits, which renders the wood unusable for lumber and plywood. However, there is a growing amount of scientific literature and research that insists logging burnt forests is harmful to the ecosystem and it is far better to let natural processes bring the forests back as what happened after previous wildfires. One of the major concerns with salvage logging, is the site disturbance caused by the heavy equipment, which often results in erosion and damage to streams. …Some studies show that the slash left after logging increases fuel loads to encourage more severe fires in the future.”

Mar 17, 2024:
– If a tree falls in the forest, let the fallen log lie, say conservationists
Benjamin Preiss in The Sydney Morning Herald. “Ponder this: If a tree falls in the forest because a storm has knocked it over, should you cart it away and make use of the wood or just let fallen logs lie?Almost three years since a savage windstorm tore through Victoria, some forests are still recovering from the catastrophe that brought down countless trees and left them strewn across the landscape.With fallen trees still prevalent in many areas, forest advocates and scientists are calling for Victoria’s windblown woods to be left alone. They argue extracting large fallen trees inflicts further environmental harm due to the machinery that carves up the forest floor, and also denies habitat to small animals, insects and fungi that eventually inhabit the logs. But the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action insists its operations are necessary to mitigate fire hazards and minimise the risk of operations are necessary to mitigate fire hazards and minimise the risk of damaged trees falling in public areas.”
– In B.C.’s forests, a debate over watershed science with lives and billions at stake
By Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press posted in https://halifax.citynews.ca/

Mar 15, 2024:
Nova Scotia grants Northern Pulp mill one-year extension for environmental assessment
The Canadian Press in CTV News Atlantic

Mar 12, 2024:
Dissecting forestry industry’s deceptive PR propaganda campaign
Joan Baxter in the Hfx Examiner. (Apr 12, removed fro paywall). Intro in the Hfx Examiner. “The Forest Products Association of Canada is filling social media with its ‘Forestry For The Future’ push poll – users beware.”

Mar 11, 2024:
P.E.I. seeks feedback on sustainability of biomass supply as part of forest policy
By Todd Humber in Canadian Biomass
“The paper posed four questions on the issue of the sustainability of biomass supply:

“-What should be the role of the Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division in monitoring the harvest of biomass used for heating and other purposes?
-What system of measurement should be used to define sustainability of biomass harvesting on individual woodlots and on a province-wide basis?
-What system of measurement should be used by the provincial government to assess applications for wood biomass projects under the Environmental Protection Act’s Environmental Impact Assessment process?
-Should limits be placed on biomass harvesting and, if so, by what means?
The discussion paper and survey are available at PEI Forestry Commission. The deadline for feedback is August 31, 2024”
See PEI Forestry Commission for details

Mar 10-, 2024:
Province seeks Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA) Project Lead (Forester 3)
On ca.indeed.com/

Mar 8, 2024:
‘This is an emergency’: Hemlock expert tells Halifax to get a plan to fight woolly adelgid
Suzanne Rent in Hfx Examiner (subscription required, intro in MFile “Last year, Coun. Kathryn Morse requested a staff report on protecting hemlocks in municipal parks (including, notably, Hemlock Ravine). The trees are under catastrophic threat from the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), which has been laying waste to eastern hemlocks for years, and has now arrived in Nova Scotia with a vengeance. Suzanne Rent reports on a presentation to council’s environment and sustainability committee yesterday, by forest ecologist Donna Crossland. Crossland urged councillors to include plans on fighting invasive species in the next urban forestry plan. The plan is currently being developed.”

Mar 6, 2024:
Borealization of New Brunswick’s forest revisited
Commentary by Lawrence Wuest on nbmediacoop.com

Mar 4, 2024:
– Citizen scientists set up lichen camp at Goldsmith Lake
Suzanne Rent in Hfx Examiner. “Cabot Lyford, one of the lichen campers, said lichen can tell us a lot about the health of a forest. “At Lichen Camp we are teaching ourselves and other people to look, really look, and listen to what the forests and all the life forms they support have to tell us. It’s not too late to make a difference but we have to start now,” Lyford said in the press release.“We have to save the best of what is left of the forests in this province. Goldsmith Lake is a good place to start. We owe it to future generations.”Cabot Lyford, one of the lichen campers.”

Mar 1, 2024:
Supporters say there’s a lot of money to be made with a spring bear hunt; critics decry baiting and trophy collecting
Joan Baxter in Hfx Examiner. This Part II, Part I (Feb 28, 2024): Houston government proposes a spring bear hunt in Nova Scotia, reversing decades of policy. Why? And who is the government responding to? Subscription required. Some comments about the article in Morning File

Feb 28, 2024:
– Citizen scientists concerned logging holds were lifted at Goldsmith Lake
Suznne Rent in the Hfx Examiner(subscription required for access to full article). “Group found more species-at-risk lichen on Feb. 25, and noticed work on a logging road…In a press release Tuesday, Nina Newington and Lisa Proulx said citizen scientists were on Crown lands at Goldsmith Lake on Sunday, Feb. 25 when they discovered three more species-at-risk lichens. The same group had previously identified other lichens in the area that are also species at risk. As a result, in March 2023, DNRR put a hold on logging by WestFor at Goldsmith Lake…But in Tuesday’s press release, the citizen scientists said DNRR is “ghosting’ them. They said they haven’t heard from officials, including Ryan McIntyre, resource manager for the western region. The group also wants to know about the work they said has been done on the logging road.“This sudden silence from DNRR combined with the recent roadwork is very disturbing. ”

– Forestry Generates $1.8 Billion in Economic Impact
Forest Nova Scotia Blog Post “In 2022, Nova Scotia’s forestry sector generated $1.8 billion in economic impact, according to a new report authored by Gardner Pinfold.”

Feb 23, 2024:
Forests can add value without being clearcut
By Moira Donovan in National Observer. “In Nova Scotia, forests are potential wellsprings of biodiversity, sustainable livelihoods, and long-term climate change mitigation. Yet despite that potential, thousands of acres of forests are clearcut every year in the name of short-term profit. A company called Growing Forests is now aiming to combat that immediate threat, using ecological forestry and carbon offsets as an alternative to unsustainable practices.While the project has the potential to protect the long-term health of the forest — and of the planet — Dale Prest, Growing Forests’ CEO, says at its heart the company is motivated by a shared interest in rural communities: to protect and restore forests, and maintain local ownership of the land. “Carbon is just the way we pay for that to happen,” he says.”
Company Website: Growing Forests Address: 7748 Highway 7,
Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia
Thx for your pesistence Dale & Co.!!!

Feb 20, 2024:
Q&A with Forest Nova Scotia’s Stephen Moore
Maria Church in Caadian Forest Industries News “Stephen Moore, one-year-in executive director of Forest Nova Scotia, wants to see the sector at the decision table when it comes to the future of forests in the province…I think one of the things that forestry has lacked is political muscle and we’re slowing growing that. Part of what we’ve been working on over the last year is more effective engagement with decisionmakers, provincially and federally. We’ve had some success, pushing back on problematic herbicide spraying rules for the sector. We mobilized hundreds of letters sent in 24 hours and we achieved that policy change. We submitted our proposal to the province’s protected areas strategy, and it’s been very well received. We’re expecting to see more things come out over the next 12 months.”

Feb 17, 2024:
Too much wood heating P.E.I. government buildings is from unsustainable sources: documents
CBC News “Documents that CBC News P.E.I. received through Freedom of Information show a large amount of the wood being used to heat more than 40 provincial buildings has come from forests that were cleared to become housing or farmland.”

Feb 14, 2024:
– 15 New Provincial Parks to be Designated, Two Expanded
NRR

Feb 8, 2024:
Healthy Forest Coalition comments on proposed Spring Bear Hunt

Feb 2, 2024:
Weird ancient tree from before dinosaurs found in Canadian quarry
By Emily Chung CBC News ” Forests of giant, scaly-stemmed club mosses rose from ancient swamps in Atlantic Canada 350 million years ago. But below the canopy sprouted even stranger trees, whose fossils were recently discovered in a quarry in Norton, N.B.”

Jan 31, 2024:
Less than one third of Old Growth Management areas are actually old growth — CPAWS-BC
By Marc Kitteringham Campbell River Mirror. “A new report from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society British Columbia found the province’s Old Growth Management Areas “do not meet conservation standards and contain little old growth.” The report found that the actual composition of these areas, called OGMAs, are mostly (58 per cent) young forest, with old forests (roughly 141 to 250 years), making up just under one third of the total area protected by Old Growth Management Areas.”
COMMENT: It’s so painful to witness BC go through the processes that occurred in NS circa 1950-2000 and reduced our Old Growth from something in the area of 10-15% of forest cover, to well less than 1%, and now the government/gov scientists & friends brag that we have the most stringent OG protection in Canada — still with the kind of misleading classifications talked about in this article.

Jan 30, 2024:
– The need to stop clearcutting is ‘urgent’ to protect B.C. forests from flooding: UBC study
By Tiffany Crawford The Vancouver Sun
– Ontario’s Biomass program threatens Ottawa Valley forests
By Christopher Huggett The Madawaska Valley Current “… It involves prematurely cutting millions of acres of forest in the Ottawa Valley, which deprives them from reaching their full rotation age to produce valuable sawlogs.”
– From the Archive: ‘The beach is more like a dance than a place
Linda Pannozzo in The Quacking Swamp Jpurnal “With an update on the NS government’s obstruction of the public’s support for the Coastal Protection Act…In the meantime, as predicted in the story posted in The Quaking Swamp Journal last year…the building of a barrier wall by a private developer at Little Crescent Beach appears now to be degrading the shoreline.”

Jan 26, 2024:
– Study says harvesting trees is damaging boreal forest in Quebec, Ontario
By Marisela Amador forwww.aptnnews.ca/ “A new study published in the academic journal Land says that harvesting trees is severely damaging the boreal forest and wildlife in Quebec and Ontario. “While tropical forests have been the focus of extensive research on biodiversity losses from deforestation and degradation [8], the boreal forest biome also contains globally significant environmental values that are at risk,” the study said in its introduction…Malcolm explained that forest diversity is affected by harvesting old trees. “You now focus the forest towards these younger age classes, and you have lost the older age classes, which reduces the diversity of the forest, the wildlife that live there. The kind of services that the boreal forest provides,” Malcolm said.”
– How the EU’s Definition of Forest Degradation Is Sparking Controversy in Canada
By Alice Palmer in Sustainable Forests, Resilient Industry. Defining forest degradation in terms of whether or not a logged site is replanted satisfies neither industry not the conservation community.

Jan 18, 2024:
Canadian governments fail to count environmental costs of industrial logging: Report
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner “A new report, The State of the Forest in Canada: Seeing Through The Spin, from eight leading North American environmental groups shows that the federal government is failing to tally the environmental and climate damage caused by industrial logging in Canada.”

Jan 16, 2024:
Why scientists say Canada’s logging industry produces far more emissions than tallied
Benjamin Shingler · CBC News “New study suggests federal government underreports greenhouse gases from forestry sector” Cites this paper: High emissions or carbon neutral? Inclusion of “anthropogenic” forest sinks leads to underreporting of forestry emissions, Bysouth et al. 2024 in Front. For. Glob. Change, 05 January 2024. “…We found that between 2005 and 2021, forestry in Canada represented a net source of carbon (annual mean = 90.8 Mt. CO2e), and that total area logged was a significant predictor of net forestry emissions. In contrast, Canada’s NIR reported a small net carbon sink during the same time period (annual mean = −4.7 Mt. CO2e). We show this discrepancy can be explained by Canada’s GHG reporting approach that claims GHG emissions from wildfires are natural, but GHG removals from forests at the age of commercial maturity, despite being primarily natural disturbance origin, are anthropogenic. This reporting approach may lead to climate mitigation policies that are ineffectual or detrimental to reducing net carbon in the global atmosphere.”
– Modular housing constructions among Atlantic priorities to increase housing supply
The Saltwire Network “… Atlantic housing ministers have identified modular housing constructions, alignment of construction practices, and pre-approved home design catalogues as priority areas to increase regional housing supply. After a meeting in Halifax, the ministers announced the latest focuses as part of the Atlantic Innovation Initiatives framework to address the increasing difficulties for Atlantic Canada residents to find affordable and available homes. The provincial governments agreed to explore options, including non-regulatory approaches, to improve the alignment of construction practices particularly for modular and mass timber construction methods in Atlantic Canada.

Jan 15, 2024:
While the Nova Scotia government doubles down on there being ‘no changes to the Wetland Conservation Policy,’ the truth is, the policy is being violated with a new interpretation
Linda Pannozzo in The Quaking Swamp Journal “The government no longer has to justify necessary public function when allowing the destruction of wetlands of special significance. This is a flagrant contradiction of the policy, which states there shall be “no loss” of WSS.”

Jan 11, 2024:
– Medway Community Forest Co-op seeking Executive Director<
Notice on simplyhired.ca “The Medway Community Forest Co-op (MCFC) is Eastern Canada’s first community forest based on 15,000 hectares of Crown lands outside the rural community of Caledonia, Nova Scotia…”
– Forest Nova Scotia 2024 AGM on Feb 6 & 7 2024 to include “many Nova Scotian politicians”
Forest Nova Scotia on Event Brite.”Our AGM will feature representatives from the Finnish government, a Finnish forestry delegation, and many Nova Scotian politicians.”

Jan 10, 2024:
Company scraps plan for biomass fuel plant in Kensington
By Colin MacLean The Saltwire Network “SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — The Town of Kensington is frustrated about losing out on a $150 million project which would have brought a woodchips-to-renewable diesel plant to the community. The proponent, SustainAgro, would have processed 40,000 tonnes of wood chips annually to produce renewable diesel fuel; secondary marketable byproducts would have included biochar, wood vinegar and graphene. The company expected to employ about 30 people initially. But somewhere along the way the project’s provincial environmental approval stalled and SutainAgro has since shifted its focus to Thunder Bay, Ont., as the frontrunner for its facility. Kensington council expressed frustration at being warned off from doing business with SustainAgro by provincial officials for unspecified reasons…” Comment: Shades of Cellufuel in NS

Jan 5, 2024:
First carbon forestry project in the works for P.E.I.
By Caitlin Coombes for Canadian Forest Industries. “Since its conception in May 2023, the SFA has been working closely with Eastern Forest Solutions to create management plans for those woodlots interested in participating in the first carbon credit project in the province.”

Dec 24, 2023:
NRR seeks Landscape Forester
Info copied here. “Reporting to the Old-Growth Forest Coordinator, the Landscape (Old-Growth) Forester works within the Forestry Division to support the Old-Growth Forest Policy.”

Dec 21, 2023:
Report shows P.E.I.’s forests still flourishing, but data doesn’t reflect Fiona damage
By Stephen Brun CBC News

Dec 20, 2023:
New Island Lake Wilderness Area Among 14,000 More Hectares Now Protected
Environment and Climate Change “The new Island Lake Wilderness Area protects 3,937 hectares of land, wetlands and water in the St. Margarets Bay area. It is one of 23 new designations that protect an additional 14,000 hectares of forest, water, wetlands, coastline and coastal habitats, bringing the total area of the province that is protected to 13.45 per cent.”
Comment: View Description, Map
The Island Lake Wilderness Area, 3,937 hectares, lies at eastern side of the proposed Ingram Lake Wilderness Area (15,000 ha); all lie on the Bowater-Mersey St. Margaret’s Bay Lands purchased by the Dexter NDP Government following public campaigning to save those lands for conservation. I have to wonder if WestFor’s disinformation campaign has been effective in preventing protection of the larger Ingram Lake Wilderness Area.

Dec 18, 2023:
– Should the U.S. keep old trees around to store carbon or cut them down? It’s a heated debate
Harvest Public Media | By Rick Brewer
– Nova Scotia goes all-in on ‘green’ hydrogen, but at what cost?
Joan Baxter in the Hfx Examiner (Subscription required) Subtopics: Enthusiasm for hydrogen not matched by other climate measures, Environmental and water issues, Short on specifics, long questions needing answers, Alton Gas revisited? Hydrogen plans with lots of subsidies on top, Lobbyists, lobbyists everywhere. Comments TB in Morning File:

I  will, however, highlight this one paragraph from the plan: “Establishing a large-scale green hydrogen sector would increase the province’s overall energy demand, due to the electricity required for green hydrogen production. It is imperative that the green hydrogen sector does not operate in a manner that jeopardizes Nova Scotia’s 2030 and 2050 climate change goals. Nova Scotia’s Clean Power Plan outlines the path for the province to achieve its domestic clean electricity targets, and the green hydrogen sector will need to grow in alignment with this path.”
This is, in fact, the issue. I just don’t see how it’s possible to build enough windmills and the accompanying grid expansion fast enough to provide renewable energy for both the Power Plan and the green hydrogen producers — especially since EverWinds’ time horizon is even shorter than the six-year goal established in the Power Plan.

Comment: Scary Stuff. In general, this government, by not conversing at all with the ‘Environmental Lobby’, is not asking the hard questions of lobbyists that they should be asking and likely would be asking if they were conversing outside of their echo chambers. They don’t even know what those questions are.

Dec 17, 2023
FOREST INK: The Perpetual Forest – past lessons to sustain Canada’s forests
Black Press Media on www.wltribune.com/ “I recently came across the 63-page paper entitled The Perpetual Forest – Using lessons from the past to sustain Canada’s forests in the future. The authors decided to collaborate on a joint submission to the 1999 Canadian Institute of Forestry’s annual meeting in Banff, Alberta…Since it has been 24 years since the publication, I thought it would be valuable to see what changes may have resulted from the papers proposals…Sustainable forest management, as described in the 1998 Canada Forest Accord, has as its objective “to maintain and enhance the long-term health of our forest ecosystems, for the benefit of all living things both nationally and globally, while providing environmental, economic, social and cultural opportunities for the benefit of present and future generations.”

Dec 15, 2023
Province Releases Green Hydrogen Action Plan
News Release, NS Gov, Links to https://novascotia.ca/green-hydrogen/ and The Plan (PDF)

Dec 14, 2023:
Podcast: Stephen Moore, Director of Forest Nova Scotia, discusses the recovery of the sector in Nova Scotia
Acadia Podcast Insights series “…Our Insights Podcast this week features a wide-ranging conversation with Stephen Moore, the Executive Director of Forest Nova Scotia. One of those topics is the impact of the implementation of the Lahey Report on the industry which has a target of conserving 30 percent of forest lands in the province. As Moore points out, this conservation goal has the potential to increase the risk of forest fires in the province if those lands are not properly managed.” The interview is conducted by Don Mills (Social Scientist, Partner & Director at CABCO Communications Group, Halifax) and David Campbell (Economist, President of Jupia Consultants in Moncton)

Dec 12, 2023:
N.S. moves step closer to protecting 20% of its land and water by 2030
The Canadian Press · CBC News “Latest designations bring amount of protected areas to 13%..The Nova Scotia government announced plans Monday to protect 9,300 hectares of Crown land by creating six new nature reserves and expanding seven wilderness areas. In the Halifax area, the government is creating a new 800-hectare Sackville River Wilderness Area…Beyond designating land, Halman also announced the province would be topping up a trust fund by $20 million to help private conservation groups acquire land for protection.”

Dec 11, 2023:
In Halifax, a call to promote old-growth forests as a guard against future wildfires
By Michael Tutton Canadian Press in CBC. “As he stands near a Nova Scotia forest with soaring 150-year-old trees, Mike Lancaster sees a natural, long-term solution to the threat wildfires pose to city dwellers…The director of the St. Margaret’s Bay Stewardship Association said much of the 1,000 hectares that ignited in May — destroying 151 homes and businesses in Halifax’s western suburbs — was young, dense, coniferous woodland that had grown after decades of intensive logging. Pointing to the canopy of older-growth trees just three kilometres from lands scarred by wildfire, Lancaster describes how the space between the trees, the mixture of species and the higher branches decrease flammability. ..After a historic wildfire season across Canada, experts are turning their eyes to Nova Scotia as a harbinger of the growing risk facing cities on the forest’s edge. “If Halifax can burn, any place can burn, and that blows all our minds,” says John Vaillant, author of the award-winning “Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast,” which tells the story of the 2016 Fort McMurray forest fire. Vaillant said in an interview that Nova Scotia’s urban wildfires were a shock to fire experts across Canada, making the province’s next steps a matter of national interest…what — if any — changes will be made to Nova Scotia’s forestry practices in 2024 is unclear, as the department has yet to release initial findings on how the Halifax-area blaze ignited and what might prevent a recurrence. ..When it comes to leaving forests to regenerate, Steenberg says poor soil and other conditions that limit growth mean that about a quarter of the province’s forest will yield shorter-lived trees that are susceptible to frequent fires…“Old-growth (forests) aren’t necessarily more or less susceptible to fires,” he says. “It depends on the conditions. Old-growths are complex and often have different-aged woods in them and may have coarse, woody materials that can be fuels.”…Eric Rapaport, a Dalhousie University professor of planning who has studied fire risks in the Halifax area since 2012, says the time may have come for the province and city to approach landowners to ask them to consider accepting “a good fire break” between woodlands and homes.Rapaport is also an advocate for creating the equivalent of floodplain mapping for fires, where publicly available maps would provide tree-by-tree detail of fire dangers…For Vaillant, the author, better preparation is key to minimizing future destruction.”

Dec 8,2023:
– The forest beside the clear-cut
Tara Carman for CBC Investigates. “Putting cutblocks next to wildlife protection areas may not be the best thing for the animals, but it does help timber companies cut more big trees, and has been B.C. government policy for decades.”
– New Brunswick Indigenous lawsuit ‘unprecedented in this country,’ says lawyer
By John Chilibeck The Saltwire Network “The Wolastoqey Nation wants its traditional Indigenous territory back that encompasses all western New Brunswick and has filed legal proceedings against the big tree-cutting firms, seeking certificates of pending litigation…Many legal observers believe it will take years, if not a decade or longer, for the matter to be settled.”

Dec 7, 2023:
Finland’s ‘health forests’ are helping patients reap the mental health benefits of being in nature
By Roselyne Min with EBU on www.euronews.com/ “Finland, with approximately 75 per cent forest coverage, has been a pioneer in exploring the health benefits of forests for over a decade…Finland has since 2015 established forests next to national healthcare centres as part of the so-called “health forest” project to bolster well-being.”

Dec 5, 2023:
P.E.I. Invasive Species Council begins preparing for arrival of invasive insect
Caitlin Coombes in the Penticton Herald “The P.E.I. Invasive Species Council (PEIISC) has begun raising public awareness about an invasive species impacting hemlock trees in Nova Scotia.”

Dec 4, 2023:
– Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust is now designated to hold easements under the Community Easements Act!
MHARI LAMARQUE on www.nsworkingwoodlandstrust.org/ “We are very happy to share that as of Nov. 28, 2023, the Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust is now designated to hold easements under the Community Easements Act! This has been a long road for us, over 2.5 years – but finally our persistent efforts have paid off! This is a significant step in bringing our vision of long-term stewardship and conservation of working woodlands in Nova Scotia to life.” Also view FB announcement
– We followed an old-growth detective into the forest to fact-check B.C.’s suspicious claims about the age of trees
Sarah Cox in The Narwhal “When conservationist Eddie Petryshen learned BC Timber Sales was auctioning off cutblocks in a globally rare inland temperate rainforest that also provides core habitat for endangered caribou, he took to the woods in search of ancient trees — and The Narwhal tagged along”

Dec 2, 2023:
Nina Newington: Save Our Old Forests (Video)
YouTube Video of NN’s presentation to NS Wild Flora Society on Nov 23, 2023. “Nina Newington and other citizen scientists are playing a key role in the effort to protect the proposed Goldsmith Lake Wilderness Area in Annapolis County. To date they have identified 27 Species At Risk occurrences (principally lichens), halting logging operations for now. They recently discovered an area of old-growth forest where Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) maps showed only forest under 80 years old. Nina will present an overview of their explorations and the Save Our Old Forests campaign which recently expanded to include Halifax County”.

Nov 29, 2023:
Routine’ forgery? Alleged woodlot theft raises suspicions about forestry industry practices
Jennier Henderson in the Halifax Examiner. Intro in Morning File “Imagine learning that someone had clearcut 100 acres of your family property without permission or compensation, that a land harvesting declaration you never signed bears your signature, and that the timber broker you accuse of having facilitated the clearcutting admits to having forged the signature and says it’s routine.” COMMENT From the article, we learn that the contracting co. that did the cutting “was paid $173,000 for doing the cutting and trucking”; the broker “realized more than $35,000 from the sale of the biomass chips”. There were also a “half a dozen truckloads of firewood from the 100 acres at a profit of $4,414.20”. So the 100 acres was worth only circa $400/acre to the owner. Cutting it provided $173,000 of employment. It seems it all went for biomass energy. It was hardly the “waste or residues from manufacturing processes” supposedly accounting for most forest biomass energy in Canada and it’s seems to be a pretty environmentally-destructive way to provide employment. Pls correct me.

Nov 28, 2023:
Nature group wants Crown land in Kings County protected from potential logging
Josh Hoffman · CBC News. “Land near Cloud Lake Wilderness Area earmarked for possible high-production forestry…The Nova Scotia government has released the locations where clear cutting may be allowed under its new model of forest management. Some of the locations are near the area the society wants protected.  “”There will probably be push back, but I think it’s important to realize that we do need to protect biodiversity,” Bondrup-Nielsen said. “And I mean, it’s the province that has decided on protecting 20 per cent of the landscape.” Forest Nova Scotia, which represents businesses and individuals in the forestry sector, did not respond to requests for reaction before publication.In an email, the province said it’s committed to releasing a strategy by the end of the year for protecting the land and water needed to reach the 20 per cent goal.”

Nov 26, 2023:
What is biomass? The latest fuel source to get clean tech tax credits
By David Baxter Global News. “Ottawa plans on expanding its clean technology and electricity tax credits to include heat and electricity produced by burning biomass, as outlined in its fall economic statement…However, some environmental groups argue that biomass is not as green as it seems, including Stand Earth”. COMMENT: A balanced report.

Nov 22, 2023:
– Understanding Climate-Smart Conservation: A Step Towards a Sustainable Future
Forest Nova Scotia Blog. “…In Nova Scotia, there are two big problems with the current model used to protect land. [It] Increases Wildfire Risk…[It Hastens Climate Change]…Climate-Smart Conservation means we must start counting private land that is already protected. Large areas of private land cannot be forested for legislative or regulatory purposes. Failure to count this land will be expensive for taxpayers and our environment.” COMMENT re: “Two Big Problems” this is hype*. I agree, however with “counting private land that is already protected.” * E.g., They state that “A January 2022 publication by the International Boreal Forest Researchers Association shows that active forest management in Nordic countries is helping sequester more carbon and making forests more resilient to wildfires.” read the publication, that interpretation of the publication is simply not justified.

– Forestry Trust Announces Funding for New Program
NS Gov. “The Nova Scotia Forestry Innovation Transition Trust is investing $9.85 million in a new program to support businesses facing increased costs from adopting more sustainable forestry practices.” COMMENT: They should have a requirement that businesses receiving such funding apply the same practices on private land, which still account for 2/3 of the forested land in NS. Forest Nova Scotia & Co. fought hard against any regulations on private lands, now they are being spoon fed to apply a gentler touch on some Crown lands. Then they will get more $$$ for plantations etc. Also companies which have a history of sustainable forest mgmt should get back compensated, otherwise, its a boondoggle for Big Forestry.

Nov 21, 2023:
EU lawmakers back heavy fines, jail sentences against green crimes
By Valentina Romano | Euractiv.com

Nov 16, 2023:
Reviewing use of wood chips for heat: Forestry Commission provides P.E.I. government with five recommendations
By Caitlin Coombes in The Hamilton Spectator

Nov 8, 2023:
Scientists call on Canada to adopt ecologically minded forest degradation definition
By Jordan Omstead Canadian Press in CTV News

Nov 2, 2023:
Signs of old-growth forest found in Annapolis County, group says
Anjuli Patil · CBC News “Citizen Scientists of Southwest Nova Scotia are calling for more forestry protection after the discovery..Nina Newington, a member of the group who was out kayaking recently on Goldsmith Lake, made the discovery. She and others returned and found what they suspect are more old-growth trees along with a rare, protected lichen species. “It was quite remarkable to step out and into what was so clearly old forest,” Newington told CBC Radio’s Information Morning Halifax on Thursday. “The hemlock trunks were pretty hefty, I think the largest that we measured was 97 centimetres in diameter … that’s a very substantial looking tree. But also when you looked at the slope, there was a hardwood stand that was about 10 acres in size that has great big yellow birch.”

”

Nov 1, 2023:
N.S. pilot project pits tiny beetles against invasive insect killing Hemlock trees
By Megan King & Rebecca Lau Global News. “…The beetle is native to Canada’s west coast, and the Canadian Forest Service is now working to introduce five beetles into a single bag alongside the Hemlock woolly adelgid to see how they fare through a Nova Scotian winter. “This beetle is essentially perfect (…) because it only attacks Hemlock woolly adelgid. It can only complete development on Hemlock woolly adelgid and it’s basically only able to find Hemlock woolly adelgid,” said Roscoe. So far, the results are immediate. Roscoe showed Global News a beetle eating a Hemlock woolly adelgid shortly after being released…Roscoe believes the pilot project will be a long-term one, that will probably take at least 10 years to see results. The goal is to release up to 3,000 beetles in areas that are warmer and where the beetles are most likely to survive. That includes Queens and Shelburne counties.” View Global News Report Video.

Oct 31, 2023:
For Hurricane Relief, Jonathan Otter Turns Debris Into Design
Nour Abi-Nakhoul in Sharp Magazine. “When the storm hit, Nova Scotia-raised furniture-maker Jonathan Otter was in Cork, Ireland, where he lives with his wife and nine-year old daughter. But even with the Atlantic Ocean separating him from Fiona’s impacts, the hurricane still hit close to his heart. The north of the province, where he grew up, was particularly affected. On his parents’ land, all the trees were completely flattened, and when he spoke to his parents on the phone, his father remarked that he could clearly see the back boundary line for the first time ever. Decades of hard work implementing a meticulous and sustainable forestry plan were undone in mere minutes. So, when Timberland approached Otter looking to collaborate on a chair, one that would be sold at auction to generate money for victims of the storm, the designer jumped at the opportunity.”

Oct 27, 2023:
CBRM looking for company to process debris left behind by Fiona
Matthew Moore · CBC News “Municipality is dealing with several thousand tons of wood material”

Oct 24, 2023:
Homeowners and wildfires: Bruce Frisko at CTV spoke to people who lost their homes, but aren’t rebuilding in their old neighbourhoods
In Morning File (Halifax Examiner)

Oct 23, 2023:
2023 Forest Declaration Assessment: Off track and falling behind
www.forestdeclaration.org 2023 Report. “The forest ecosystems that support a liveable climate, invaluable biodiversity, thriving economies, and intangible cultural importance remain under massive pressure. Standing forests are essential for limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Yet, the world remains off track to reach the 2030 goals of halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030.” Canada is a County Case Study: CANADA The unaccounted-for degradation of Canada’s forests; Little attention and action are directed to protect Canada’s forests.

Oct 21, 2023:
– >New tools to save Nova Scotia’s hemlocks come into use as species continues to decline
Taryn Grant · CBC News

Oct 18, 2023:
– 5-year study to look at how move to ecological methods affects N.S. forests, economy
Josh Hoffman · CBC News “A group of researchers led by Dalhousie University is studying how shifting to an ecological forestry model will affect Nova Scotians and the environment. The research team will look at the effects on biodiversity, the economy, carbon sequestration and recreation over the next five years. “The way that we’ve been doing business is not good for our forests from an ecological perspective, but it’s also not good for the long-term economic viability of our forest sector,” said Alana Westwood, lead researcher and assistant professor at Dalhousie’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies.Westwood said Nova Scotia has been using methods from Ontario and Quebec that go against the natural ecology of forests in the Maritimes. This research is necessary because Nova Scotia is the first jurisdiction to move to ecological forestry on such a large scale, Westwood said. The research team is made up of partners from the public and private sectors, including the Eskasoni Fish and Wildlife Commission.”

Oct 16, 2023:
– No shame: Maclean’s Magazine publishes propaganda for the extractive forestry industry
Tim Bousquet in Morning File (Halifax Examiner)
– Internal memo appears to have functionally delisted thousands of hectares of wetlands of special significance in Nova Scotia
Linda Pannozzo in the Quaking Swamp Journal

Oct 14, 2023:
3 Top Timber and Forest Stocks to Buy on the TSX Today
Adam Othman for The Motley Fool. Acadian Timber cited as one of the 3 Best Buys. “Acadian Timber Corp is a Canada-based supplier of primary forest products in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States. The company’s operating segments include NB Timberlands and Maine Timberlands. It generates maximum revenue from the NB Timberlands segment. The company’s product includes softwood and hardwood sawlogs, pulpwood and biomass by-products.”

Oct 13m 2023:
Nova Scotia NRR seeks Manager Forest Research and Planning
On ca.indeed.com. “Manager Forest Research and Planning, Province of Nova Scotia, Truro, NS, $7,124–$8,905 a month – Permanent…This position reports to the Director of Forestry.”

Oct 11, 2023:
Nova Scotia, Canada create agreement to protect, conserve nature across province
Suzanne Rent in the Hfx Examiner. (Subscription required for full access, Intro in Morning File
Also see: News Release

Oct 10, 2023:
Ecological Forest Management in a Changing Climate: A Workshop Series for Forest Stewards
Announcement of workshops by NSWOOA ​
Session 1: Intro to Planting, Pruning & Thinning Saturday, Sept. 23rd, 2023; ​
Session 2: Hurricane Restoration, Forest Resilience & Fire Risk (Central) Sunday, Oct. 15th, 2023:
Session 3: Ecological Forestry & Climate Adaptation Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023;
Session 4: Hurricane Restoration, Forest Resilience & Fire Risk (Eastern) Friday, Oct. 27th, 2023;
Session 5: Planning a Harvest with Climate Resilience in Mind Sunday, Nov. 5th, 2023;
Session 6: Using Avenza Maps Winter, date TBD

– You’ve heard of forest bathing. Now try forest therapy
BYMARYAM SIDDIQI for National Geographic “There are nearly two dozen certified trails around the world that guide visitors to engage with nature in ways that benefit their health and foster deeper exploration”

Oct 7, 2023:
“In The Quiet and The Dark”
A Sea to Sea Production commissioned by CBC, 44 min. 0n CBC Gem, Featured on CBC Television Oct 7, 2023. View also: New documentary highlights one Nova Scotian’s efforts to save Eastern hemlock forests “A Nova Scotia-based forest ecologist is the central character of a new documentary premiering on CBC Gem on Friday. Donna Crossland appears in In the Quiet and the Dark, which outlines her efforts to save Eastern hemlock forests from the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. Mainstreet’s Alex Mason spoke with Nance Ackerman, the film’s director, before the premiere, which you can watch here: https://gem.cbc.ca/absolutely-canadian/s23e23”

Oct 4, 2023:
– Nina Newington on how to get more Old Growth in Nova Scotia 4Oct2023
Post on Annapolis Environment & Ecology FB page, reproduced on this website.
– Watering down wetland conservation policy, one internal memo at a time
Linda Pannozzo in the Quaking Swamp Journal. She Interviews several people in relation to the “Routine Clarification” memo. ““This is another terrible turn of government policy to favour developers, to the detriment of nature,” says Bancroft. Referring to the second bullet point, Bancroft says, “The idea of allocating a section of a wetland for a Species at Risk is preposterous, concocted in a board room, not the real world.This policy flies in the face of what nature needs: more, not less habitat consideration.””

Sep 30, 2023:
‘Routine clarification’ of Nova Scotia’s wetlands policy omitted any mention of salt marshes. Was it intentional?
Linda Pannozzo in The Quaking Swamp Journal

Sep 29, 2023:
Environmentalists question ‘routine clarification’ of Nova Scotia’s wetlands policy
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Environment Department says no changes have been made…In documents shared with CBC, officials with the Environment Department say that, effective immediately, the designation of wetlands of special significance would be limited to:
– Wetlands known to support threatened and endangered species only, and exclude vulnerable/special concern species (for which there are no prohibitions to harm).
Only a portion of a wetland directly supporting species at risk, as determined by a qualified expert.
-The portion of wetlands that overlap with a designated Ramsar site (sites of international importance), provincial wildlife management area, provincial park, nature reserve, wilderness area or lands owned or legally protected by non-government charitable conservation land trusts.
-Wetlands where a proponent at the time of their application, through their own fieldwork, has included an observation of a species at risk in the wetland and the wetland meets the habitat requirements of that species. Databases of historic occurrences of species at risk will no longer be considered.”

Sep 28, 2023:
Recovery Planning for Black Ash: An update on the SAR featured in the 2020 Lands & Forestry Judicial Review.
Nature NS

Sep 27, 2023:
EU trade regulations put forest degradation in the crosshairs
By Natasha Bulowski in the National Observer. Subscription may be required. “…Deforestation is widely understood as the razing of forests, largely tropical, to create farmland. However, forest degradation doesn’t have a universally agreed-upon definition. The EU’s new trade regulations define degradation in a way that could impact exports from Global North countries whose logging practices have often avoided scrutiny because they replant the trees rather than convert the harvested areas to farmland. Countries that export forest products, including Canada, are working behind the scenes to try to soften the trade regulations.

Sep 21, 2023:
Ford apologizes for ‘wrong’ Greenbelt decision, vows to reverse land swap
CBC News

Sep 20, 2023:
– Could wood chips fill the battery demand hole? Biographite start-up hopes to find out
Rachel Williamson in https://reneweconomy.com.au

– At behest of industry group, province un-published maps identifying Glyphosate spraying locations
Jannifer Henderson in the Hfx Examiner. (Subscription required for full access; intro in Morning File)

Sep 19, 2023:
10% Variable Retention harvests planned for Crown land in Victoria Co., Cape Breton
NSNRR Announcement

Sep 18, 2023:
– Canopy gaps help Eastern hemlock outlast invasive insect
by Tracey Peake, North Carolina State University in Phys.org  The article cites this scientific paper: Silvicultural canopy gaps improve health and growth of eastern hemlocks infested with Adelges tsugae in the southern Appalachian Mountains by Albert E. Mayfield et al., 2023 in the journal Forest Ecology & Management

– New Brunswick private woodlot owners wince over economic gut punch
John Chilibeck in The Saltwire Network “The president of the New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners says if the Progressive Conservative government keeps favouring big wood-cutting companies that use public land to make large profits, the province’s 400 or so private woodlot owners will simply give up and sell off their land any way they can. “It’s been a broken system for 30 years now,” he said. …The woodlots, which make up nearly one-third of New Brunswick’s forests, operate in the same timber market and are deeply affected by the wood taken by big firms such as J.D. Irving, AV Group, and Twin Rivers. …He says a private woodlot owner gets about $80 for a cord of pulpwood these days, when 30 years ago it was closer to $100 a cord.”

– Opinion: Canfor owes us, not the other way around
James Steidle on princegeorgecitizen.com “We never sold the rights to our public forests.”

Sep 15, 2023:
As Atlantic Canada ‘wakes up’ to the climate crisis, young people sound the alarm
By Cloe Logan in the National Observer “…hundreds gathered in Halifax on Sept. 15 to demand an end to fossil fuel extraction and use, marking the fifth global climate strike since then 15-year-old Greta Thunberg started protesting outside the Swedish legislature.”

Sep 8, 2023:
– Glyphosate Spraying
Jennifer Henderson in Morning File (Halifax Examiner) “Residents of Cumberland County who are concerned about the impact of the ongoing aerial spraying of herbicides will gather tomorrow morning at Lions Park in Springhill to raise awareness and sound the alarm.”  Also View Spray Season 2023

– WestFor Management on protecting 20% land and water in NS
In WestFor Newsletter for August 2023: “The Province of Nova Scotia is seeking your input on how they can collaboratively achieve their goal of protecting and conserving at least 20 percent of Nova Scotia’s land and water by 2030.As a part of the forestry sector, we are hopeful that ecologically biodiverse areas such as wetlands, waterways, old growth forests, and forests of other high conservation values will be largely considered for the majority of the protected areas in Nova Scotia. Smart conservation does not need to encompass huge tracts of land, rather protection should focus on the unique, rare, and sensitive aspects and areas. We are excited at the prospect of being able to comment on this collaborative process. in the previously or planned managed forest areas, it would make the most sense for those areas to be managed sustainably for carbon sequestration, diverse habitats, resource management, and recreation. Canadians are only now beginning to understand that addressing forest carbon losses to fire, pest, and natural mortality requires a level of human intervention that will takes generations to establish. Canada’s national parks, many of which have been protected from human contact for almost a century, are now a net source of greenhouse gas emissions because of their over-mature and deteriorated state. Climate-Smart Forestry rather than blanket United Nations protection targets take into consideration not only the carbon impacts of our actions, but also the effects of inaction. Not using a renewable product like wood means using higher carbon emitting alternatives like plastic, steel, and concrete. This results in forested areas being left unmanaged to burn and decay. We encourage you to submit your input about the Protected Areas Strategy please follow this link here!”  Comment: Good to know WestFor folks believe that  “in the previously or planned managed forest areas, it would make the most sense for those areas to be managed sustainably for carbon sequestration, diverse habitats, resource management, and recreation.” and thus that, presumably,  all of the members of the WestFor group will be following this approach on  the non-Crown lands which they manage and that account for most of the managed forest land in NS.

Sep 7, 2023:
– Kespukwitk Conservation Corridor: An ArcGIS StoryMap
Parks Canada
“Have you explored the new StoryMap page for the Kespukwitk Conservation Corridor? It includes an interactive Geospatial Data Viewer! 🔎
This tool allows a viewer to explore the opportunities for, and barriers to, connectivity in the Kespukwitk corridor. Turn different layers on and off to view different data visualizations on a map of the region. A diverse selection of datasets are available, including digitized historic maps, topographic information, forest loss data, and Mi’kmaw place names.”

– Beau Blois Named Woodland Owner of the Year
NS Gov News Release “The winner of the provincial 2023 Woodland Owner of the Year Award is Beau Blois of Old Barns, Colchester County. Mr. Blois, an emergency room physician, maintains a 1,226-hectare property with his wife Laura and their children. Their woodlot is Forest Stewardship Council certified and provides habitat for a variety of wildlife and plants. Their property also includes a black Angus beef farm and trails for outdoor recreation….The western regional winners are James and Linda Smith of Shelburne County, and the eastern regional winners are Stephen and Michelle Van de Weil of Antigonish County.”

Aug 31, 2023:
10 reasons affordable housing is hard to deliver
Jill Grant in the Halifax Examiner. Also view How to Solve the Housing Crisis in Morning File “Jill Grant, whose career has been devoted to studying housing issues, has written a clear, easy to understand, and insightful explanation for how we got into the current housing crisis, and how we can get out of it.”

Aug 30, 2023:
– N.B. forest strategy lauded for conservation, criticized for lack of tree diversity
Hina Alam The Canadian Press on CTV News
– Court grants Northern Pulp extension on creditor protection
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Mediation between the company and N.S. government could be nearing conclusion”

Aug 28, 2023:
Province Announces Archibald Lake Wilderness Area
NS Gov News Release. “The area is habitat for many species, such as Canada warbler and endangered mainland moose, that benefit from older forests. Protecting the area also helps maintain water quality and fish habitat, benefitting fish species including brook trout and Atlantic salmon. The area is a popular spot for hunting and recreational trout fishing, which are both permitted in wilderness areas. The Province is currently consulting with Nova Scotians to help develop a protected areas strategy. The strategy will outline how the Province will achieve its 2030 land and water conservation goal and identify next steps. Nova Scotians can provide their ideas and feedback by October 6 at: http://ns20by2030.ca/.
– Newly created Archibald Lake Wilderness Area kills Cochrane Hill gold mine proposal
Tim Bousquet in the Halifax Examiner. Subscription required. “The wilderness area was first proposed in January 2020. As Joan Baxter reported at the time, Atlantic Gold wanted to use Archibald Lake as a water supply for its proposed Cochrane Hill gold mining project. The province noted at the time that “the company’s proposed use of Archibald Lake cannot be permitted within a wilderness area.””

The wilderness area designation puts an end to Atlantic Gold’s Cochrane Hill plans, at least as proposed. Atlantic Gold is now owned by St Barbara, an Australian firm.

Aug 19, 2023:
Destructive insect makes its way to Halifax area, attacking hemlock trees
CBC News. Interview with Donna Crossland.

Aug 17, 2023:
‘They’re not going to walk over us’: Rural N.B. residents protest herbicide spraying
Derek Haggett on CTV Atlantic News

Aug 16, 2023:
– How Much Wood Could a Woodpecker Peck?
By Jordan Bateman in Business in Vancouver. “Just when you think you’ve heard of every possible red tape delay to building housing and critical infrastructure in British Columbia, a new, ever-more-absurd government regulation comes along. This time, it’s an empty hole…Last year, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault created strict rules to further protect the Pileated Woodpecker, even though the bird is neither threatened nor endangered in Canada. No one is saying woodpeckers shouldn’t be protected. But the old rules were working just fine. Under the previous regulations, woodpecker nests were protected if they had eggs or birds living in them. This made sense and did the job of balancing the needs of the woodpecker with the community – as evidenced by the bird’s growing population. It was also in line with how most other bird habitat is handled. But Guilbeault – over objections from industry associations representing agriculture, ranching, clean energy, and forestry – changed the regulation to say a Pileated Woodpecker nest, or a tree cavity that once housed a nest, had to be empty for three years before the tree could be removed.” Comment: a bit like climate change denialism: “…cavities that aren’t used for their own nesting are used for years thereafter by an array of different species. In this sense, the Pileated Woodpecker is engineering the ecosystem, a role that easily supports over 30 species. See The Pileated Woodpecker Is a Keystone Species and Protecting Its Nest Cavities Is Good for Nature on Nature Canada, Jan 7, 2022.
– Missing report on the state of N.B. forests ‘appalling,’ says Green Party leader
Rachel DeGasperis · CBC News “Natural Resources misses deadline for state of the forests report — again”

Aug 15, 2023:
2023 Pesticide Spraying Approvals Issued
NS Gov News release

Aug 10, 2023,
Researchers race to protect Nova Scotia’s hemlocks from invasive pest
Moira Donovan · CBC News “An invasive insect is threatening Nova Scotia’s hemlocks”

Aug 7, 2023:
– US and Canadian Researchers Team Up to Prevent Spread of Oak-killing Disease
Michigan Technological University
– a href=”https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/08/07/beech-leaf-disease-threatens-decimation-forests-what-to-know/70510157007/”>What to know about beech leaf disease, the ‘heartbreaking’ threat to forests along the East CoastBy Camille Fine< in USA Today

Aug 3, 2023:
Nova Scotia’s uncertain climate future
Phillip Muscovitch in Morning File (Hfx Examiner). Cites extracts from From Extreme to Extreme: The future climate in Nova Scotia (podcast on www.thebigstorypodcast.ca, 25 min) “First it was fires. Then floods. Now the province, already devastated by two extreme events, will wait to see what kind of impact unusually warm ocean temperatures will have on this year’s hurricane season. As the Earth heats up, the impact of the climate crisis is speeding up. Nowhere is safe, but places like Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada, surrounded by so much ocean, might bear a heavier load. What can this summer of extremes teach us about the future of Eastern Canada? What comes next, and how should we prepare for it? GUEST: Dr. Kent Moore, professor of atmospheric physics at the University of Toronto, joins us from Bridgwater, N.S.”

Aug 2, 2023:
Clearcut logging leads to more frequent flooding, including extreme floods
By Younes Alila UBC News. Cites this research: Nonstationary stochastic paired watershed approach: Investigating forest harvesting effects on floods in two large, nested, and snow-dominated watersheds in British Columbia, Canada. RSH Johnson & Y Alila. 2023 in Journal of Hydrology

Aug 1, 2023:
We can’t ‘manage’ nature
By Michelle Connolly & Herb Hammond in the National Observer “Most properties of natural ecosystems are developed by the ecosystem itself, without human intervention. Natural ecosystems, like primary forests, are complex, self-organizing, self-regulating and, therefore, self-sustaining.”

July 25, 2023
Nina Newington comments on meeting with NRR at Goldsmith Lake Forest
From a post on Healthy Forest Coalition FB page

July 25, 2023:
Local birders call on feds to protect migratory birds from logging in Nova Scotia
On www/ecojustice.ca/news/

July 24, 2023:
Biologist fights former department to save Nova Scotia’s mainland moose
By Abel Rangel for the National Observer

July 20, 2023:
P.E.I.’s new forestry commission lists 5 ways to modernize how wood becomes energy
Arturo Chang · CBC News The commission offered five recommendations:
– That all biomass supply contracts for the 44 provincially owned buildings should be renegotiated to provide more clarity.
– That there is a clearer definition of biomass in those revised contracts.
– That for future projects, there’s a comprehensive review of the environmental impact of biomass harvesting on the long-term wood supply, including an assessment of the carbon emissions from moving the product from harvest sites to the plant.
– That the government more clearly define the role of public forests as a potential source of biomass for provincially owned buildings.
– That it determines how the forest biomass sector can contribute to the province’s “Path to Net Zero” by 2040.

July 20:
Citizen Scientists of Southwest Nova to meet with DNRR about Goldsmith Lake
Suzzane Rent in the Halifax Examiner Morning File

July 9, 2023:
In Oregon Timber Country, a Town Buys the Surrounding Forests to Confront Climate-Driven Wildfires
By Grant Stringer on www insideclimatenews.org/. “The town government recently purchased a ring of privately owned timberland surrounding Butte Falls. Instead of harvesting the land—which could provide an immediate, short-term boon to the town economy—locals want to grow an older and biodiverse forest that they say will better protect the town from wildfires, while attracting outdoor tourism.”

Jul 8, 2023:
Mapping an Escape from ‘Overshoot’
Linda Pannozzo in the Quaking Swamp Journal A lengthy interview with economist and low growth guru, Peter Victor about his new book Escape from Overshoot: Economics for a planet in peril

June 20, 2023:
Hidden beneath the surface
Sarah Kaplan and others in the Washington Post. “Digging deep into a humble lake in Canada, scientists found a spot on Earth like no other — and a record that could redefine our history of the planet.
Also view related items on Google Search and this sci.paper: The varied succession of Crawford Lake, Milton, Ontario, Canada as a candidate Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point for the Anthropocene series. Francine MG McCarthy et al. 2023. In The Anthropocene Review

June 14, 2023:
– Province sending mixed messages on status of wood-heating program
By Jean Laroche/CBC News
Canada to redefine ‘forest degradation’ following EU import law
By Stefan Labbé, Glacier Media on www.biv.com “Critics say creating a domestic definition of ‘forest degradation’ could help Canada sidestep an EU law restricting the import of unsustainable wood products…Deforestation vastly undercounted in Canada, suggests study. In some cases, the line between deforestation and forest degradation has become increasingly blurred. Since 2019, researchers at Wildlands League have released a series of reports investigating 300 historical cut blocks across Ontario. In many of the disturbed areas, where soil had been torn up or compressed to build roads or landings, they found trees never grew back decades after logging had ended. The net effect, according to the group, is that logging operations have led to 21,700 hectares of deforestation in Ontario alone. That’s about seven times more deforestation than the government of Canada reports for the entire country every year, according to the authors. “You can see the same legacy across the country,” said Janet Sumner, the group’s executive director. “There’s de-facto deforestation going on as a legacy of tree farming.” As deforestation goes uncounted in Canada, Sumner says cutting B.C.’s ancient trees and calling it “forest degradation” misses the point. “If it were sustainable, you wouldn’t be running out of old growth,” Sumner said. “I don’t know how you can claim that will come back on any realistic timescale.” “Right now, we’re hiding behind a definition.””

June 13, 2023:
– Canada’s first case of oak wilt confirmed in Niagara Falls
By Alison Langley in the Toronto Star
– Exclusive: Investors may exit consumer goods firms over EU deforestation law
By Richa Naidu for Reuters

June 10, 2023:
N.S. Environment Department working on final recommendation for proposed wilderness area
Michael Gorman · CBC News ·””I’m hoping by the end of the year I can have it before cabinet and then cabinet can render its decision,” Halman said this week. Read the socio-economic analysis The analysis notes that more than a third of the land is classified as old forest, while most of the rest is primarily mature or older forest…Mining company St Barbara has identified Archibald Lake as its preferred water source for a proposed gold mine at Cochrane Hill. Protecting the land would all but halt the gold mine project that the company has said could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity.”

June 10, 2023:
Forest Nova Scotia making strides toward sustainable forestry
Sponsored content from Forest Nova Scotia, on Saltwire.com

June 7, 2023:
Natural Resources committee refuses to summon Paper Excellence’s Wijaya
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner

May 30, 2023:
– Travel, activity banned in Nova Scotia forests as three wildfires continue to burn
Suzanne Rent in the Halifax Examiner. ““We’re going to stop the travel. We have to do what we can to make sure we don’t have any new fires popping up,” Houston said. “This includes hiking, camping, fishing, use of off-highway vehicles. It applies to forestry, it applies to mining, it applies to commercial activity on Crown lands, hunting and fishing..”
– How climate change is fuelling fires in Eastern Canada
By Cloe Logan in the National Observer

May 29, 2023:
Saving the forest for the trees
By David Orwig in the Boston Globe “Invasive species are decimating old-growth species that have survived for half a millennium. There are ways to stem the destruction before it’s too late.”

May 28, 2023:
Tracking forest fires across Nova Scotia
CTV News. “Hot, dry and windy conditions on Sunday helped cause a series of wildfires in Atlantic Canada, with at least 10 reported in Nova Scotia…So far, Nova Scotia has reported 176 wildfires this season, compared to 70 at this time in 2022”

May 25, 2023:
– Coming Home: Repatriating Mi’kmaq Culture One Artifact at a Time
Linda Pannozzo in the Quaing Swamp Journal. ““The west side of Rossignol is very, highly culturally sensitive, and a lot of people know it,” says Purdy, who is also the archaeology, culture and heritage rep for the Mi’kmaq Grand Council. “Collectors don’t realize they’re stealing significant artifacts, some of them from ancient burial sites.”…Purdy tells me that when artifacts are taken, a spiritual connection to the traditional teachings is also taken away, as well as any scientific value from an archaeological perspective.”

– Biomass fuel plant proposed for Kensington, P.E.I., residents turn out in droves for info
Colin MacLean · Journalist for Saltwire

May 24, 2023:
Make Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes a true wilderness park, not a degraded collection of leftover parcels cobbled together as a fake wilderness
In Halifax Examiner, Morning File. Related: Parks Canada spends $2.1 million on Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes park planning by Zane Woodford in Halfax Examiner (subscription required)

May 16, 2023:
Post-tropical storm Fiona decimated Nova Scotia’s woodlots. These ecological foresters tell us what cleanup should look like.
By Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner (Susbscription required; see Morning File for summary) ” ask Miller about arguments I’ve heard at meetings since Fiona that brought together woodlot owners, forestry contractors, and industry spokespeople in northern Nova Scotia, that they need the Northern Pulp mill back in operation. Without it, some said, they had no place to send the waste or low-grade wood that Fiona blew down. “Here’s the question to ask them,” Miller replies. “Why, after 50-plus years of what they call ‘scientific forest management’ [that came with the pulp mill], are our forests full of low-grade material?”

May 15, 2023:
Post-tropical storm Fiona decimated Nova Scotia’s woodlots. These ecological foresters tell us what cleanup should look like. Part 1 Greg Watson
By Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner (Susbscription required; see Morning File for summary) ” Since post-tropical storm Fiona, the provincial government has allocated millions of dollars for dealing with the damage the winds […]” Comment: Finally some ecologicallyl sensible discussion of what to do with the blowdown.

May 12, 2023:
Are Canada’s emissions finally heading down?
By Barry Saxifrage in the National Observer. “The deeper I dug into the data, the more discouraging the trends looked.”

May 11, 2023:
– Crown drops environmental charge against Dexter Construction related to Arlington Heights dump
Jennifer Henderson in the Halifax Examiner

May 10, 2023:
– Forest fires: North America’s boreal forests are burning a lot, but less than 150 years ago
Article in The Conversation
– Seeing the forest for the trees: A tool to prevent flood damage
by Alyssa DiSabatino in www.canadianunderwriter.ca/ “…In New Brunswick, 143 hectares of forest would yield approximately $285,000 worth of timber inventory if it was cut down. On the other hand, it would cost more than $1.04 million to replace that forest’s water storage capacity through man-made infrastructure, according to a Community Forests International model. On a smaller scale, there are ways to engage consumers in better flood mitigation habits.”

May 9, 2023:
– Dalhousie Forestry Research Team Receives $1.57 Million to STudy Nova Scotian Forests
On researchns.ca “The five-year research project will measure how changing forestry practices impact biodiversity and landscape connectivity, evaluate recreation opportunities arising from changing forestry practices, value carbon as part of forest lands in the province, investigate and undertake effective knowledge exchange with woodlot stewards and operators and registered professional foresters, and support Mi’kmaq-led forestry.”
– Wildfire burning near Weymouth no longer out of control
CBC, on Yahoo News
– Canada should close the logging gap in its climate plan
By Michael Polanyi & Jennifer Skene | Opinion in the National Observer. “…Last month, Canada’s commissioner of the environment and sustainable development, Jerry DeMarco, released an audit criticizing the federal government for failing to clearly and separately report the greenhouse gas emissions associated with industrial logging…While Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) does not separately report logging emissions, it is possible to calculate these emissions from data scattered throughout Canada’s National Inventory Report, an updated version of which was released in April. Nature Canada and the Natural Resources Defense Council recently undertook this analysis. We found that net emissions from logging in Canada — comprising carbon the logging industry takes out of the forest (and emissions from soil and debris), minus carbon stored in long-lived wood products and carbon absorbed by trees planted after logging — were 73 million tonnes (Mt or megatonnes) in 2021. This means, for numerical comparison, logging emissions are significantly higher than emissions from electricity generation (52 Mt), and only slightly lower than emissions from oilsands operations (85 Mt).

May 8, 2023:
Verschuren Centre Bags Forestry Trust Funding: The fermentation and bioprocessing incubator is receiving about $927K to help startups with commercialization work
By Avery Mullen on entrevestor.com

May 5, 2023:
Opinion: Get with the times: old laws can’t keep up with Nova Scotia’s new gold rush
By Alana Westwood in the Narwhal “Nova Scotia has had three gold rushes since colonization: one in the 1800s, one at the beginning of the 1900s and, most recently, in 1942. Eighty years later, the gold market is sitting near an all-time high — but this time, things are different: we’ve moved from miners with pickaxes to open pits deeper than high-rises, their waste stored in open tailings ponds the size of multiple football fields…In 2013, our calculations show there were 158 mineral exploration licences covering approximately 1.5 per cent of Nova Scotia’s total subsurface. Ten years later that number had jumped to 2,124 licences, covering 18 per cent of the province’s land mass.”

May 4, 2023:
– Industrial logging is one of Canada’s largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions: report
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner
– The challenge of managing Eastern NC’s forests amid population growth, changing climate
Gareth McGrath in www.gastongazette.com

May 3, 2023:
For The Love of Lichens and Old Forests! art show opens in Annapolis Royal, N.S.
Contributed, in saltwire.com “…For the Love of Lichens and Old Forests! features paintings and sculptures as well as lichen-encrusted rocks and photographic portraits of some of the species at risk lichens credited with protecting old forests from logging in Annapolis County…As well as the opening reception on May 6, the Arlington Forest Protection Society has organized two presentations at Artsplace focused on species at risk that need old forests: Cindy Staicer on forest birds, May 4 from 7-9 p.m., and Frances Anderson on lichens, May 16, 7-9 p.m.”

May 1, 2023:
– Some birds will be scrambling for nest space after Fiona took down their trees
Kevin Yarr · CBC News “P.E.I. landowners urged to freeze woodland cleanup soon or risk destroying nests”
– N.S. art show celebrates love for lichens, aims to protect old forests
Josefa Cameron · CBC News “Artists and citizen scientists have come together to create a unique show opening next week at ARTSPLACE in Annapolis Royal, N.S. The show is called For the Love of Lichens and Old Forests and was put together to raise awareness around the destruction of old forests in Annapolis County. It features paintings, sculptures, lichen-encrusted rocks and photographic portraits of at-risk lichens.”
– Northern Pulp gets creditor protection extension
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner. “On Friday, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick once again approved an extension of Northern Pulp’s creditor protection, this time for four months, until August 30, 2023,” reports Joan Baxter. In its request for the delay, Northern Pulp suggested it might look for a different location for the mill. It also listed a series of “milestones” that it hopes to reach by August. “On Friday, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick once again approved an extension of Northern Pulp’s creditor protection, this time for four months, until August 30, 2023,” reports Joan Baxter. In its request for the delay, Northern Pulp suggested it might look for a different location for the mill. It also listed a series of “milestones” that it hopes to reach by August…”

Apr 30, 2023:
Slew of factors driving up price of firewood in N.S.
Josefa Cameron · CBC News

Apr 27, 2023
– Northern Pulp considers producing electricity from trees downed by Fiona
Michael Gorman · CBC News “Officials with the company that owns the Northern Pulp mill in Pictou County are exploring the potential of selling electricity produced from burning fallen trees as a way to generate revenue and dispose of blowdown from last fall’s post-tropical storm Fiona.”

– Mimaju’nsuti will shape future of Nova Scotia forestry sector
Drake Lowthers for Port Hawkesbury Reporter “..Mimaju’nsuti, formally known as the Mi’kmaq Forestry Initiative, under the direction of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs, was launched jointly by Kwilmu’kw Maw- klusuaqn (KMK), the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM), and the UINR. “It does have a meaning; it actually is kind of a good way to describe the initiative. If you know the Mi’kmaq language, you can capture a lot of meaning in a short phrase,” Young said. “It speaks to maintaining the Earth” In 2019, Young advised the Government of Nova Scotia granted the Mimaju’nsuti approximately 20,000 hectares of Crown land through a pilot forest project. Fast forward to 2022, an additional 10,000 hectares was added to Mimaju’nsuti land base… Mimaju’nsuti includes several parcels of land in the Hants, Annapolis, Halifax, Cape Breton, Antigonish, Guysborough, Richmond, and Inverness Counties.

Apr 24, 2023:
Pellet pioneer: John Swaan and the industrial wood pellet trade origins
By Hannah Campbell in Canadian Biomass “Twenty-five years ago, the first of many large bulk shipments of industrial wood pellets produced by John Swaan travelled from British Columbia to the Helsingborg Energi power plant in Sweden. John Swaan’ numerous bulk shipments after that first shipload, marked the birth of today’s multibillion dollar industrial wood pellet industry.”

Apr 20, 2023:
– Canada’s emissions report paints a positive picture but not a complete one
The Weather Network
– N.S. government says no to golf course in West Mabou Beach Provincial Park
ichael Gorman · CBC News
– Forestry Trust Announces Two New Projects
NS Gov news release ” The Verschuren Centre for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment is receiving $926,500 to further support the development of the Bio-technology and Bio-manufacturing Acceleration Centre in Sydney. It aims to advance commercialization of key forestry and biomass sector innovative technology companies.
Research Nova Scotia will receive about $1.6 million for a project to assist the forestry sector as it transitions to the ecological forestry model. The five-year research and knowledge mobilization program will be led by Dalhousie University. Comment I have learned that the lead for the Dal component is Alana Westwood which is very re-assuring.

Apr 19, 2023:
Former consultant to wind industry warns of turbines’ toll on migrant birds in N.S.
By Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press on CityNews

April 18, 2023:
An Introduction to Ecological Forestry and the Family Forest Network (YouTube Video)
On NSWOOA YouTube Channel “This short video explains the goals of the Family Forest Network and its province-wide pilot of ecologically sensitive forest management in Nova Scotia. To learn more or get involved, request project updates at www.nswoods.ca/family-forest-network”

Apr 16, 2023:
Dalhousie study finds Northern Pulp Mill was by far the biggest polluter near Pictou
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner (subscription required) “At times, the pulp mill emitted 10 to 80 times more fine particulate matter than nearby Michelin Tire plant and Nova Scotia Power’s coal-fired station.” The article cites this paper: A baseline characterization of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration and releases in Nova Scotia, Canada, by Gianina Giacosa et al., 2023 in Atmospheric Pollution Research

Apr 12, 2023:
NDP Natural Resources critic Charlie Angus speaks about Paper Excellence
By Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner. “…Angus thinks Nova Scotians should be asking why Paper Excellence’s Northern Pulp still has a licence to harvest on Crown land in the province even though its pulp mill is not operating. As the Examiner reported here, Northern Pulp is still enjoying access to public forested land in Nova Scotia the pulp mill owners were granted by the 1965 Scott Maritimes Act, and its most recent licence that is up for renewal in July this year covers 308,000 hectares of Crown land.”

Apr 11, 2023:
– Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Webinar
Nova Scotia Nature Trust. Donna Crossland describes how the pest attackes hemlocks and use of pesticides to control it (on an interim basis).

Apr 10, 2023:
Extension of Mi’kmaq-Nova Scotia forestry partnership could be on the horizon
Cassidy Chisholm · CBC News · Posted: Apr 10, 2023

Apr 4, 2023:

– Save Our Old Forests: A Conversation with Rob Bright (audio)
On https://sharedground.captivate.fm/; episode 11 “Podcast episode 11: Save Our Old Forests: A Conversation with Rob Bright.
Hear about the campaign launched in Bridgetown (Kespukwitk district of Mi’kma’ki)! Find out more about “the SOOF” through this episode, which includes clips of the recordings from the speakers (Bob Bancroft and Donna Crossland), and features an interesting conversation afterwards with a spokesperson for the campaign, Rob Bright. https://sharedground.captivate.fm/ Be inspired by the story and evolution of a small group of people finding solutions, and about the actions we can each take as individuals to make a difference for the health of our forests. Join us in contemplating the ownership and management of “crown land” and some root causes and challenges behind our current forest crises. As is written in their excellent pamphlet: “Saving old forests in Annapolis County is something we can do locally that will have a global effect.” and “We need to protect the best of what is left, for the health of nature, yes, but for our health, too, and for the health of our economy.”

– Mi’kmaq Forestry Initiative shapes future of Nova Scotia forestry sector
by ahnationtalk “Mi’kma’ki, April 4, 2023 – A first-of-its kind partnership is bringing traditional and ancestral Mi’kmaw knowledge to the Nova Scotian forestry sector and providing opportunities and prosperity to Mi’kmaw communities through forestry. The Mi’kmaq Forestry Initiative (MFI) serves Mi’kmaw communities, supporting the development of sustainable economic opportunities for the Mi’kmaq and promoting community prosperity through the lens of ecological practices and traditional Mi’kmaq knowledge…Under the direction of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs, the MFI was launched jointly by Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK), the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq (CMM), and Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources (UINR). In 2019, the Government of Nova Scotia granted the MFI approximately 20,000 hectares of Crown land through a Pilot Forest Project with KMK, CMM, and UINR. In 2022, an additional 10,000 hectares was added to the MFI land base. The MFI continues to operate under the Pilot, with negotiation of a long-term forestry agreement underway. A long-term agreement will enable the MFI to operate with the mandate of managing and overseeing forested lands while creating opportunities for a wide range of economic, social, and educational uses—from crafting, to ecotourism, to cultural teaching and learning.”

Apr 3, 2023:
EU woody biomass final policy continues threatening forests and climate: Critics
by Justin Catanoso in Mongabay “The final revisions to the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED) were reached March 30, with nearly all environmental activists (who had lobbied intensely for changes for years), responding negatively to RED policies in support of forest biomass. The policy revisions will continue allowing the burning of the world’s forests to make energy, with emissions from EU powerplant smokestacks not counted. Wood pellets will still be classified as renewable energy on par with zero-carbon wind and solar, even though biomass releases more CO2 than coal, per unit of energy produced.”

Mar 31, 2023:
The hidden carbon impacts of getting mass timber wrong
Jennifer Hahn on dezeen.com. “Architects are increasingly using mass timber in the hopes of creating net-zero buildings but carbon assessments are missing key sources of potential emissions, researchers tell Dezeen in this Timber Revolution feature.”

Mar 28, 2023
Save Our Old Forests Campaign Launched Mar 25, 2023
Nina Newington posted on healthy Forest Colaiiton FB page, copied on this website

Mar 23, 2023:
– Logging, forest loss may have awakened ancient B.C. landslides, at cost of about $1B
Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press in CityNews

Mar 22, 2023:
– Government will ensure wood pulp giant Paper Excellence respects Canadian laws
By Elizabeth Thompson for CBC
–Nova Scotia municipal dump overwhelmed by Fiona wood debris
In Canadian Biomass
– Deforestation Inc: Media investigation into Paper Excellence ignites concerns on Parliament Hill over the company’s mysterious ownership, Chinese ties, and rapid expansion in Canada
Joan Baxter in Halifax Examiner
– Environmental orgs urge Trudeau to report transparent logging emissions
Environment Journal. “More than 80 civil society organizations and scientists from across the United States and Canada today called on President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to address a forest-sized hole in their countries’ climate plans at their upcoming summit. In a joint letter to the leaders, the signatories assert that the failure to separately and transparently report greenhouse gas emissions from industrial logging jeopardizes the achievement of the two countries’ 2030 climate goals.” From the letter: “Despite the logging industry’s status as a high-emitting sector, the U.S. and Canadian inventories do not separately and transparently report on its climate impact. Instead, the logging industry’s emissions are subsumed under broader reporting on land use, land-use change, and forestry (LULUCF). This practice makes it exceedingly difficult to discern what carbon fluxes are attributable to the logging industry and, more specifically, what logging industry practices offer the greatest potential for mitigation.”

Mar 19, 2023:
Undeveloped Shorelines and Rare Old Forests in Bedford NS Threatened by Rushed Housing Order
Nature Nova Scotia

Mar 17, 2023:
– Forestry companies say they’re at risk because of Wolastoqey title claim to more than half New Brunswick
By Mia Urquhart, CBC News “Some of the New Brunswick’s largest forestry companies say their business operations are at risk as a result of a title claim by the Wolastoqey Nation for about 60 per cent of land in the province.”
– Deforestation Inc: Canada is a ‘world laggard’ in sustainable forestry, say critics, and Paper Excellence’s expansion threatens this country’s boreal forests
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner. Subscription required for access to full article. “This is the sixth in a series of articles resulting from a yearlong investigation into Paper Excellence…”

Mar 14, 2023:
– Deforestation Inc. reporters checked global promises to end forest loss. This is what they found
By Scilla Alecci for www.icij.org/ “From Europe to Asia to North America, even as leaders and governments made new sustainability pledges, authorities were failing on a number of key forest protection measures…Canada ranks third globally for old-growth forest loss, behind Russia and Brazil. The country is also home to a $34 billion forestry industry. And yet, according to an investigation by CBC News, ICIJ’s media partner, Canadian politicians have lobbied lawmakers in New York State to amend a bill aimed to prevent the state from buying products that are linked to deforestation or forest degradation.”
–Deforestation Inc: Nova Scotia opts for forest certification scheme critics call ‘greenwashing’
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner. Subscription required for access to full article. “This is the fifth in a series of articles resulting from a yearlong investigation into Paper Excellence”

Mar 13, 2023:
– Nina Newington: Taking direct action to protect Nova Scotia’s forests
By Suzanne Rent in the Halifax Examiner. “Suzanne Rent continues her series of profiles of women over 50 who, in their own often quiet ways, make significant contributions to our society outside of the corporate world.Nina Newington’s work to protect Nova Scotia’s forests started one day when she was watching the barn swallows that nest in the old barn on her property on North Mountain in the Annapolis Valley.”
– A New York Times report casts doubt on the viability of ‘green hydrogen’ export schemes like that approved in Nova Scotia
Tim Bousquet and Jennifer Henderson in the Halifax Examiner Morning File

Mar 12, 2023:
Deforestation Inc.: Is Canada’s biggest forestry company living up to its green promises?
Stefan Labbé in www.vancouverisawesome.com/ “…In 2020, Paper Excellence released its first sustainability report with the pledge: “Our fibre is derived from well-managed, sustainable North American and European forests…Paper Excellence has said between 10 and 14 per cent of the wood feeding its mills comes from old-growth trees…Since the 1990s, over a dozen forest certification schemes have emerged with stated plans to hold companies accountable for their practices. Among the most rigorous is that of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international organization based in Germany. As old-growth trees feed mills, FSC measures fall short…”

Mar 10, 2023:
– Canada, home to a massive boreal forest, lobbied to limit U.S., EU anti-deforestation bills
Lynette Fortune, Stephanie Matteis · CBC News
– NDP critic calls for pulp-and-paper giant to appear before MPs
By Elizabeth Thompson, CBC News
– Deforestation Inc: Paper Excellence’s rapid expansion in Canada is a ‘fibre grab’ to feed mills in China, say critics
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner. Subscription required for access to the full article. “This is the fourth in a series of articles resulting from a yearlong investigation into Paper Excellence…The privately owned and secretive Indonesian conglomerate now has access to 22 million hectares of Canada’s woodlands”
– Forestry Funding Helps with Fiona Damage, Silviculture
Government of Nova Scotia. Inlcudes reassurances from Forest Nova Scotia “Nova Scotia’s forest sector provides a net environmental benefit. We plant more trees than we harvest, and we take more carbon out of the environment than we emit.”

Mar 9, 2023:
– Why independent, kick-ass, journalism needs to be supported
Linda Pannozzo in the Quaking Swamp Journal. “There have always been significant challenges to being the kind of journalist I continue to aspire to being. But there are also some new challenges, or if not new, they are now on steroids… disinformation isn’t just coming from buddy in his basement, it’s coming from very powerful institutions.”
– Deforestation Inc: Are Paper Excellence and Asia Pulp & Paper linked companies? They say they aren’t. Here’s what we’ve learned
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner.. Subscription required for access to the full article. “This is the third of a series of articles resulting from a yearlong investigation into Paper Excellence, already Canada’s largest pulp and paper producer following its 2022 acquisition of Domtar and now much bigger following its March 1 takeover of North American logging giant, Resolute Forest Products.”
– Who’s behind Canada’s new pulp-and-paper powerhouse, and where’s the money coming from?
Zach Dubinsky, Elizabeth Thompson · CBC News

Mar 7, 2023
– Mainstreet’s Spinbusters examine Nova Scotia’s clearcutting promises (Audio)
CBC “Mainstreet’s Spinbusters Chris Lydon, Barbara Emodi and Michelle Coffin look at Nova Scotia’s clearcutting promises from the past decade. How much of it is spin?”
– Halt to logging at Goldsmith Lake a ‘huge relief’, say citizen scientists
Suzane Rent in the Halifax Examiner. Subscription required for access to full article. Intro to it by Philip Moscovitch in Morning File

Mar 3, 2023:
Grant Will Help Small Forest Owners Fight Climate Change
Derek Montague in Huddle. “…in the Maritimes, 40 percent of the forests are owned by individuals, who are also known as family forest owners. These 80,000 owners across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and P.E.I. use the forest in a diverse number of ways to make a living. Some own small lumber mills, others may sell firewood for extra income, or just use their land for hunting and fishing. Because these operations are small, they are often overlooked for funding and training to combat climate change. But now, an Atlantic non-profit, Community Forests International, has received a $1-million grant from TD Bank to help these forest owners make the transition.” [Community Forests International was one of 10 recipients of the The 2022 TD Ready Challenge funds]

Mar 2, 2023:
– Deforestation Inc: Paper Excellence and the ‘environmental insult’ to a First Nation community
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner. Subscription required for access to full article. “This is the second of a series of articles resulting from a yearlong investigation into Paper Excellence…Pictou Landing First Nation Chief Andrea Paul recalls the events of that morning as if it were yesterday.”
– In search of ‘balance’: Conservationists wade into an age-old debate as they seek more protection for forests
By Emma Cotton on vtdigger.org About controversies over forest protection etc in Vermont. “Across Vermont, where 74% of the state is covered in forest, only around 3.7% of the forests are permanently protected in what are called wildland reserves, according to a forthcoming report by forest research and conservation groups including Harvard Forest, Highstead and Northeast Wilderness Trust. In recent years, environmentalists have made a push to increase those numbers, and in some areas, it appears they’re gaining ground. …Across the country, environmentalists have long fought to protect old growth forests and allow logged woodlands to fully regenerate. ”
– Nature Nova Scotia calls for second look at proposed timber cuts on eastern Crown land
By Michael Gorman for CBC News “…Dealing with blowdown: The minister and Crossland are of different minds when it comes to the need for salvage cuts in areas affected by Hurricane Fiona. While Rushton said the wood needs to be removed while it is still of value and to prevent potential forest fires, Crossland said such concerns are overstated because of rapid decay in Nova Scotia’s humid climate. The removal of so much wood from Crown land also serves to depress values of wood on private lands, said Crossland.
Leaving some of that blowdown in the woods creates an opportunity to teach ecological forestry practices and it can also nourish depleted soil, and create hummocks and hollow terrain which helps with water retention and diversification of the forest floor topography, she said. Rushton said he knows people are concerned that the recommendations of the Lahey report are taking longer to implement than hoped, but he said he thinks his government has made good progress since being elected in 2021. Ruston said he remains committed to finishing the work by 2025, as called for in his mandate letter.”
– Deforestation Inc
In the Halifax Examiner Morning File. Tim Bousquet explains the project of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
– Port Hawkesbury Paper logging deal
In the Halifax Examiner Morning File. Jennifer Henderson reports that Nature Nova Scotia has slammed it. Access to full article requires subscription.

Mar 1, 2023:
– Neurologist says ‘mystery’ illness in New Brunswick could be caused by herbicide
Swikar Oli for National Post “Lab tests that show ‘clear signs of exposure’ to glyphosate and other herbicides among patients, letter to public health bodies states”
– Deforestation Inc: How an email from China triggered an international investigative journalism project
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner. Subscription required for access to full article. “This is the first of a series of articles resulting from a yearlong investigation into Paper Excellence, already Canada’s largest pulp and paper producer and now even bigger with today’s completion of the acquisition of North American logging giant, Resolute Forest Products. These articles are part of the much larger “Deforestation Inc.”collaboration of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists […]”

Feb 28, 2023:

– Forestry Innovation Symposium
From Announcement by the Forestry Sector Council (NS) “Join us [in Truro, NS, Feb 28-Mar 2, 2023] for the 1st annual Forestry Innovation Symposium. We look forward to welcoming you to a showcase of the phenomenal research, innovation and workforce development happening in Nova Scotia’s forestry
sector!”
– First Nations in N.B. sign agreement with one forestry company named in title claim
Hina Alam, The Canadian Press in Halifax City News. “Six Wolastoqey communities in New Brunswick have signed a memorandum of understanding with one of the companies named in a major lawsuit filed by the First Nations, who are seeking to reclaim title over large swaths of the province…Bernard said the memorandum of understanding, which includes a land parcel transfer, does not mean the title claim will be amended to remove AV Group NB, but added, “negotiation is always better than litigation.” The agreement shows a beginning of reconciliation, she said.”

Feb 27, 2023:
HELGA GUDERLEY: We don’t have decades to fix our forests
In the Chronicle Herald: “Yes, our news is dominated by health-care problems, lack of housing and the terrible war in Ukraine. Unfortunately, we’re paying less attention to the looming crises of climate change and biodiversity decline that threaten life as we know it. To address these, we need to preserve our forests both to sequester carbon and to maintain biodiversity so that life on Earth can continue for our children and grandchildren. Thus, I am deeply concerned with the recent return of “business as usual” in the Houston government’s handling of forestry. Three examples stand out:
-The mandated increase in biomass burning for power generation;
-The heavy harvests that have been proposed in Eastern Nova Scotia; and
-he lack of environmental assessment and forestry management plans for Port Hawkesbury Paper’s Forest Utilisation Agreement.
We appear to be regressing after some improvement stemming from two massive reviews: William Lahey’s review of forest practices in 2018 and the Natural Resources Strategy 2010.”

Feb 23, 2023:
– Fiona debris fuelling concerns about forest fires
Sheehan Desjardins, Maggie Brown · CBC News Comment: PEI Story, but concerns likely apply to some areas of NS as well.

Feb 21, 2023:
– Saving our ancient forests
by Darcy Rhyno in Saltscapes Magazine. “Five years ago, Scott Robinson discovered the tiny hemlock woolly adelgid, native to Japan, on trees around his house in southwest Nova Scotia.The invasive insect has already killed thousands of hemlocks beyond his property in the Tobeatic Wilderness Area. He’s been trying to raise the alarm ever since. This past October, he led a massive three-week operation to inoculate all the old growth hemlocks on an island in Sporting Lake in the Tobeatic. Saltscapes spoke with Scott Robinson about primordial forests, maxed credit cards and cures for despair.”

Feb 15, 2023:
– Mi’gmaq community wants Quebec to increase its wood allocation (audio)
On CBC Listen with Alison Brunette. “An Indigenous community on the Gaspé Coast is holding its ground. They say they’re willing to do whatever it takes to ensure their community has access to enough wood resources to keep their economy afloat. Guest host Allison Van Rassel speaks with the chief of Gesgapegiag.”
– Port Hawkesbury Paper agrees to harvest less
Port Hawkesbury Reporter

Feb 14, 2023:
Scientists tangle over ‘wood wide web’ connecting forests and fungi
By Sarah Kaplan in the Washington Post. View also CBC article Forest ecologist Suzanne Simard’s research says trees talk to each other. Others aren’t so sure, Ali Pitargue · CBC News Feb 24, 2023

Feb 13, 2023:
–Port Hawkesbury Paper agreement extension ignores Lahey Report
Tim Bousquet in the Halifax Examiner Morning File

Feb 10, 2023:
– Don’t let hydrogen tax credit become a fossil fuel subsidy, academics, civil society groups tell Ottawa
By Natasha Bulowski in the National Observer

Feb 8, 2023:
– Port Hawkesbury Paper Agreements Extended, Renewed
NS NRR News Release “The company’s forest utilization licence agreement is a long-term agreement that guarantees an annual volume of timber from certain parcels of Crown land and sets out terms and conditions. Originally for 20 years, it is now extended to 2043. Changes to the agreement include a lower volume of timber to ensure the Province can accommodate multiple priorities on Crown land.” Comment: whatever happened to the Environmental Assessment process that was to supposed to kick in for approval of such agreeements? (See Addendum document page 99, and  NSFN Post)

– Is ‘green hydrogen’ the next Crypto?
Tim Bousquet & Jenniefer Henderson in the Halifax Examiner

Feb 6, 2023:
Port Hawkesbury Paper takes part in promotion of Nova Scotia’s bioeconomy
By Kake Boudrot in the Port Hawkesbury Reporter. Refers to nsbioeconomysites.com and quotes Rob Badcock, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Innovation Hub. Comment: ‘Sounds an awful lot like we are back to “Plan B” again. View, e.g. Plan B/Biorefinery on nsforestnotes.ca; article in Chronicle Herald in 2016, archived here.

Feb 3, 2023:
Proposed wind farm could become 1st renewable energy competitor for NSP
On yahoo news “A proposed wind farm in Queens County could become the province’s first project to sell electricity from renewable sources directly to customers. Mersey River Wind, a subsidiary of Roswall Development, wants to erect 33 wind turbines south of Milton, N.S., to generate 148.5 megawatts of power.”

Feb 1, 2023:

– Port Hawkesbury Paper Wind submits proposal for wind farm in MODG
On yahoo news “…In submitted documents relating to a presentation given at a trade fair last summer in Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation, proponents of the project stated the wind farm would provide Port Hawkesbury Paper with approximately 30 per cent of all required electrical power. Given that the mill reportedly uses on average 10 per cent – and sometimes as much as 25 per cent – of the provincial electrical load, the wind farm would go a long way towards meeting provincial renewable energy goals.”

– Competition Bureau to investigate industry claims of sustainable forestry management
By Canadian Press on https://biv.com/ “The Competition Bureau has opened an inquiry to see if forestry industry claims of sustainable management on vast stretches of Canadian woodlands are false advertising. ”

*-Westfor GM comments on the Triad
In Jan 2023 Newsletter

“A note from Breck on High Production Forestry:

“We are thrilled to finally see the long awaited release of High Production Forestry (HPF), the third “leg” of the Lahey Report. This will complete the basis of the new triad management approach to Nova Scotia’s Crown forests.

“35% of Crown lands are protected as parks, wilderness areas, and other conservation designations. 55% of Crown lands will be managed first and foremost for Ecological Values towards restoration of a more traditional Acadian forest with “light touch” forestry permitted. Finally, we have the remaining 10% of Crown lands which will be used to grow focused crops of spruce trees designed to be fast growing and short rotation aged plantations.

“This is not a new concept to Nova Scotia, it will be the same as the typical spruce plantations we’ve seen along the highways and around the province for years, they will just be limited to only 10% of crown land. These few plantations however, are extremely critical to ensuring a future supply of valuable saw timber to supply our children and their children with enough dimensional framing lumber to meet their ever growing needs. Many of us will never see the harvest of these new ‘high production’ plantations in our lifetimes but we need to make sure we plant and care for them to ensure they survive for the future. The Ecological Matrix, although thriving and healthy, will not be a timber production zone. The 55% majority of Crown land will be slow growing as the young seedlings spend their entire lives growing under the shade of towering pine and hemlock canopies but as you’ll recall, ecology is the objective here. Unlike the sun bathing, controlled environment of the plantations. This raises one final issue that we must be sure to legally protect and hold in high regard these high production sites. These areas will no doubt see many new political turf wars, for and against, over the years to come. The plantations themselves will be there for harvest after soaking up our carbon emissions and store them away to build our children’s homes one day. Let your MLA know you want these plantations protected for your children.

“We are looking forward to working with DNRR to develop plans to overcome the many hurtles that follow this announcement. Stay tuned for HPF updates as we progress.

“For more information about the HPF update, please click here [error in link to NRR News Release].”

Jan 30, 2023:
Landslides: New research shows forestry management impact
Steve Lundeberg Chronicle Guest Article in www.thechronicleonline.com/ Cites this scientific paper: Seventy years of watershed response to floods and changing forestry practices in western Oregon, USA
by Arianna C. Goodman et al., 2022 in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. “This study examined the 70-year history of clearcutting of old-growth forest and associated road construction, floods, landslides, large wood in rivers, and channel change in the 64 km2 Lookout Creek watershed in western Oregon, where forestry practices began in 1950 and largely ceased by the 1980s…Watershed response to floods was more related to the timing of road construction and clearcuts, past geomorphic events, and forest dynamics than to flood magnitude. Even small (1–3 year) floods generated geomorphic responses in the period of initial road construction and logging (1950–1964) and during ongoing logging..Geomorphic response was negligible for the third largest event on record (2011) during the last period (1997–2020), when former clearcuts were 20 to 70-year-old forest plantations.”

Jan 27, 2023:
Environmental groups taking Health Canada to court for giving OK to pesticide containing glyphosate
Francis Campbell for Saltwire “The lawsuit has been filed by Ecojustice on behalf of four groups and comes in the wake of the Jan. 11 release of an American research study that found that people exposed to glyphosate have biomarkers in their urine linked to the development of cancer and other diseases.”

Jan 25, 2023:
Purdue launches new AI-based global forest mapping project
On Purdue University News “…This task is considerably more challenging than mapping carbon emissions from forest loss,” said Nancy Harris, research director of the Land & Carbon Lab at the World Resources Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C. “With emissions, there’s a clear signal in satellite imagery when trees are cut, leading to a big drop in forest carbon stocks and a relatively abrupt pulse of emissions to the atmosphere. With sequestration, forests accumulate carbon gradually and nonlinearly…Liang is developing an artificial intelligence model that will combine information collected about billions of trees measured on-site with satellite and other geospatial data to map local forest growth rates throughout the global forest range. “This will be the first AI-based forest growth model deployed at a global scale,” ”

Jan 23, 2023:
Protecting the hemlocks: Stakeholders meet in Nova Scotia to share knowledge about destructive hemlock woolly adelgid
By Jason Malloy, Annapolis Valley Register in The Saltwire Network “HWA has been discovered in the seven western counties of Nova Scotia but has not been detected in Hants and Halifax counties. In the Annapolis Valley, it has been reported as far east as Wolfville.”

Jan 18, 2023
State of Nature 2022
Nature NS “The 2022 State of Nature Report profiles some of the issues nature faced in Nova Scotia this year, as well as some successes worth celebrating and information you can use to take action in 2023.”

Jan 17, 2023:
*High Production Forest Zone in Place
Natural Resources and Renewables News Release “…Ten per cent of Crown land – 185,000 hectares, currently – will be allocated for the high production forest zone where clear-cutting is allowed, as recommended in the review. Once forestry licensees have harvested an area in this zone, they will prepare and add nutrients to the soil, plant high-quality, fast-growing seedlings and manage the crop for decades. This method of forestry can produce crops of trees that mature in 25 to 40 years, compared with 60 to 90 years through traditional approaches…High production forestry will be done mainly on Crown lands that have been previously used for forestry or agriculture, are conducive to growing spruce trees quickly and are relatively close to existing sawmills.Three initial sites totalling about 0.5 per cent of Crown land have been identified. Licensees can now do further work to determine the suitability of these sites, develop harvesting and silviculture proposals and submit them to the Department. Proposals must go through the existing review process, which includes opportunity for the public to submit their local knowledge about sites. More sites will be evaluated and made available until a maximum of 10 per cent is reached.”

– Province releases Crown land locations where clear cutting may soon be permitted
Frances Willick · CBC News

Jan 13, 2023:
Environmental group claims water tests at gold mine site have high levels of arsenic
Story by Paul Palmeter on cbc.ca “An environmental group in Nova Scotia says a gold mine is responsible for high levels of arsenic in waterways nearby… “There was a yellow and orange liquid running through the woods,” said Sydnee McKay. “We were quite shocked to see this.””

Jan 12, 2023
Grand plans: New Brunswick pellet producer embarks on $30M expansion project
By Maria Church Canadian Biomass ““Today we can really only effectively use sawdust and shavings.,” MacGougan says. “We’re building in flexibility on both lines to be able to use more low-value material like sawmill bark or biomass from the forest.”

Jan 11, 2023:
Auditor general finds Prince Edward Island government not following own forestry management policies
By Stu Neatby SaltWire “…has not conducted audits to determine whether or not wood harvested for biomass is being harvested sustainably”

Jan 7, 2023
Never-opened $300 million-plus biofuels refinery facing foreclosure in southern Oregon
By Ted Sickinger| The Oregonian/OregonLive “The project was originally slated to come online in 2017, converting woody biomass such as slash from logging and forest thinning projects in the area into jet-grade liquid fuel that could be used as a substitute for the fossil-based fuel…” Shades of Nova Scotia’s ill-fated Cellufuel and a cautionary reminder, perhaps.

Jan 6, 2023:
– Celebrating Winter:Ask an Elder: What do you call the winter months in the Mi’kmaw language?
Nic Meloney · CBC News · Posted: Jan 06, 2019

Jan 4, 2023: