Region Archives: Canada East

Isabelle Lessard

One of Quebec’s youngest mayors announced Wednesday she will be stepping down next week, suffering the effects of burnout from handling last summer’s historic wildfire season in her northern community. Isabelle Lessard was acclaimed in 2021 as mayor of Chapais, a town of just over 1,500 people, located 500 kilometres north of Montreal near Chibougamau. The 23-year-old said Wednesday that her resignation is effective Nov. 17, about halfway through her mandate. She has been on a leave since mid-September, after shepherding Chapais through one of the worst forest fire seasons on record. In an interview with The Canadian Press, Lessard said she feels unable to complete her term and is at risk of developing post-traumatic stress syndrome. …At the beginning of June, two-thirds of the residents of Lessard’s community were forced from their homes for several days as wildfires closed in. The community was on high alert in the weeks that followed.

A tiny black beetle climbing on the branches of a majestic Nova Scotia hemlock was a big moment — a potential solution to a huge problem. “We think they’re probably our best bet,” said Lucas Roscoe, a research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service. The beetles — officially Laricobius nigrinus — have been shipped across the country from their native British Columbia in a race against time to try to control the hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive species killing Nova Scotia’s hemlock trees — some of which are hundreds of years old. The beetles are coming to Nova Scotia as part of a new research program to see how effective they are in containing the invasive insects, and whether they are hardy enough to survive the East Coast winter and establish their own population there. Several federal and provincial agencies in both Nova Scotia and B.C. are involved in the project.

TORONTO – A letter signed by more than 100 scientists is urging the Canadian government to take action to stop the degradation of its previously undisturbed forests from large-scale industrial logging.  The letter, signed by several prominent Canadian and American climate and forest scientists, also calls on the government to help, rather than obstruct, global policies intended to curb industrial expansion into old-growth and primary forests.  It comes as Canada moves to draft its own definition of forest degradation after the European Union passed a law earlier this year intended to limit the availability of products that contribute to deforestation and degradation. …While Canada has often boasted about its low rate of deforestation – when forest land is converted for another use – the letter places attention on the degradation associated with logging old-growth and primary forests previously undisturbed by large-scale industrial activity.

On Russell Lake near Behchokǫ̀, N.W.T, moose hunter Glenn Blondin said animals also seem to be congregating in burned area between Whatı̀ and Behchokǫ̀ from a wildfire years ago. “Maybe they like the fresh little vegetation growing back, I’m not sure what it is,” Blondin said. Geneviève Degré-Timmons, a PhD candidate with the University of Laval, is studying how and why wildlife use burned lands. She lives in Chibougamau, Que., but travels to the Northwest Territories for her work. Degré-Timmons said there’s evidence to support Blondin’s observations. Her research isn’t conclusive, but so far indicates that for the first ten years after a fire, there’s an emergence of vascular plants that are rich in protein and other nutrients. Her research focuses on caribou, but she said those plants can attract moose too. …caribou seem to use the burned areas during the summer and birthing and calving season. 

NOVA SCOTIA — The Citizen Scientists of Southwest Nova Scotia are calling for more forestry protection after they came across what appear to be signs of an old-growth forest in Annapolis County. Nina Newington and others returned and found what they suspect are more old-growth trees along with a rare, protected lichen species. …”We have had confirmation of the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) and they said they will come in this fall and assess it.” Proulx said if the discovery of old-growth forest is confirmed by the province, she’s hoping it would mean the area would become protected from logging. Logging in the area was halted after the discovery of rare lichen last summer.

ONTARIO — This year marked a higher-than-average forest fire season in Northwestern Ontario, though it remained considerably lower than the record-setting 2021 season. Chris Marchand, a fire information officer for the Aviation Forest Fire and Emergency Services branch of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, said there was an increase in the number of blazes and hectares burned in the region. This past year the estimates saw 476 total blazes impacting 324,520 hectares across the region. “Though many of those were burning in remote areas. When we compare it to a season like 2021, we had as many as seven communities evacuated; This year, we saw far fewer problematic fires that were affecting populations on the landscape. With the notable exception of smoke,” Marchand said. The province considers Oct. 31 to be the conclusion of the wildfire season.

Barrie, Ontario – In an effort to minimize the devastating effects of climate change, encourage biodiversity, enhance wildlife habitat, and support green job creation, Forests Ontario / Forest Recovery Canada has signed an agreement with Natural Resources Canada’s 2 Billion Trees (2BT) program to plant 31 million trees across the country by March 31, 2031. Jess Kaknevicius, CEO of Forests Ontario, and the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, today announced a joint commitment of over $123 million that will see 31 million trees planted across the country. The Government of Canada will cover 50 percent of project costs through the 2BT program and Forests Ontario will work with corporate partners and donors across the country to contribute to the balance of project costs. “This is a generational opportunity for organizations and individuals across the country to show their environmental leadership,” Kaknevicius says.

This year was by far the most devastating wildfire season on record in Nova Scotia, with blazes burning through more than 25,000 hectares of land and 200 homes across the province. According to the provincial government, a total of 220 wildfires impacted approximately 25,096 hectares this season, which typically runs from April to mid-October. While the total number of wildfires has been higher in previous years, the impacted areas have never been so far-reaching. …Scott Tingley, manager of forest protection for the provincial Department of Natural Resources, said weather was the key factor in the spread of the fires and why they took so long to bring under control. Tingley said less snow over the winter, combined with a dry spring, made for an excellent breeding ground for wildfires. Moreover, crews contended with dry conditions and high winds during the outbreak of those fires.

ORILLIA, Ontario — What do spruce budworm moths, oak wilt fungus, white-spotted sawyer beetles and Ontario wildfires all have in common? These were just some of the topics addressed at the annual Ontario Forest Health Review conference recently held in Orillia. This annual sharing of information was hosted by Natural Resources Canada, Forests Ontario, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the Invasive Species Centre. …Our forests are indeed being besieged by numerous stressors, including insects, fungus, drought, fire, and a changing and violent weather pattern (think ice loading and tornado-like winds). A few years ago, this conference would have addressed each of these concerns individually. …This year there was a real blending of information, as ongoing research is showing that, surprise, everything is connected to everything else. 

THUNDER BAY — A provincial workshop illuminated a challenging road ahead in reaching an agreement on adequate protections for the threatened boreal caribou. …Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault warned earlier this year Ontario is not effectively protecting some boreal caribou habitat, pointing to exemptions under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act allowing mining exploration, for example. Guilbeault said he was required under the Species At Risk Act to recommend a habitat protection order, but the feds gave Ontario until April 2024 to present a plan showing that’s not needed. Just how far a protection order would go in limiting activities like resource extraction isn’t clear, but Ontario politicians and industry players responded with alarm, saying it could devastate mining and forestry in the North. That issue loomed over a workshop organized this week to discuss a way forward.

P.E.I. government officials now say about 13 per cent of the Island’s forested area was affected by the extreme high winds that accompanied post-tropical storm Fiona in September 2022. “Affected” by Fiona in this case represents forested land where at least 70 per cent of trees were blown down, MLAs on the province’s environment committee were told Thursday. The eastern part of the province was left with 18 per cent of its forested land affected, compared to 12 per cent in central P.E.I. and only five per cent in the western part of the province. …The new data comes from analysis of 16 high-definition satellite images of the Island that the province commissioned after Fiona swept over the Maritimes. Forestry officials have used the data to start planning how to compensate for the loss of trees, which represent not just wildlife habitat and carbon capturing for the province, but dollars and cents for P.E.I.’s estimated 16,000 woodlot owners.

Lumber camps were once a way of life for many New Brunswickers during the long winter months. They would crowd into small shacks, sleep side-by-side and eat meals on long wooden benches before beginning the day’s logging. …Original pieces of this history are still kept in the province to this day — in Boiestown — on the 15-acre property of the Central New Brunswick Woodmen’s Museum. The collection of axes, canoes, tree bark and replicas, along with cabins and Quonset huts, tells the story of the men who worked in the camps. But two years ago, that history was put at risk of disappearing because of a flood that destroyed artifacts and paper archives in the museum’s main building. Now, with the help of government funding and community members, vice-president Greg Munn said the museum is finally getting its “chin above water.”

Parks Canada is starting to use new tools in its fight to save Kejimkujik’s hemlock trees, which are under threat of being wiped out by an invasive insect.  Park ecologist Matthew Smith said park staff have been undergoing training to use insecticides that can be sprayed on the bark of the iconic trees to inoculate them against the hemlock woolly adelgid.  Previously, the only insecticide they could use was injected into tree trunks. That application takes significantly longer per tree than the sprays.  Smith said it’s good news because more trees can be treated, including ones that are already badly infected. One of the new sprays, he said, is much faster-acting than other treatments.  “It goes into the tree and can almost right away help control adelgid, so it’s good for trees that are really declining and you need to hit them quickly.”

Alana Westwood

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 province is trying to move toward more eco-friendly forestry practices after the 2018 Lahey report recommended a system that divides Crown land into three areas: one for conservation with no forestry activity; one designated for light-touch ecological forestry; and one designated for high-intensity forestry. 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. …Nova Scotia is the first jurisdiction to move to ecological forestry on such a large scale, Westwood said. 

Alana Westwood

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 province is trying to move toward more eco-friendly forestry practices after the 2018 Lahey report recommended a system that divides Crown land into three areas: one for conservation with no forestry activity; one designated for light-touch ecological forestry; and one designated for high-intensity forestry.  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.

HALTON REGION, ONTARIO – Planting two billion trees over a decade is a vital part of Canada’s climate plan, and the Government of Canada is continuing to work with provinces, territories, non-governmental organizations, local communities and Indigenous Peoples. Natural Resources Canada along with the Halton Region Conservation Authority (HRCA) and Trees for Halton Hills, announced a joint investment of more than $1.6 million for two projects that will see more than 122,345 trees planted across Halton Region. Over the course of two years, the HRCA and Trees for Halton Hills will work to increase the urban tree canopy across the region. The HRCA will plant 120,020 trees across the region watershed, including conservation and park lands, municipal lands and private lands.

NOVA Scotia — Concerned residents consider it a win as recovering clearcuts in Annapolis and Kings counties won’t be sprayed with glyphosate this year. The Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change announced four approvals for aerial and ground spraying of glyphosate-based products on land for forestry purposes on Aug. 15. The approvals covered 1,415 hectares. Approval holders included ARF Enterprises and J.D. Irving Ltd. The proposed timeframe for spraying was Aug. 14 to Sept. 30. There were also two multi-year corridor spraying approvals issued to Davey Tree Expert. …“They did not spray the Annapolis or the Kings sites, nor did they spray a site in Cumberland County where people protested,” concerned Mount Hanley resident Nina Newington said. She said citizens would protest again next year if spray approvals were issued by the department.

Gatineau, Quebec – Anticipation rises with less than one year remaining until DEMO International takes over the Ottawa/Gatineau area, September 19-21, 2024. A world-class event for the forestry industry, this edition is organized under the esteemed ownership of Canadian Woodlands Forum on a unique forest property in Venosta, Quebec. Occurring only every 4 years in different regions across the county, 2024 will mark the 14th edition of this one-of-a-kind event. Over the course of its 50-year history, DEMO International has evolved into one of North America’s largest and unique outdoor equipment shows. The “all live and in action, in-woods” event will attract thousands of leaders in the equipment manufacturing sector featuring the latest technologies in forestry equipment, products and services covering all aspects of woodlands operations, including fully mechanized to small-scale forestry operations. …With the trail stretching an astonishing 3.2 kilometers, attendees will get an immersive harvesting experience right in the heart of the forest. 

Graydon Smith

The province is bolstering Ontario’s forest fire fighting efforts.  Natural Resources Minister Graydon Smith says more than 20 million dollars will be added to this year’s budget.  “Continuing to invest in Ontario’s Wildland Fire Program will allow us to be even better prepared to withstand wildland fire emergencies in the future and will help us continue to be able to keep people and property safe,” says Smith.  With the funding, the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services will look at investing in new aerial fire suppression technologies, including drones.  The AFFES will also be enhancing its recruitment and training efforts.  The government also intends to strike a number of research agreements with universities and institutions to better understand the science behind wildland fire management, improve the knowledge of fire behaviour, and create new ways to support prevention and response efforts.

Additional coverage in the CBC News, by Aya Dufour: Ontario boosts its forest fire budget but leaves key fire ranger pleas unanswered

The state of media is, well, shitty. How shitty? Consider: the once-respected Maclean’s Magazine is now unapologetically shilling for the extractive forest industry, uncritically publishing industry propaganda. …And so we get “What it Takes to Build a Net-Zero Future: Canadian forestry is playing a critical role in growing much-needed sustainability initiatives. Read on to discover what’s happening, from our forests to our cities.” The landing page for the series explains that it is “created for Forestry for the Future, but doesn’t explain who Forestry for the Future is. For the record, Forestry for the Future is a creation of the Forest Products Association of Canada, which represents Canada’s largest extractive forestry corporations, including Paper Excellence.

Ontario’s Natural Resources and Forestry minister says the government will spend an additional $20.5 million over three years to help fight wildfires. Graydon Smith, making an announcement in Timmins, Ont., says this recent fire season has been one of the most challenging in recent memory. The government says more than 700 wildfires have been reported so far in the 2023 season, burning more than 4,200 square kilometres across the province, which is nearly triple the 10-year average. Smith says the money will be used for new aerial fire suppression technologies such as drones, recruiting new fire ranger staff, supporting Indigenous wildland fire management and investing more in risk assessment. The government also says it is developing a psychological safety program to help protect the mental health of staff working in the wildland fire program. The province says it is also addressing barriers to fire ranger recruitment.