Region Archives: Canada East

WENDAKE, QC – From May 2nd to May 4th, in the context of the event “Moving Toward a Network of Indigenous Protected Areas” organized by the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Sustainable Development Institute (FNQLSDI), First Nations will meet to further advance the issue of Indigenous protected areas across Quebec. Since 2022, First Nations have been working with the FNQLSDI to identify their expectations, concerns and needs in order to provide guidelines for the development of the new Aboriginal-led protected areas status under the Natural Heritage Conservation Act. This new status requires Nation-to-Nation collaboration and will contribute to achieving the provincial commitments to conserve 30% of the territory, by 2030. First Nations have the skills, the knowledge and the leadership required to preserve and protect their territories and its resources, along with their identities and their cultures. 

A caribou herd in Charlevoix, Que., could be heading toward a baby boom this year, providing a rare bit of good news for the province’s decimated population. Caroline Hins, a biologist with the province’s Wildlife Department, confirmed all 12 of the herd’s breeding-age females are believed to be pregnant. “It’s very good news,” she said Friday. She said that if all the pregnancies are carried to term and the calves survive — and there’s no guarantee of that — the herd northeast of Quebec City will have doubled in size in a year and a half. …The government has argued that enclosing caribou represents their best chance of survival, offering protection from predation and ensuring they have access to food, water and veterinary care. But environmentalists have criticized the government for putting the animals behind fences rather than protecting and restoring their old-growth forest habitat and presenting a long-promised master plan to rebuild the species.

An old-growth forest in Ontario, with trees more than 150 years old, is making history. The Nature Conservancy of Canada is pleased to announce, along with owner Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve Ltd. (Haliburton Forest), the first recognized other effective area-based conservation measure (OECM) within a privately owned commercial forest in Canada. It is also the country’s first OECM led by the forestry industry. The South Freezy Lake old-growth forest has been recognized by both the Governments of Ontario and Canada as conserved and entered into Canada’s Protected and Conserved Areas Database. The database monitors progress toward Canada’s target of protecting 30 per cent of its lands and waters by 2030. The 20-hectare site is surrounded by the sustainably managed forests of Haliburton Forest. Due to its unique ecology and history, the site has been set aside from timber harvesting and other industrial activities for the long term. 

There’s been another milestone in the bid to create a new national park in Windsor-Essex. Windsor West NDP MP Brian Masse’s private member’s bill to create Ojibway National Urban Park (ONUP) passed third reading in the House of Commons with near-unanimous (319-1) support on Wednesday afternoon. “The bill to establish ONUP is the culmination of years, if not decades, of work by many residents of this region fighting to protect one of the most unique ecosystems in the country. Today, is another step in the legislative process,” Masse said in a media release. The proposal for a 364-hectare park would unite several areas — Ojibway Park, Spring Garden Natural Area, Black Oak Heritage Park, Tallgrass Prairie Park, Ojibway Prairie Provincial Nature Reserve and Ojibway Shores — into one national park.

Preserving the diversity of forests assures their productivity and potentially increases the accumulation of carbon and nitrogen in the soil, which helps to sustain soil fertility and mitigate global climate change. That’s the main takeaway from a new study that analyzed data from hundreds of plots in Canada’s National Forest Inventory to investigate the relationship between tree diversity and changes in soil carbon and nitrogen in natural forests. Numerous biodiversity-manipulation experiments have collectively suggested that higher tree diversity can lead to greater accumulation of carbon and nitrogen in forest soils. But the new study, published online April 26 in the journal Nature, is the first to show a similar outcome in natural forests, according to the authors. …They found that increased tree diversity enhanced soil carbon storage by 30% to 32% and enhanced nitrogen storage by 42% to 50% on a decadal timescale.

Related coverage in University of Alberta News: Tree diversity increases carbon storage, soil fertility in forests

Kemptville, Ontario – The Ontario Woodlot Association (OWA) is hosting its 30th annual meeting and conference this week, based at Niagara College in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The plenary session will take place on Wednesday, April 26th starting at 8 a.m. Close to 200 delegates will attend this two-day event that focuses on the Power of Active Management of woodlots and privately owned forests in Ontario.  The conference features knowledgeable and experienced speakers covering several topics relating to active management including the operation of woodlot businesses, succession planning, managing for the invasive species Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, a case-study of long-term personal woodlot management, and research relating to agroforestry best environmental practices.  Rick Bresee, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and MPP for Hastings and Lennox & Addington will welcome the group, many of whom have traveled from across the OWA’s 22 chapters, to attend. 

Two more projects, totalling more than $2.5 million, have been approved by the trustees of the Forestry Innovation Transition Trust. 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. To date, the Forestry Innovation Transition Trust has committed more than $28 million of the $50-million fund. The fund may be used by companies, organizations or post-secondary institutions working and researching in the forestry and biological resources sectors, and by forestry workers to access funding for training. 

OTTAWA, ON – Preventing the spread of invasive species is important to protect forests, native plants and the forestry sector in Canada. Following the confirmed finding of emerald ash borer (EAB) in the Regional County Municipality (RCM) of Avignon, in the Gaspésie area of Quebec, in July 2022, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will continue to regulate the area with notices of prohibition of movement. This means that ash material (such as logs, branches and woodchips) and all species of firewood cannot be moved off site without permission from the CFIA. The property owners with confirmed detections of EAB in the RCM of Avignon have been notified. The CFIA will continue to survey and monitor the extent of the spread of this invasive beetle in 2023 in eastern Quebec and northern New Brunswick. 

FREDERICTON – The 2023 forest fire season in New Brunswick begins on April 17 and ends Oct. 31. Anyone igniting a Category 1 fire (fires with a diameter of three metres or less) should ensure burning is allowed in that area. This can be done by calling the toll-free burn line at 1-866-458-8080 or by visiting the Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development website. Category 2, 3 and 4 fires require a written permit. …During fire season, anyone who conducts an industrial operation on forest land must possess a valid work permit that specifies the required fire equipment and the location of the operation. …Under the Forest Fires Act, if you ignite a fire, you are responsible for it. If your fire gets out of control, you may be liable for the cost of fighting the fire and/or damage to another person’s property. You may also face penalties and/or fines for violating burning regulations.

The City of Mississauga has achieved the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for the management of 36 woodlands through the Eastern Ontario Model Forest (EOMF) program. Receiving the certification confirms that a forest is being managed sustainably, preserves biological diversity and benefits the lives of local people and workers. The FSC certification will assist the City with maintaining high forest stewardship standards. “Mississauga is a city that values the vital role trees play in our community. The FSC certification showcases our commitment to sustainable forest management and protecting Mississauga’s woodlands,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “The City recognizes the importance of trees for the environment of large urban cities like Mississauga. They provide shade and habitat for wildlife while filtering pollution and controlling flooding.” To become certified, an organization must meet the FSC’s standard for forest management.

It’s a consoling thought. That …the forests surrounding us are actually communities in which varied species share resources for a common good. And lording over the networks are big old ‘mother trees’ that act like their namesakes in human society — protecting their children, feeding the community and preparing the next generation. And that linking these communities together are the roots of mushrooms (mycorrhizal fungi networks). It’s a view of the forest that’s taken root in Hollywood blockbusters (the Tree of Souls in Avatar), bestselling books (Finding the Mother Tree, Overstory), Ted Talks and media reports. “It’s a very appealing story – this idea of tree communities and these benevolent fungi that are transferring resources and helping the trees communicate,” said Justine Karst, a university of Alberta mycologist and head of the Karst Lab. “… It transformed into a story many people wanted to hear … in terms of how they would like nature and society to exist.”

Anne Keuper is receiving a lot of phone calls, emails and messages from Prince Edward Islanders ordering large quantities of trees.  Keuper, who co-owns Island Pride Garden Co. in Wood Islands and Hunter River, says there’s still plenty of people looking to replace the countless trees lost as post-tropical storm Fiona hit the province in September.  One person reached out to her wanting to have 150 trees planted, she said.  “We’ve certainly doubled our usual order of trees,” Keuper said.  Island Pride Garden is just one of many P.E.I. tree nurseries seeing increased — and sometimes overwhelming — demand following Fiona.  With Islanders looking to replant, some of these businesses are encouraging people not to order just any kind of tree, but look for those better able to withstand future storms.

ONTARIO — One of Canada’s most prominent conservation groups has reached a deal to buy the largest privately owned island in Lake Superior, a move that will protect it from development. Batchawana Island, located 45 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is set to be acquired by the Nature Conservancy of Canada for $7.2 million. The roughly 2,100-hectare island is home to several significant animal and tree species and has been owned by American investor Joe Acheson for the last 20 years. …Acheson had for years intended to establish an exclusive sport fishing, hunting and Olympic training club funded by logging. But local opposition to a mainland barge dock and some necessary permits got in the way of that plan. Michigan logging companies interested in bringing the island’s lumber to their markets were deterred by the same complications.

TRURO, N.S. — On Saturday, April 15, the woodland conference for the central part of the province will be held in Oxford and is open to the public to participate. The annual conference will be based in a part of Nova Scotia that has a long-standing interest and participation in forest-related activities. Oxford has also played a major role in the forest industry, as well as forest recreation and other uses of the forest. …The organizing committee, consisting of woodland owners, woodland owner organizations, forest sustainability organizations and the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, will bring together subject matter experts that both woodland owners and other nature lovers might enjoy. For example, the first presentation of the day is entitled Management and Mayhem: Lessons from Fiona by the Association for Sustainable Forestry.

Tory Rushton

A pilot forestry project that puts some of Nova Scotia’s forest lands in the care of Mi’kmaw communities could be extended by the end of this year. The Mi’kmaq Forestry Initiative launched in 2019, co-ordinated between the province and the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs. Over the last four years, the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources and the Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusaqn, also known as the Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative, have managed 30,000 hectares of Crown land using Mi’kmaw forestry practices. …Nova Scotia Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables Tory Rushton said he’s been out with the Mi’kmaw groups, and he expects a deal by the end of this year. …Rushton said he expects similar deals with the Mi’kmaq in the future. “I’m not going to leave anything off the table. It’s been very productive conversations that we’ve had and I’m excited to carry those on.”

For more than two decades, the people of Grassy Narrows First Nation have blockaded the logging roads near their homes to protect the trees on their land.  They drove south to march in front of Queen’s Park and they sued the province of Ontario when it opened their traditional lands to clear-cutting.  And now, it seems, they’ve won.  In a letter to Chief Rudy Turtle of the Asubpeeschoseewagong Netum Anishinabek First Nation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said it has abandoned its plans to open up a portion of the First Nation’s traditional forest to commercial logging for the next 10 years.  Instead, the province will ban logging throughout the no-harvest zone, an area that encompasses approximately 75 per cent of the Whiskey Jack Forest, designated in 2017 after Grassy Narrows sued the province to prevent clear-cutting.

Antigonish, Nova Scotia — A new forestry partnership is looking to bring traditional and ancestral Mi`kmaq knowledge to the province`s forestry sector while also providing opportunities and prosperity to Mi`kmaq communities through forestry. The Mi`kmaq Forestry Initiative was launched jointly by the Kwilmu`kw maw-klusuqu (KMK), the Confederacy of Mainland Mi`kmaq, and Unima`ki Institute of Natural Resources under the direction of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi`kmaw Chiefs. Following a pilot project with federal and provincial governments the Mi’kmaq Forestry Initiative was granted 30,000 hectares of crown land to govern. With the pilot project almost completed, there are negotiations for a long-term forestry agreement. The MFI stated a long-term agreement will let them operate with the mandate of managing and overseeing forested lands while creating opportunities for a wide range of uses—from crafting, to ecotourism, to cultural teaching and learning.

NORTHERN ONTARIO — It may not look like it, but wildfire season officially began April 1. Fire information officer Evan Lizotte, with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s (MNRF) northeast forest fire management centre, said the province has action plans ready to battle blazes. That is, once the snow melts. Lizotte said it’s shaping up to be another slow season, potentially comparable to last year. “(In 2022), we only had 275 fires that burned 2,560 hectares, which is a very, relatively slow season for us,” said Lizotte. “However, the season before that, in 2021, there was over 1,200 fires that burned 780,000 hectares. …The ministry is looking to hire more fire rangers, he said, extending its hiring window to mid-May.