Region Archives: Canada East

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says $8.2 million spent since 2022 has successfully restored several Quebec wetlands inhabited by the threatened western chorus frog. Guilbeault said in a news release the money from the Canada Nature Fund has brought new life to wetlands in the Montérégie region, south of Montreal, and in western Quebec’s Outaouais region. The money given to Nature-Action Québec, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada has allowed the organizations to protect dozens of hectares of green space since 2022. Although not considered endangered across the globe, the tiny western chorus frog is listed as a threatened species in Canada

With World Environment Day 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. …Prest says Maritime forests are especially in danger due to the ownership laws around them, as a total of 70 per cent of Nova Scotian forests are privately owned, compared to only five per cent in British Columbia and 10 per cent in Ontario. Many of the over 30,000 small private woodlot owners have owned the land for generations, and as they get older and are in need of money, they sell their properties to forestry companies which hope to clear the trees for profit.

BARRIE, ON – This spring, more than 70 teams from high schools across Ontario competed in environmentally themed regional events that led 17 teams to meet at the University of Waterloo from May 26 to 29. From that series of training workshops, testing, and judged presentations, Grand River Region’s Waterloo Collegiate Institute came out on top as the 2024 Ontario Envirothon champions. All teams showcased their knowledge of Ontario Envirothon’s four core topics – forestry, soils, wildlife, and aquatic ecosystems and soils – along with this year’s current topic of “Biodiversity in a Changing Climate”.  The Waterloo Collegiate Institute team is now headed on to the National Conservation Foundation (NCF)-Envirothon in Geneva, New York, to represent Ontario against hundreds of students from across North America and Asia. “As lead agency of the Ontario Envirothon, we are proud to help the next generation of environmental leaders learn about the environment and hone their STEM skills,” Jess Kaknevicius, CEO, Forests Ontario, says.

Two trees were planted at a park in a suburb outside Halifax Wednesday as a symbol of the community’s resilience after last year’s wildfires. About 80 residents and firefighters gathered at Timberlane Terrace Park in Highland Park subdivision for the ceremony, one year after the fire ripped through 151 homes in Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains. “We are all in this together,” Tricia Murray-d’Eon, who organized the event and lost her own home, bellowed to the crowd from a large rock. “We have been through hell this year. “I’m hoping that this occasion can mark a solid return to normal within our subdivision as we try to regroup and rebuild.”

Requests for trees from Prince Edward Island landowners, schools, and community groups have “increased a great deal” since post-tropical storm Fiona in 2022, and the J. Frank Gaudet provincial tree nursery is trying to fill that demand. Mary Myers, the nursery’s manager says most of the trees grown there go to P.E.I.’s forest enhancement program, which supplies trees to Island landowners. She said trees for the forest enhancement program and watershed groups across the Island are the nursery’s priorities. If those two groups need more trees, the greening spaces program may get fewer. …The J. Frank Gaudet nursery recently added three new greenhouses to help with the P.E.I.’s contribution to the federal government’s 2 Billion Trees Program, which aims to plant two billion trees in Canada by 2031.

HALIFAX — Many property owners in the woodsy suburbs of Upper Tantallon and Hammonds Plains are working with a group of organizations to have blackened trees removed from their land. They are being given a new life at a lumber yard in Greenfield, Nova Scotia. Every part of the tree has a use — from wood pellets to lumber — lumber that those in the industry say could easily wind up helping rebuild homes destroyed in the very community they were plucked from. And while clearing the trees has been cathartic for some residents who felt their appearance forced them to relive that day, those in forest ecology say they should have been left alone. …Willett and Freeman Lumber worked with every resident to decide which trees would stay and which would go. Some people wanted mostly everything removed. Some wanted all their hardwoods kept in the hopes it would sprout new life.

Donnie McPhee

The National Tree Seed Centre in Fredericton is trying to add to its already substantial stockpile of seeds, with varieties that are in short supply, for restoration projects and to prepare for the possibility of poor growing seasons in the years ahead. The centre collects seeds for 724 tree and shrub species in 1,000 different eco-districts across the country, said co-ordinator Donnie McPhee. Initially, its focus was to help with research and recovery from things such as insect infestations and wildfires. But that mission has been evolving, said McPhee, since the federal government created a funding program to plant two billion trees. Calls have been coming in from people all over the country who are looking for certain species for their planting projects, many of which are in riparian zones or flood plains, he said. Red maple, elm, and silver maple have been in high demand but “that seed wasn’t available.”

THUNDER BAY, Ontario — A forester and arborist is sounding the alarm on increasing spruce budworm infestations across the Thunder Bay area and expects a further surge this season. Vince Rutter, of Rutter Urban Forestry, said “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”. In the region, 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. …He pointed out the Kamview Nordic Centre as an example of a forest area which he expects 90% mortality over the next few years.

Hailey Blacquiere

The province is ramping up tree production over the next six years, following in the footsteps of a federal program called 2 Billion Trees. The national program aims to plant that many trees by 2031. Provincially, there are four programs that will plant 300,000 additional trees per year. That’s on top of the 1 million trees that were already being planted annually. The P.E.I. 2 Billion Trees program is run by the provincial Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action. “These trees will help us reach our net zero goals as well as hold carbon, create buffer zones, help with wildlife corridors, and generally increase our green spaces on the Island,” said Hailey Blacquiere, the 2BT co-ordinator for Prince Edward Island. …The trees are being grown at the J. Frank Gaudet Tree Nursery in Charlottetown, which has three new greenhouses to help support the increased production for the 2BT program. 

I would like to comment on your article titled “Ontario needs to press reset on the forestry sector” and add some additional information from my research on the Impacts of pulp mill closures in Espanola and Terrace Bay, Ontario. First, I thought the article was right on target with their statement, “Sustainably produced forest products are climate-friendly…” I applaud the government’s recent announcements on their investments into developing a bioeconomy from forest products. It would be great if the mills in Espanola and Terrace Bay could somehow be retooled to utilize this new technology. I know most people in Ontario don’t fully understand the full impacts that the closing of these two mills will have. Usually only the direct job losses are reported.

DEMO International is gearing up to make its mark in Ottawa/Gatineau from September 17 to 21, 2024. Organized by the Canadian Woodlands Forum, DEMO International is an event for forestry professionals, showcasing the latest innovations and technologies in action amidst a woodland backdrop. As part of the festivities, the DEMO International Pre-conference will kick off at the Delta Ottawa City Centre on September 17 to 18, offering attendees an opportunity to delve deeper into key industry topics. From presentations on research, automation, and digitalization to discussions on logging and trucking, biodiversity, and sustainability practices, the pre-conference is expected to be an enriching experience for all participants. Additionally, insights into international forestry outlooks from Sweden and Finland will provide perspectives on global forestry trends and best practices. …DEMO International is known for its demonstrations of forestry equipment, providing attendees with a firsthand glimpse into the future of the industry. 

GATINEAU, QC – The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, issued the following statement today: Today, the world celebrates the International Day for Biological Diversity. This year’s theme is, “Be Part of the Plan” to halt and reverse biodiversity loss. We Canadians love our natural surroundings, but few of us stop to think about the absolutely vital importance of nature and biodiverse ecosystems to our economic well-being, our health, and our ability to tackle and adapt to climate change. With biodiversity declining faster than ever due to human activity, now is the time for urgent and transformative action to ensure our children, grandchildren, and many generations to come live in a world where people and nature co-exist and thrive.

Marc Hébert

SUDBURY, Ontario — At the annual Minister of Colleges and Universities Awards for Excellence ceremony, Marc Hébert, who teaches in the forestry and wildlife programs at Collège Boréal’s School of Environment and Natural Resources, received one of these prestigious awards today in the Everyday Hero category. Hébert’s achievements for 2022–2023 include a significant contribution to the City of Greater Sudbury Council’s Regreening Advisory Panel (VETAC). Among other things, Marc Hébert identified improvements needed in the region’s tree production process and proposed concrete solutions. Professor Hébert’s commitment has also fostered close ties with Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario. One notable initiative is the establishment of an Indigenous medicinal garden catering to these communities’ needs for traditional plants.

Jordan Brown

As the forest fire season formally begins, western Labrador’s MHA is calling on the Newfoundland and Labrador government to put back in place a local resource that had been in place for more than three decades. “I would like to have my water bomber back,” Labrador West MHA Jordan Brown said Thursday. …Brown pointed out none of the province’s four water bombers has been stationed in the area since 2018. Brown, who told the House of Assembly that the climate in the vast terrain of western Labrador has changed, said Environment Canada has already listed Labrador West in drought condition. “We’ve had very little snowpack this year. The forests are drying up very quickly in Labrador West,” said Brown, who had raised the issue in the House of Assembly and later spoke about it with reporters.

OTTAWA, ON – Stopping the spread of invasive species such as box tree moth is the most effective way to safeguard forests and native plants, as well as protect Canada’s forestry and horticulture-related businesses. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has expanded the regulated area for box tree moth beyond the province of Ontario, adding Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. This change is intended to stop the spread of box tree moth to new areas where it is not yet established. This means that boxwood plants can be moved freely between and within these provinces, but they cannot be moved outside of this regulated area without authorization by the CFIA. This decision follows interceptions of box tree moth in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces in the summer of 2023, and subsequent confirmation of established populations in Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. 

MONTREAL – Workers with Quebec’s forest fire agency have voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate as the summer wildfire season approaches. The Unifor union, which represents provincial fire service workers including firefighters, communications staff and mechanics, says the mandate allows members to strike “at the opportune moment.” Workers with the fire service — the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu, or SOPFEU — were kept busy last year during a record-breaking wildfire season. Unifor says that despite the participation of a mediator, negotiations have stalled over such issues as salaries, vacations and workforce mobility. Quebec law requires SOPFEU workers to maintain essential operations during a strike.

…In April, the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) announced it would hire 160 people, including 80 firefighters, in the next two years — increasing its staff by 32 per cent. Although SOPFEU says 50 firefighters have already been hired for this year’s wildfire season, retaining experienced workers for a second potentially difficult season is both a priority and a challenge. While the hiring is positive news for the organization, Nicolas Boulay, a forestry firefighter for 14 years and union president of the Syndicat Pompiers Forestiers Côte-Nord, says it will only make a difference if SOPFEU finds ways to retain them. “A very big concern is that not that many people have a lot of experience at SOPFEU,” said Boulay, shortly after SOPFEU announced its hiring blitz. “With this many new firefighters coming we need to be very, very, aware of any dangerous situation. We don’t want any accident to happen this summer.”