Region Archives: Canada East

HALIFAX — Two protesters who were arrested during a sit-in at the Department of Lands and Forestry offices in Halifax last November have been acquitted of charges laid under the Protection of Property Act. Eleanor Kure and Kevin Smith were physically removed by Halifax Regional Police officers on Nov. 24, 2020 and ticketed. …The two were part of a group of demonstrators who had gathered at the Lands and Forestry office on Hollis Street. At the time Kure told Global News the sit-in was organized in solidarity with a group of Extinction Rebellion members, who were blockading forest sections in Digby County to prevent clear-cutting. …Kure said it’s vital for the Lahey Report to be implemented, because otherwise, it’s just “smoke and mirrors.” 

It’s as if Nova Scotia governments — the old Liberals, the new Tories and the ensconced bureaucrats — don’t want to protect any of Nova Scotia’s public-owned forests, nor do they care much about what lives or dies there. …Malice and stupidity both exist in the provincial government, as in most large organizations, but there are enough bureaucrats ostensibly working to implement the Lahey report to neutralize malice and, we hope, overcome stupidity. So let’s rule those out. A lot of perceptive folk see a conspiracy here, but conspiracy theories are in disrepute, so we’ll sidestep that one, too. Which leaves incompetence as the best available explanation for why the provincial government can’t limit or even slow the devastation of clearcutting on Crown land. …The fact is, the ecologically sound forestry practices Nova Scotians were promised three years back aren’t here, and aren’t likely to be here for another two years.

Randy Neily

An Annapolis County resident is trying to draw attention to a pending cut on Crown land in a bid to stop it, but an official with the province says that cut actually represents the future of forestry in Nova Scotia.  Randy Neily and a group of supporters are highlighting the planned cut of about 24 hectares in an area situated almost evenly between Roxbury and Albany, not far from Highway 10 in Annapolis County.  The work will be conducted by WestFor Management, a consortium that works on behalf of 12 sawmills.  Neily said in a phone interview Friday that the land that he’s been frequenting since he was a boy, and is near his camp, serves as a wildlife corridor. He’s unhappy the cut, which is expected to happen in the coming weeks, was approved by the Natural Resources Department.  

It’s quiet, it’s deadly, and it’s half a kilometre from the Canadian border. And to hear forestry experts tell it, it’s a dire threat to Ontario’s oak trees. Oak wilt has been found in Belle Isle, Mich., about 500 metres from the Canadian border. It can infect and kill off every species of oak, says Richard Wilson, a recently retired forest program pathologist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. And no one really knows how to stop it. “We all should be worried about oak wilt,” Wilson said. “It’s an invasive fungal pathogen very similar to the Dutch elm disease, beech bark disease, and white pine blister rust. “These are all invasive species that have come into Canada — and Ontario especially — and have done widespread damage.” …It spreads by two ways: over land by an insect vector and underground through root systems of the tree. 

A 2018 report by William Lahey was supposed to serve as a sustainability roadmap for Nova Scotia’s forestry industry, but three years later, the author says clear-cut logging and sub-par forestry practices still abound. …Although there is some “good faith” planning going on at the government level, Lahey said that so far, nothing has changed on the ground. Five of 45 recommendations have been implemented from the initial document. Recommendations that have been implemented include licensing of Crown land to the Mi’kmaq Forestry Initiative and goals for the implementation of an ecological forestry model in a new piece of provincial legislation. …”It is a particular concern that forestry that is not ecological forestry continues to be conducted on Crown lands that will be largely reserved for ecological forestry once the triad is finally implemented on Crown land,” reads part of the 2021 evaluation.

Mark Kean

A Timmins business is getting $3.7 million from the federal government to push ahead on its carbon offset technology. On Dec. 1, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) announced the money would go to Mikro-Tek as “part of a continuing collaboration that will help the company commercialize its improved forest management technology, which is designed to capture carbon from the atmosphere.” Mikro-Tek has developed a natural biotechnology process that enhances plant survival, significantly increasing health and growth while reducing the use of herbicides. The technology is specifically aimed at industrial companies that are seeking to reduce their carbon footprint. “This funding is supporting Mikro-Tek’s project to increase carbon sequestration on reforestation sites in the boreal forest and to assess our technology as an alternative to herbicide applications,” Mikro-Tek’s president, Mark Kean, said in a Dec. 1 news release.

Pierre Dufour

Responding to a long-standing demand from the timber industry, the Government of Quebec will henceforth make known up to three years in advance the areas subject to logging. This was announced on Wednesday by the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Pierre Dufour, on the sidelines of Perspective 2022, an event organized by the Forest Industry Council of Quebec (CFIQ). “To have a competitive business environment, it is essential to be able to adequately plan the deployment of our resources,” said the Minister, saying that he is proud to be able to offer “more predictability” to companies in the wood and wood sectors. pulp and paper. On its own, this industry increasingly monitored by local communities and environmental groups would account year after year for 11% of the province’s exports. On Wednesday, the representative of industry, Jean-François Samray, CEO of CFIQ, was quick to welcome the news.

William Lahey

NOVA SCOTIA — The author of a report calling for a shift to ecological forestry practices in Nova Scotia says he’s seen little to no evidence of change on the ground since he released the document in 2018. William Lahey, president of the University of King’s College, released an evaluation of the government’s progress to date. It was not complimentary. “None of the work underway has resulted in much if any actual change on the ground in how forestry is being planned, managed, or conducted,” the evaluation said. …Lahey notes that while work has started on 40 of the 44 recommendations, implementation beyond policy and planning is only underway on 10 of them. …In attempting to understand the reason for delays, Lahey points to several issues, including the difficulty the department is having adjusting its mindset and culture. …One area where the minister and Lahey appear to differ is whether changes need to happen on private land. 

A progress report says Nova Scotia is not moving quickly enough on recommendations it adopt forestry practices that reduce clear-cutting. The report by University of King’s College president Bill Lahey says there has been little change since 2018 on how forestry operations are conducted across the province. Lahey’s findings, released Tuesday, are an update on his original landmark report from 2018, which called on the province to treat forests as ecosystems, a philosophy known as “ecological forestry.” He said in 2018 that clear-cutting would be acceptable in certain situations, adding that the practice should not apply to areas filled with a variety of trees or a mixed species of trees. Lahey says in his progress report that the recent clear-cutting on Crown lands wouldn’t have been so aggressive had the recommendations in his original report been implemented.

Wolastoqey chiefs in New Brunswick are shifting their Aboriginal title claim case to pursue the province’s largest forestry companies in a bid to reclaim title to much of their traditional territory. The six chiefs have amended the legal claim they filed last year to add J.D. Irving Ltd. and its subsidiaries, Twin Rivers Paper, the A.V. Group, Acadian Timber and H.J. Crabbe and Sons. …”They are the largest landowners in New Brunswick, and they have had a history of getting land from the province without paying a fair price for it,” Chief Patricia Bernard of the Wolastoqey Nation of Matawaskiye (Madawaska) said. “That is our land that the province gave away for a song. We want back what is ours, that was never theirs to give.” …The chiefs say the case could take a decade or more to go through the courts…

MONTREAL – Contrary to perceptions disseminated by certain of its opponents, the forestry industry continues to innovate, and increasingly contributes to the fight against climate change. A new publication launched by the Montreal Economic Institute…provides a survey of some of the innovations implemented by this industry. “In recent years, the forestry industry has become a player in the circular economy. For instance, a greenhouse complex in Saint-Félicien uses the residual heat from an adjacent pulp mill to reduce its energy costs… To take another example, some companies now transform over 90% of certain kinds of sawmill residues into organic agricultural fertilizers,” points out Olivier Rancourt, economist at the MEI and co-author… “We must not ignore the fact that a healthy forestry industry can also maximize the capture of carbon by our forests. This is an important and often overlooked aspect…” says Miguel Ouellette, Director of Operations and Economist at the MEI.

Forest ecologist Donna Crossland said many Nova Scotians want to let nature be. But she doesn’t believe Nova Scotia’s new old-growth forests draft policy will do much to change “the dire situation with a near complete lack of [old growth].” The previous policy on old-growth forests was released in 2012, with a goal of identifying eight per cent of old-growth forests or old-growth opportunities on Crown land across the province. The 2021 draft policy states that this goal was met in early 2020. Crossland believes this statement is misleading. “What they’ve done is put a lot of forests in the eight per cent allocation that are not old growth at all.” Crossland, with the Medway Community Forest co-operative, was not involved in drafting the policy. She would like to see an interim measure whereby all the remaining forest at 80 to 100 years of age on Crown land would be inventoried.

The mighty mainland moose was probably meandering through forested areas of Digby County on Wednesday afternoon but the fate of the species and that of its wooded habitat were top of mind in downtown Halifax. “We’re here trying to get the cut stopped in Rocky Point Lake,” Nina Newington, a member of Extinction Rebellion in Nova Scotia, said at a rally in front of… the provincial natural resources and renewables office. “I’ve been up there, they are making a complete, devastating mess out of it, we know it’s moose habitat and government should be maintaining its own law to protect endangered species. Instead, they (government) are giving the industrial forestry what they want again … They should just stop the cut, start protecting the moose.”

A new recovery plan will help the long-term recovery of Nova Scotia’s endangered mainland moose population. A team including wildlife biologists, habitat specialists and veterinary experts … was appointed in 2019 to create a plan based on the best available scientific knowledge and expertise. It developed a recovery plan to address threats, protect and enhance habitat, improve connectivity and ensure regular monitoring and assessment of population health. … The Department of Natural Resources and Renewables will conduct a baseline survey of the current moose population size and distribution this winter. The results will generate new data and help guide the recovery plan’s ongoing implementation. The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs will also be consulted on using traditional knowledge to implement the recovery plan. … The Province will continue to require special management practices for any forestry harvest within mainland moose habitat on Crown land. 

During a council board meeting in Ouje-Bougoumou, Mistissini and Waswanipi signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would see the two communities share forestry resources, including a forestry engineer, opening the way for broader discussions in the future. “This MOU is a collaboration between Waswanipi and Mistissini to deal with certain forestry issues that affect both communities,” said Mistissini Chief Thomas Neeposh. “We both have forestry related business: they have the mill; we are finalizing the business plan and financial structure for Mistissini’s CLT [cross-laminated timber] modular housing plan.” Neeposh says the MOU is in preparation for a larger agreement. At present the communities have agreed to share the costs for Waswanipi’s forestry engineer. The MOU also covers 350,000 cubic metres of wood from the Paix des Braves agreement, 125,000 for Mistissini and 225,000 for Waswanipi, of which 155,000 would be designated for Mishtuk, Waswanipi’s forestry corporation, and 75,000 would be designated for the sawmill. 

WATERLOO REGION — Ontario’s scientists and experts are watching the U.S. border very carefully. They are on the lookout for oak wilt, a disease that is now less than a kilometre from the border. The disease attacks all species of oak trees with variable severity. Red oaks are the most susceptible, and can die in as little as two weeks after infection. White oaks, on the other hand can take years to die of the disease. So far staff at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency say that the disease has not been detected in the country … Oak wilt is caused by the fungus Bretziella fagacearum. This fungus produces spore-bearing mats as well as pressure pads that grow under the tree’s bark, push it up and cause cracks. … The fungus kills the tree by clogging up its vascular system so that nutrients cannot be transported through the tree.

Nova Scotia only has a tiny fraction of old-growth forest left. But thanks to research completed this summer, the province can lay claim to having the oldest tree on record in the Maritimes. It’s a 532-year-old eastern hemlock … forest researchers with Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources and Renewables took core samples of roughly 100 trees in a small old-growth stand. … the [record-holding] tree likely spent most of its life in the shade of larger trees, leading to the slow growth and resilience. It is sometimes why old trees are not the largest in any stand. As a research manager at the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, Peter Bush is certainly sold on continuing to protect this particular stand. “It’s a unique area. It’s a unique forest stand and we will try to keep this tree in good health.”

The Northwestern Ontario arm of the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) celebrated the contributions of its members this fall … The CIF named its Northwestern Ontario chapter as Section of the Year during its annual general meeting … CIF Northwestern Ontario followed that up with its own AGM, during which three members were singled out to receive Tree of Life Awards. These recognize individuals who have made … particularly effective contributions to sustainable forest resource management, forest renewal or sustained yield integrated management… Award winners include: 

• Jean MacIsaac, a forestry technician … who has spent almost her entire career (35+ years) on the Lakehead Forest [and] has been responsible for … the planting of over 35 million trees.
• Judy Hall, a registered professional forester who … has [worked] for consultants, industry and government. [much of it in] forest management planning.
• Dr. M.A. (Peggy) Smith, R.P.F. (Ret.), a PhD … whose career focused on making meaningful contributions to community forestry, co-management, forest tenure, and the views and rights of Indigenous people in relation to forests.

As gardeners and naturists dealt with an invasion of gypsy moth caterpillars across parts of Ontario this year, new data shows tree defoliation in 2021 eclipsed activity in 2020 by nearly three times. …  According to data by the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, approximately 1.7 million hectares of lands with trees and green spaces saw defoliation. David Dutkiewicz, an entomology technician with the Invasive Species Centre based in Sault Ste. Marie, [says] the size of the land that’s estimated to have been affected is bigger than all of South Korea. For comparison, he said in 2020 there were roughly 580,000 hectares of defoliation. … But Dutkiewicz said at the current levels the caterpillars can move on to coniferous trees like white pine and blue spruce… those can die off within a year.

One morning, a year into the pandemic my wife and I piled the kids into the car and went out looking for “my” trees. About 25 years ago I started working as a tree planter in Northern Ontario. …I worked every summer for six years, which by my math added up to over 500,000 trees. Half-a-million tall, healthy trees growing around the province that I had put into the ground with my own bare hands… Years ago, I had pressed each baby pine into the earth and with a solid kick from my right heel, closed the hole I’d opened with my shovel before hurrying on to the next spot. …Walking deeper, I spotted a clear cut. A barren, scarred lunar landscape – beautiful and rugged. When I see a clear cut, I see potential, an opening. I see money to be earned and I see life.