Region Archives: Canada East

SYDNEY, N.S. — Spring arrives this week and with it the risk of wildfires. Nova Scotians are reminded that provincial burn restrictions were officially put into effect on Sunday. The province is asking residents to check online before starting a fire. The Department of Lands and Forestry will be updating its BurnSafe map each day at 2 p.m. to show if burning is permitted. …The provincial restrictions cover domestic brush burning and campfires. They do not apply to campfires in licensed private, municipal or provincial campgrounds with proper campfire facilities.

The province of Ontario has decided to bring back a full spring bear hunt in 2021. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry made the announcement on Friday, March 13. This decision follows a pilot project, which began in 2014, that re-introduced limited spring black bear hunting opportunities to the province. The spring black bear hunting season pilot has continued each year since 2014. The return of the full spring bear hunt in Ontario comes nearly 20 years after it was suddenly banned in 1999. At the time, the move was greeted warmly by wildlife activists, who felt the hunt was not ethical.  At the same time, the move was also seen as a blow to northern Ontario, where the spring bear hunt was a large part of the rural economy. …Keith Munro, wildlife biologist with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, said the decision to return the spring bear hunt will be embraced by Ontario’s hunting community.

TORONTO – The provincial government is seeking input on the impacts of 13 invasive species on the province’s environment and economy and means to prevent the introduction and spread of those intruders. A release announcing the call for comment notes that invasive species can cause significant harm to biodiversity and navigation in waterways, as well as affecting recreational activities and tourism. The invasive species the province is seeking input on are: wild pigs, marmorkreb (marbled crayfish), tench (fish), New Zealand mud snails, European frog-bit (plant), yellow floating heart (plant), Prussian carp (fish), red swamp crayfish, fanwort (plant), Bohemian knotweed (plant), giant knotweed (plant), Himalayan knotweed (plant) and the mountain pine beetle. The government is seeking feedback from stakeholders, Indigenous communities and the public on the ecological, social and economic impacts of these invasive species, as well as the spread of invasive species through the movement of watercraft.

Humans are not the only ones facing disease that has come from other places. During the 1890s European beech seedlings shipped to Halifax contained a bug that carried infectious fungus that inoculates the beech tree and eventually kills it. It is typically mature trees over eight inches in diameter that are impacted. Beech bark disease (Nectina coccinea var, faginata) causes severe cankers, deformation of the tree steam and eventually tree mortality either as a direct result of the disease or in combination with other stress factors the tree may be experiencing. Other signs include dark green bands between the veins of the leaves, uniformly darker leaves that are shrunken, crinkly and leathery in appearance and thinning of the crown. Feeding punctures made by the scale insects produce cracks through which causal fungus enters the tree. 

Amanda Roe was never the type to play with dolls or live in the world of make-believe. …but it wasn’t until she was a student at the University of Alberta, taking a course on insects, that she had her epiphany. Gathering forest specimens as part of a field study… she knew, instinctively, that bugs would figure prominently in her future. …Since 2016, Roe has applied that knowledge to her work at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC) in Sault Ste. Marie where she conducts research into applied pest management. She also serves as the scientific lead for the Insect Production and Quarantine Laboratories (IPQL) and chairs the Insect Rearing Advisory Group. …She’s heartened that today’s schooling and programming is supportive of encouraging girls and women in STEM, including her own two young girls, one of whom is showing an early interest in science, while the other is passionate about math.

Drastic change is coming to management of 1.85-million hectares of Nova Scotia. …Consultation closes Friday on two documents that give the first significant insights into how the Dept of Lands and Forestry wants to implement the recommendations of the Lahey Report. …The new regime would see 333,000 hectares be converted to high-production forestry. That means treating the land like a tree farm on 35-40 year crop rotations. …Forty-seven per cent of Crown land would be managed to return to a natural Acadian forest type, primarily occupied by long-lived hardwoods. …The remaining 34.5 per cent of Crown land would be off-limits to any harvesting or industrial activity. …“It gives a really good stab at managing for all the wide segment of needs the forest provides for Nova Scotians,” said Marcus Zwicker, of WestFor Management Inc. “Rather than try to manage for all these values on every acre.” [a Chronicle Herald subscription may be required to access the full story]

The provincial government is restructuring its environmental divisions by merging together forestry and wildlife to create the Newfoundland and Labrador Resource Enforcement Division — a way to bolster the number of conservation officers available for fish and wildlife enforcement, according to the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources. The new division will be implemented in two phases beginning in May ….”What this basically means is not only more officers, but more nodes, or places of service,” Gerry Byrne told CBC. …Byrne said the new plan is a way for all officers to enforce the same provincial acts — such as the Animal Health and Protection Act, Wildlife Act and Endangered Species Act — without a division in labour or jurisdictions.  

Six Wolastoqey First Nations are suing the province for not recognizing their treaty rights to Crown timber. …In a lawsuit, they allege enforcing the Crown Lands and Forests Act against members of their communities is a breach of the constitutionally protected treaties. “First Nations have the right … to continue the cutting and trading of timber as firewood and other wood products, as that practice has evolved over the years,” the lawsuit says. … The First Nations are asking the court to declare the province has failed to honour and respect treaty rights, as well as damages “to be determined.” …If this case goes ahead it could clarify if the Peace and Friendship Treaties can guarantee profit from Crown property for Indigenous peoples in New Brunswick. 

Iain Rankin

The closure of Northern Pulp could affect how the Nova Scotia government implements the recommendations of the Lahey Report. One of the central recommendations of the 2018 report is a so-called triad model for ecological forest management. …The Lands and Forestry Department recently released a discussion paper on high-production forestry. …Although the paper notes that about 18 per cent, or 330,000 hectares of Crown land is suitable for high-production work that would use a plantation approach, Forestry Minister Iain Rankin said that isn’t necessarily how much land will actually be designated for that style of work. …The loss of Northern Pulp, which was the largest buyer of low-grade wood in the province, could affect how much area is designated for high-production forestry, but Rankin said a mitigating factor is that sawmills operating in the province still need supply.

John Mash

John Mash of Kenora has been working with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry fire crews for the last 23 years, and he’s recently returned from service overseas where he helped fight the wildfires in Australia. “One of the things that really stood out to me was the sense of duty and volunteerism displayed by a lot of the Australians that were directly impacted by the fires, either having lost livestock or having their own homes burned. They would still show up to work everyday and volunteer their time. I got to work hand-in-hand with those folks,” he said Friday. …he described how the dry, hot winds would come off the desert from the interior of the country. These winds would feed the embers and relight fires already contained. Eucalyptus trees have a lot of oil to fuel the wildfires. The trees are also home to koalas…

Iain Rankin

Lands and Forestry Minister Iain Rankin says his government’s Biodiversity Act could come back to Province House for further debate this session after it was halted about a year ago. The government introduced the first-of-its-kind legislation in March 2019. The bill is intended to manage threats to ecosystems and better protect wild species. But it quickly generated concernsfrom environmentalists, the forest industry and private woodlot owners. Some felt the act didn’t go far enough, while others deemed it an overreach that gave the minister too much power. Rankin shelved the bill last April in response to criticism in order to do more consultation. Tuesday, the minister said that he wouldn’t rule out seeing the bill again this session. His department hired an external third party to do further consultation.

Since the program began in 2008, Forests Ontario has planted more than 29 million trees throughout the province. With 600,000 of those trees now growing in Hastings County, local landowners are planning to add at least another 70,000 trees to the total in 2020. Forests Ontario is the leading non-profit organization for the delivery of high-quality, large-scale tree planting in the province. Having worked with more than 5,000 landowners to plant trees under the 50 Million Tree Program, they have helped to establish some 16,500 hectares of new forest. Each year, these trees also sequester over 22,000 tonnes of carbon. The program also supports more than 300 full-time, seasonal forest sector jobs. …As the public’s awareness grows of the important role tree planting plays in tackling the climate crisis, Keen said so does their understanding of the societal benefits trees provide. 

Rob Keen

If you own a large plot of land and you’re hoping to plant a couple hundred trees to fill the open spaces, this program is for you. Forests Ontario’s ’50-Million Tree Program’ is now accepting applications for landowners in Durham Region. The program aims to make large-scale tree planting on private land more affordable. Rob Keen, CEO of Forests Ontario says it can make planting a tree cheaper than a cup of coffee. …“[The cost] really depends on the site, how much site preparation might be required, the species of tree that are best suited or what the landowners preferences are, but usually we’re looking at 25 to 50 cents per tree for the landowner.” It’s open to anyone who owns enough land to plant at least 500 trees.

Dan Hicks, director of Parks for the City of Moncton, says approximately 500 ash trees, now under threat from the destructive emerald ash borer, will be cut or treated in the next few years. A plan was developed after the insect was found in a north-end tree on private property last summer. “The statistics show…that 99 per cent of ash trees die within the first six years of detection,” Hicks said. Ash trees are found along city streets and in some parks. There are a few clusters along Millennium Boulevard. Hicks said after completing inspections, about 50 of the city’s ash trees are in poor condition and will have to be cut down “before they become hazardous,” and replaced with another species.

Stefan Weber

Stefan Weber has… been part of the effort to find environmentally sensitive ways to control… the spread of the invasive phragmites australis, the common reed. …At the recent Forests Ontario Conference, he described the collaborative networks that have been established to ensure a supply of seeds for naturalization and habitat restoration projects. And he described a project… to find a solution to prevent new outbreaks of phragmites along highways. Phragmites australis is native to Eurasia. Introduced to North America, it has become a threat to biodiversity and Ontario’s wetlands, forming vast stands, and suppressing the growth of native species. …Weber was tasked with looking for native plants that could co-exist and potentially compete with phragmites in roadside ditches. He… found that bidens species (tickseeds) and seaside goldenrod were “the best things you can plant.”

The Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) says local landowners are really responding to Forests Ontario’s 50 Million Tree Program (50 MTP), as it plans to plant 200,000 trees this spring. “Landowners are already planning for the 2021 planting season,” says Scott Danford, Forestry Program Manager at the RVCA. “If you are thinking about planting trees, now is the time to contact us.”  …Forests Ontario has facilitated the planting of more than 29-million trees through the 50 MTP since 2008. In that time, the RVCA has planted over 1.5-million trees in Leeds and Grenville County, Lanark County, and the City of Ottawa. The authority says some landowners may also be eligible for the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program (MFTIP), which can reduce property taxes on forested portions of land by up to 75 per cent. Increasing forest cover promotes healthy natural landscapes and trees can reduce the risk of severe flooding by soaking up excess water. 

ONTARIO — Agoke Development Corporation received the Ontario Forest Sector Champion of the Year Award from the Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA). …Thunder Bay-based Agoke is an award-winning forestry company owned by the First Nations of Aroland, Eabametoong and Marten Falls. The corporation is engaged in forest management, harvesting, road construction, road maintenance and training. The three communities had an aspirational goal of obtaining a sustainable forest licence on the dormant 19,000-square-kilometre Ogoki Forest to do the harvesting and hauling to area mills. That goal came to pass in the spring of 2018 with an historic agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. It led to the signing of a joint venture agreement with Buchanan Sawmills to supply and reopen the Nakina mill.