Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association: Membership

We welcome both new and returning members. To join or to renew a membership, please send the following information along with a cheque for $30 (add $15 to include a subscription to Atlantic Forestry Review) to:

Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners Association

Box 823, Truro, NS B2N 5G6

Membership is for one calendar year. Please send the following information with your cheque:

New or returning member?
For what calendar year do you wish to be a member?
Name
Address
Telephone number(s)
Email address if any
Fax number if any
Are you a woodlot owner? If yes, in what county is your woodlot located?
Which of the following categories apply to you? Owner/operator? Contractor? Sawmiller? Group venture? Associate (associate membership is for individuals who are neither woodlot owners nor operators but support the vision and mission of NSWOOA)? Affiliate (affiliate membership is for organizations that support the vision and mission of NSWOOA)? Other?
May we contact you via email, on occasion, regarding events and association notices?

Your membership dues go toward lobbying, communication, and educational functions of the organization.

Mission Statement

NSWOOA is an independent organization of woodlot owners and operators achieving prosperity, stewardship, and solidarity through the practice of ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable forestry.

Truly sustainable forest management means that all values of our woodlands -- ecological, social, cultural and economic -- must be preserved for future generations.

The NSWOOA supports woodlot owners and operators in sustainable forestry through education, demonstration, marketing, and cooperation

Latest developments in natural resources policy planning

Voluntary Planning is an agency of the Nova Scotia provincial government that has been preparing recommendations on natural resources policy for the province. Voluntary Planning's Citizen Engagement Committee released its report on the first phase of this project, "The Future of Nova Scotia's Natural Resources: Our Common Ground" on April 17, 2009. Click here to view this report.

The NSWOOA has participated in this process and continues to monitor it. Our presentation to Voluntary Planning may be viewed here.

Appointments to the panels of expertise that will help guide natural resources strategy in the province were announced in late July.

For information on Phase 2 of the Natural Resources project, please visit the Voluntary Planning website.

Do you want to grow high-value trees?

In 2008, the NSWOOA completed an exciting education and outreach project designed to educate Nova Scotia woodlot owners and contractors about how to grow high-value trees. This approach is an alternative to clearcutting because trees are harvested individually or in small groups once they have reached their full potential.

We have finished distributing educational materials by mail and holding educational programs for woodlot owners. However, educational materials are still available online. (See below.)

This project was administered by the Association for Sustainable Forestry and funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources. The NSWOOA delivered services in partnership with Picea Forestry Consulting and Wild Words Editorial Services.

Funding assistance

Financial assistance for woodlot owners practicing selection management, crop tree release, or crop tree pruning (silviculture treatments used to grow high-value trees) may be available through a provincial program for qualifying woodlots (the Category 7 Quality Silviculture Improvement Program). For information, please contact Association for Sustainable Forestry Coordinator Rebecca Aggas at (902) 895-1179 or rjaggas@asforestry.com

This excellent funding program has been renewed for 2009-2010.

How to get information

An information package on how to grow high-value trees and apply for Category 7 funding is available for viewing or download at http://www.asforestry.com/PDFs/outreach/UnevenAgedManagementInfo.pdf

A list of references, many of which are available free or at low cost, can be viewed or downloaded at http://www.asforestry.com/PDFs/outreach/UnevenAgedManagementReferenceList.pdf

Application forms and technical criteria for Category 7 funding may be downloaded from the ASF website, http://www.asforestry.com/ The ASF will also send you these materials in the mail.

See below for a list of additional materials available on the Internet, with links.