NSWOOA
Update Newsletter 52
May9, 2012
Special
Edition
NSWOOA Outreach Project
In this Issue:
Editor’s note
Project news- Andy
Kekacs
Site Visit
Opportunities- Stephen Cole
Application Form
Editor’s note:
Hello Everyone. One of the highlights of our annual AGM last month
was the news of a major new project undertaken by your Association. The
NSWOOA has made an application to DNR for funds to conduct an Outreach
Project for woodlot owners who share our interest in economically,
environmentally, and socially sustainable forestry on our woodlots. Some of the
elements of this project include site visits to woodlots, the hiring of two
staff persons ( a manager and a forester) an initiative to equip the NSWOOA, to
put it in a position, to maintain paid staff serving its members.
This special edition of the NSWOOA Update focuses on this outreach
project. The regular issue, Number 53, will come reach you in a few days
time.
Association
gears up for busy summer;
website
changes, member survey coming
by Andrew Kekacs
Outreach Project Manager
It’s going to be a busy summer for the directors and staff of NSWOOA.
The centerpiece will be a province-wide program of woodlot site visits by our
newly hired Forester, Stephen Cole. (Please see related article in this
newsletter). But there will also be a lot of effort spent on promoting the
association’s message of sustainable forestry, improving member services, and
broadening our base of financial support.
The first (and most obvious) improvement will be a complete redesign of
the association’s website. The project is underway and is expected to yield the
first pages of the new site by early June. The initial focus will be on
publishing basic information about NSWOOA’s history and philosophy, so that
landowners who are considering a woodlot site visit can learn more about us. We
will also provide a page with information about membership.
Over the long term, we hope to highlight some of the good work that
members are doing. We encourage you send pictures of your favorite places in
the woods, and to tell us about your forest management, habitat improvement, or
other activities in the forest. Send the information to me at andy.nswooa@gmail.com.
This information may be used on the new website, or in a redesigned newsletter
that will be rolled out in the fall.
In the coming weeks, you’ll also receive an electronic link to a short
survey that we will use to better understand what members want and need from
NSWOOA. The online survey will only take a few minutes to complete, but it will
help to focus our efforts to improve member services.
You are also welcome to contact me at any time with your suggestions or
complaints. I can be reached at 902-817-4763
or andy.nswooa@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, we will be working to ensure that NSWOOA remains financially
strong after the current round of provincial funding ends. We are compiling a
list of grant funding opportunities and soon will be actively applying for
financial support from organizations that support our core goals.
What have we forgotten? Feel free to let me know.
Association
launches 2012 program
of site
visits for small woodlot owners
by Stephen
Cole
Staff
forester
The Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association is offering
half-day site visits for private woodlot owners who are interested in the
following:
·
Actively managing their woodlots for the first
time;
·
Alternatives to clear-cut timber harvesting; and
·
Accessing silviculture programs.
The cost of a site visit is $25. In addition to a half-day consult with
a professional forester, the landowner will receive the following:
· A summary
report of opportunities on the woodlot that are consistent with the owner’s
values, objectives, and goals;
· Membership
in the NSWOOA, valid until 31 December 2012;
· The most
current aerial photograph of the woodlot;
· A property
sketch map; and
· A list of
resources and service providers for woodlot owners.
For more information, contact Stephen Cole at 902-309-1062 or bradcole500@gmail.com. You can also fill out an application
for a site visit using the form below.
NSWOOA
Outreach Project 2012 Application for a Site Visit
Name:
___________________________________________
Phone: __________________________________________
Mailing Address:
_________________________________
Email:
___________________________________________
Woodlot location (county
and general area): __________________________________
Approximate size (acres):
________________________
PID(s):
_________________________________________
Primary uses of woodlot:
_________________________
Briefly explain why you
are interested in a site visit: __________________________
________________________________________________________________________
How did you hear about
this program? _______________________________________
Are you interested in:
Alternatives to clear-cutting? Yes No ____________________
Access to silviculture finding? Yes No ____________________
Restoring the Acadian Forest? Yes No ____________________
Having a management plan? Yes No ____________________
Active forest management? Yes No
____________________
Assessing your woodlot for timber, wildlife,
or other opportunities? Yes No _______________
or other opportunities? Yes No _______________
For more information, contact Stephen Cole at 902-309-1062 or bradcole500@gmail.com.
Please mail completed applications to:
Stephen Cole
132 School Street
Middleton, NS B0S 1P0
Alternatively, you can provide the above
requested information by email. Sorry though, our website is not yet revised
and we are not yet set up for you to directly fill in the answers and return
electronically.
Lines of
Communication
Members are encouraged to contact the Board of
Directors, the Executive and other members through our email address (nswooa@gmail.com) or by
phone (902-633-2108). Please
feel free to use these methods to keep us informed of what is going on in your
woodlot or in your community or area. We try to keep you informed through these
updates, newsletters and mail outs, our column in Atlantic Forestry Review,
the Annual General Meeting, and the website: http://www.nswooa.ca
