NSWOOA Update Newsletter 58
5 November 2012
www.nswooa.ca
(902) 633-2108
In
this issue:
- Hello Woodlot Owners- Who Do You Think You Are?
- Woodlot Visitation Report
- What’s the Rate of...?
- The More Things Change
- What’s Happening at MTRI
- How to contact us
Hello Woodlot Owners
Who Do You Think You Are?
By
Director Tony Philips
“So what’s in it
for me?”
We’ve
all thought it, and some of us have said it when asked for a contribution or to
take out a membership. On the flip side,
many of us who are on the boards of organizations are concerned that our
organization gives value when it seeks to gain or retain members. We want to be sure that some imaginary scale
is in balance – or tipped in favour of the “customer” – so he or she knows he
is getting a good deal.
With
respect to the NSWOOA, the idea of “services to members” surfaces from time to
time, and the board collectively deplores that it doesn’t have more tangibles
to offer its “customers” (our members) than an electronic newsletter (that a
non-member could access for free), an annual field day (to which non-members
are welcome), and an annual general meeting (which costs non-members a modest
$10). The current annual membership dues are $30, an amount which one could
save and still enjoy the above benefits.
The executive would like to be able to give more “services” – it would
like to have a paid employee who could deliver them. I think this urge and wish harks back to that
brief period when the Central Wood Suppliers Division of the NSWOOA was
functioning and membership in that division (which was a child of the NSWOOA,
not the NSWOOA itself) ballooned to more than 500 people. The service that the
division offered was the marketing of private pulpwood, and many people saw
there was “something in it for me.” When the division ceased to function, many fell
away.
I
joined the NSWOOA initially to take advantage of being able to sell pulp
through the division, and though that service is suspended, I continue to pay
my $30. Why? I’d like to try and explain my reasons for my
own benefit, and for the benefit of anyone who’d care to read on.
I
think it has to do with identity and a desire most of us feel to belong to a
group. The NSWOOA has a set of stated
values. It argues and lobbies for improved forests and forestry on the basis of
those values, supporting those groups and initiatives that further its values,
and criticizing and opposing those organizations that erode those values. So when you join the NSWOOA, you have paid
$30 to help define yourself, to identify who you are and what you believe … not
in a very public way, however, because we don’t offer much in the way of
paraphernalia like sweatshirts, hats, bumper stickers to help you publicly display your allegiance
(though we do have mugs and key tags).
Along
with self-definition, you gain an affiliation with a group of like-minded
people. The affiliation can be passive, or as active as you wish by
participating in the organization and using its events to network with
like-minded people. In a sense the
NSWOOA is a home for part of one’s identity.
The
late president John F. Kennedy posed the famous, “Ask not what your country can
do for you, rather, ask what you …” Amongst other things, his remark concerns
services and idealism. Clearly he sought
to tap into people’s idealism and their desire to stand for something, to stand
up and be counted, not just to be bargain hunters and Costco shoppers, whose
chief aim is to get the most goods and services for the least price.
The
NSWOOA can help a person stand for something.
The new Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest Division offers an opportunity
for members to put idealism into action by helping to develop an alternate to
industrial forestry. If Nova Scotia
forestry ever becomes economic and equitable again, the Central Wood Suppliers
Division can be re-activated to provide a service to members, but that is in
the realm of “if.”
In
the present circumstance, what we have is enough and all that we can afford …a
membership that gives us a place to hang our hat with the hats of others … a
way to define ourselves and belong to an affinity group of like-minded people,
united for political action and by ideas about forestry. Thirty bucks.
Woodlot Visitation Program
By Stephen
Cole
NSWOOA
Forester
Hello NSWOOA!
Our outreach
project for 2012 is almost complete, with 91 woodlots being visited as of 26 October.
We hope to continue the project in 2013,
so if you (or other woodlot owners you know) are interested in a woodlot visit,
don't hesitate to contact us for more information!
One of the
woodlots I visited in Shelburne County held some very interesting lessons and
examples of alternatives to clear-cutting in even-aged forests of balsam fir
and red maple (where selection harvesting is often not appropriate or applied). The woodlot owner had thinned out the 4-inch
diameter balsam fir 20 years ago, roughly 8 feet apart. When I arrived there, we discovered the trees
had only grown to, on average, 6 inches.
This is largely due to the poor soil and coastal exposure. However, his efforts had unexpected rewards.
In the gaps between trees – where light reached the forest floor – the regeneration
was about 70% fir, 20% red spruce, and 10% white pine. With a little pre-commercial thinning, that
could be a stand dominated by red spruce and white pine in some areas, while other
areas were still all fir. We searched
for the large seed trees in the canopy, but could not find them on his property
or the neighbours. Regardless, nature
found a way.
(Stephen Cole can be contacted
at 902-309-1062 or bradcole500@gmail.com.)
What’s the Rate For..?
With the opening of the former
New Page mill (now named Port Hawkesbury Paper), wood is moving again and
prices are creeping upwards for some products from historic lows. There are
still no buyers of low-grade material or fir logs in southern Nova Scotia,
however.
The following is a snapshot of
wood prices in Nova Scotia on October 23. Prices are subject to change at
any time.
Elmsdale Lumber
$72/T delivered 0 to 100km
$75/T delivered 101km plus
Harry Freeman & Son
Spruce Logs $62/T roadside
10 ' studs $56/T roadside
Hefler Forest Products
Spruce Logs $72/T delivered
J.D. Irving Sproule
Lumber
#2 Pulp $35/T delivered
10 ' studs $70/T delivered
Ledwidge Lumber
stud prem #1-spruce $150/Cord
delivered
stud #2 -spruce/fir (max
50%fir) $130/Cord delivered
stud #3 -spruce/fir $115/Cord
delivered
Langille’s
Pulp #1 $35/T roadside
Pulp #2 $28/T roadside
Port Hawkesbury Paper
Pulp #1 $38/T roadside
Pulp #1 $36/T roadside within
250km
Pulp #1 $34/T roadside
250-350km
Green Biomass $35.50/T
(76-125km)
Green Biomass $37/T (126+km)
Dry Biomass $40.50/T (76-125km)
Dry Biomass $42/T (126+km)
If you have any questions
regarding wood prices, you can call Stephen Cole at 902-309-1062 or bradcole500@gmail.com.
Coming
Soon to an Association Near You
By Andy Kekacs
NSWOOA Program Director
This will be the last month for
the current version of the NSWOOA newsletter. Beginning on 10 December, and
continuing every month on the Monday after the directors’ meeting, a more
colorful and informative newsletter will be distributed to your e-mail in-boxes
and – very soon – available on the Internet.
The change is part of a
long-term plan to improve the services that NSWOOA offers to its members, and
to bolster the association’s outreach efforts.
You can help! If you have
issues that you want to see covered in the newsletter, suggestions for regular
columns, information on coming events that might be of interest to woodlot
owners, personal stories or pictures that you want to share, contact Andy
Kekacs at 902-817-4763 or andy.nswooa@gmail.com.
One thing to watch for in the
December newsletter: An invitation to participate in a confidential survey of
NSWOOA members. We want to know more
about why you belong to the association and what benefits you would like to
receive. How can we serve you better? What would make it easier for you to manage
your woodlot?
Other changes coming your way:
- In case you haven’t noticed, NSWOOA now has a Facebook page. Several members had suggested the move at the association’s last Annual General Meeting. Visit us at https://www.facebook.com/NSWOOA?ref=hl .
- The website re-design is almost ready to be implemented, though additions and improvements will continue into 2013.
The More Things Change …
The joke goes, “Nostalgia isn’t
what it used to be ...” In the process
of cleaning out the attic, several copies of the Forest Times newsletter from the early 1980s have come to light. Here are some items of interest from those pages:
An August 1984 story by the
NSWOOA’s Ron Blumer explains that negotiations had begun with Scott Paper and
the NSWOOA’s Scott Suppliers Division for a new contract to replace the first agreement.
The article notes, “The Association insists that if intensive forest management
is to occur in Nova Scotia, there must be adequate markets for wood at all
times, as well as enough return on wood to the producer to cover the costs of
management.” (August 1984)
A boxed item in that same issue
lists the executive members of the NSWOOA, the Board of Directors,
Directors-at-Large, Divisional Directors, Affiliated Directors, and Office
Staff.
Making the news also in that
issue was the brand-new market certification of the NSWOOA’s newest division,
Nova Scotia Land Owners and Forest Fibre Producers Association, the NSWOOA’s
marketing division for the Port Hawkesbury pulp mill.
The same issue features a photo
of the NSWOOA booth at the first Forestry Exhibition in Windsor that year.
The June 1984 Forest Times
contains an item, NSWOOA Update, by
the same Ron Blumer, with this insight:
“We believe our Association has an important responsibility to help the
people of Nova Scotia better understand and appreciate the importance of sound
forest management. Fulfilling this
responsibility will provide us with an opportunity to establish a stronger
image in the province and to broaden our contact with both woodlot owners and
other groups.”
This is from the April 1984 issue, titled Woodlot Owners want Forest Improvements Act
Implemented: “...good forest management
cannot be carried out without regulations and guidelines to follow.” The NSWOOA at its AGM that year passed a
motion encouraging the Government to implement the new Forest Improvements Act
that had already been passed. “Earlier
... Provincial Forest Practices Improvements Board Chair Hugh Fairn said that
the rules of forest practices in the act are based upon experience in Nova
Scotia and Northern Europe, and on scientific fact. Specifically, this experience relates to not
cutting stands of immature trees, protecting natural regeneration, making the
best use of the wood that is cut, and providing a greenbelt for the protection
of waterways.”
… The More They Stay the Same.
Forest Certification and You
The
Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute has sent along an item that might be of
interest to NSWOOA members:
·
MTRI
is currently working on research into customer attitudes towards certified forest
products. This will help MTRI and forestry-related businesses in Nova Scotia
better understand where we can do more outreach and education on sustainable
forestry initiatives with consumers of the product (which is everyone). Please
take a few minutes and fill out the survey at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/M2PWG38.
Get into the Round: Yurt Building Workshops
Building your own shelter is an
empowering and inspiring experience! If you’re interested in hand-crafting your
own yurt, learning about natural and ancient building techniques, or just want
to experience living in yurts during the winter, then get into the round this
January with Little Foot Yurts!
When: January 18-20 and January 25-27, 2013
Where: 1459 White Rock Road, Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Cost: $320 plus tax. Includes workshop fee, yurt camping, gourmet local & organic vegetarian food, and a yurt “zine.”
Accommodation: Sleep, eat, learn and share with others in cozy felted yurts equipped with wood stoves.
Registration: Please register online at http://www.lfy.ca/yurt_building_workshop/index.html
Where: 1459 White Rock Road, Wolfville, Nova Scotia
Cost: $320 plus tax. Includes workshop fee, yurt camping, gourmet local & organic vegetarian food, and a yurt “zine.”
Accommodation: Sleep, eat, learn and share with others in cozy felted yurts equipped with wood stoves.
Registration: Please register online at http://www.lfy.ca/yurt_building_workshop/index.html
For more information, contact
Selene Cole at 902 670-4556 selene@lfy.ca
or visit www.lfy.ca
Lines
of Communication
Members are encouraged to
contact the Board of Directors, the Executive and other members through our e-mail
address (nswooa@gmail.com) or by phone (902-633-2108). Please feel free to keep
us informed about what’s going on in your woodlot or in your community. We’ll
try to address the issue or make others aware of it through our newsletters and
mailings, our column in Atlantic Forestry
Review, at the Annual General Meeting, or on our website www.nswooa.ca.
