NSWOOA Update 15: June/July 2008

The photo above and others used with this update were taken during the NSWOOA members' tour of Elmsdale Lumber Company on May 31. The Elmsdale Lumber Company specializes in high-quality lumber products, and aims to produce the highest quality lumber in the province. This fits nicely with the concept that the NSWOOA has been promoting lately, that of producing high-quality logs through selection management, crop tree pruning and crop tree release. All photos courtesy Jack McLellan. Thanks Jack, and thanks to Elmsdale Lumber for hosting this great day.

Hello Woodlot Owners!

Round and Round in a Circle

How did the Voluntary planning session go in your area? This round of hearings is done now. If you were connected to one of several groups following each meeting you received reports on most of the meetings. There seems to have been good attendance with some predictable features at each meeting: industry stating that all is good, its practices based on science and sustainability; members of the public expressing distaste for clearcutting, etc. Everyone complained that there was insufficient time to do a meaningful job, that 30 seconds was more of a poll of opinions and just a bit paternalistic. Most participants were very enthusiastic and assertive of their opinions, ready do go deeper, to make specific suggestions as to regulations, structure and objectives. And many would very much like to be more deeply and meaningfully involved. Woodlot owners made their views known as well, and many had great ideas, and knew of working models of forest management they recommended. As well, local participation focused on local issues. In some sites, for example, the need to ban uranium exploration and mining was at least as popular a position as the no clearcutting stance. For all those who wish to contribute more, to discuss in depth, or to promote their concepts of forestry, the most significant way to have input now seems to be to submit your presentations to the Voluntary Planning website for posting. Submit your material to volplan@gov.ns.ca and read others' submissions at: https://vp.gov.ns.ca/projects/resources/getinvolved/results

What is to come of all of this? Will all these presentations mean any significant improvements? We don't know. What is your opinion? What next?

Uneven-Aged Management Outreach Project

The Uneven-Aged Management Outreach Project has completed 5 workshops designed to educate woodlot owners about the Category 7 Quality Improvement Silviculture Program, which provides funding for crop tree release, crop tree pruning and selection management on qualifying woodlots. Topics covered during the workshops included how to do these treatments, which focus on growing high-value trees, and how to identify suitable sites for such treatments. The workshops were held all over the province and attracted approximately 200 woodlot owners. The workshops also received publicity in newspapers around the province and features on CBC Radio and CJFX in Antigonish. This publicity has helped bring public attention to uneven-aged management and the reasons to grow high value trees.

The Outreach Project has been such a success that the $443,000 originally set aside for Category 7 funding was allocated by the beginning of April, and there are indications that the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources may put additional money into the funding program this year. Next steps for the Project include a workshop designed specifically for contractors, visits to individual woodlots, and the writing of a report to be submitted to the Association for Sustainable Forestry and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.

The Uneven-Aged Management Outreach Project is administered by the ASF and is funded by NSDNR. NSWOOA is delivering the project in partnership with Picea Forestry Consulting.

Nontimber Forest Products

NSWOOA received a couple of emails from different sources about nontimber forest products. Here are the key points:

A summer student working at the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources is putting together a directory of producers of NTFPs in the Maritimes and Maine to be called From Our Atlantic Woods. The student's name is Sarah J. d'Appollonia and her email address is dapollsj@gov.ns.ca. The letter she distributed to the NSDNR list of woodlot owners is as follows:

"Dear Nova Scotian Woodlot Owner,

"I would like to inform you about the new non-timber forest products (NTFPs) directory; From Our Atlantic Woods. The Stewardship and Outreach Section of NS-DNR is partnering with various organizations in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and the state of Maine to develop the first NTFPs directory in the Atlantic region. The From Our Atlantic Woods directory seeks to facilitate the development of a vibrant, diverse, and sustainable NTFP industry in Atlantic Canada and Maine through the provision of tools allowing growers, producers, retailers and the general public access to critical information. Once the necessary information is compiled, the directory will be available in retail outlets as a published hard copy and online at http://www.ntfp.infor.ca/. Additional information such as, recipes, modern uses, and sustainable harvesting techniques will also be showcased in the directory.

"Listing your NTFP business in the directory is free of charge. However, you may wish to include a paid ad for additional exposure. The directory will provide listings for NTFP businesses throughout the Atlantic Provinces as well as the State of Maine.

"In order to be eligible to advertise your NTFP business in the directory you must meet several requirements. Requirements for the From Our Atlantic Woods directory are as follows:

• producer/harvester/retailer/manufacturer/supplier of NTFP in the Atlantic Provinces or State of Maine
• all listings must have a link to forestry
• practice sustainable forestry on your woodlot
• have "sale-ready" NTFPs

"Excluded from the From Our Woods directory are large scale, highly-organized NTFP industries.

"If you, or someone you know is interested in advertising a Nova Scotian NTFP business in the directory, please fill out the attached file: From Our Atlantic Woods. [Webmaster's note: Please email Ms. d'Appollonia for a copy of this form.] This PDF file requires "Adobe Acrobat" in order to open successfully. Once you have opened the file you may fill it out electronically if you have the appropriate Adobe add-ons. If not, you may print the form, fill it out, and kindly return it to the Stewardship and Outreach Section of NS-DNR by email, fax, or mail (listed below).

Stewardship and Outreach Section

Department of Natural Resources

P.O. Box 698 Halifax, NS B3J 2T9

Email: dapollsj@gov.ns.ca

Fax: (902) 424-7735

(902) 424-8116

"If you have any questions or comments concerning the From Our Atlantic Woods directory, or any woodlot related questions in general, please do not hesitate to contact me."

In addition, INFOR (the forestry information organization attached to the Maritime College of Forest Technology in Fredricton) now has a web page devoted to NTFPS. This is at http://www.infor.ca/?section=5

Finally, Natural Resources Canada has started a website on NTFPS and "innovative bioproducts" (including bioenergy). This can be found at http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/subsite/forest-bioproducts

Mycorrhizal Fungi

(Excerpted from Jamie Simpson's book Restoring the Acadian Forest: A Guide for Woodlot Owners in the Maritimes, P41. The book is due to be published in a month's time. Meanwhile Jamie is taking orders for the book at bocabec@gmail.com. The price will be $20, including shipping.)

Mycorrhizal fungi form large networks of root like structures, or mycelia, throughout the upper layers of forest soil. The mycelia grow into the roots of suitable plants, and thereby become an extension of a plant's own root system. In fact, these fungi are more efficient than the plants at extracting and transporting water and certain nutrients (such as phosphorous). Plants that are colonized by these fungi have better growth rates and are more resistant to environmental stresses, such as drought, cold and root diseases, than plants that do not share a relationship with mycorrhizal fungi.

Mill Tour

The Saturday May 31 tour of the Elmsdale Lumber Company grounds and mill went well. Ten mill workers came in to run the various machines and demonstrate the processes. The mill explained how Elmsdale Lumber trades on quality, and how it produces a mixture of products to a variety of markets as a strategy to survive and flourish in today's markets. Downey Thompson acted as host, and received a gift from the NSWOOA for his efforts. A notable addition to the tour was Austin Parson's architecture class from Dalhousie University. Many thanks to all involved in making the day such a success.

Breaking News

The Woodlot Owners of the Year winners are Russell McNally, the central and provincial winner in Greenfield, Colchester County; NSWOOA member Neal Livingston, Black River, Inverness County, Cape Breton in the East; and Royce Ford of Maitland, Queens County. Congratulations to all.

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 or, for member services, 902-673-3009). 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 this website.

NSWOOA Update 14: May 2008

Above: Members of NWOOA and Nagaya Forest Restoration Ltd. learn how to take high-value sawlogs out of the firewood pile on an FSC-certified woodlot belonging to NSWOOA director George Johnson in Cumberland County. Photo courtesy George Johnson.

Hello Woodlot Owners!

Should Have Been

For those of you who are of a certain age, one of the textbooks you might have studied in school is the American novel The Great Gatsby. The narrator of that novel is Nick Carroway, and the subject of his writing is the tragic life of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby, as he was called, was not a woodlot owner, but he should have been. He had the basic necessary qualities. In Chapter 1, Nick explains his reason for writing the novel. Whereas others may have seen Gatsby as a fake, a failure, a loser or at best a dreamer, Nick sees in him the capacity of infinite hope. This hope is almost a faith-like experience, and the narrator's choice of The Great Gatsby as a title refers to the magnificence of this infinite hope.

That of course makes both characters, Nick and Gatsby, prime candidates to be woodlot owners. What quality do we have if not that same capacity for infinite hope? Woodlot owners plant trees, thin stands, prune crop trees, and make investments for the benefit of future generations. They wait for nature to respond. They wait for the public and industry to respond. They have faith in what they do. Somewhere, someday down the track all this work, worry and patience will pay off. What quality is this then, if not that of infinite hope?

Big Event: May 31 Mill Tour

Please let us know your intentions.

NSWOOA members are invited on May 31 to attend a tour of the Elmsdale Lumber Mill. The morning will involve a tour of the yard and the mill, and information sessions by mill personnel.

The afternoon will involve presentations. Dinner will be provided. Please phone or email your response now.

The Elmsdale Lumber Company specializes in high-quality lumber products, and aims to produce the highest quality lumber in the province. This fits nicely with the concept that the NSWOOA has been promoting lately, that of producing high-quality logs through selection management, crop tree pruning and crop tree release.

In order to know how many to prepare for, we are requesting that interested members contact us by email or by phone (902-633-2108). Memberships will be available on site.

A Minute of Silence

We have received word that John B. Dechman of Upper Musquodoboit has passed away. John served as President of the NSWOOA and as President of the Scott Suppliers Division of the NSWOOA.

John will be remembered by NS woodlot owners and operators as having generously given his time and energy to improve the financial lot of members of our Division and the woodlot owners of Nova Scotia in general.

Throughout our 38 years the work of the NSWOOA has been conducted by selfless investment of time and talent by many people, and John Dechman is one of those who carried his share of the load. We are greatly in his debt for his many contributions.

Our deepest sympathies are extended to his family. We count ourselves among his friends who grieve his loss.

Outreach Project

Patricia Amero and company report excellent success with their educational events to promote and explain uneven-aged forest management and Category Seven Quality Improvement Silviculture techniques. Participants seem pleased with the information package, the presentations and the woodlot sessions. The Uneven-Aged Management Project can be reached by phone (902-673-2278) or email.

Voluntary Planning Presentation: Urgent

The first Voluntary Planning sessions have been held and the news in not good. Reports indicate that attendance at the meetings has been dominated by industry spokespeople, their contractors and organizations. Comments from participants so far assure the Committee that present policies are sustainable and even a bit too restrictive. Public participation and the voice of woodlot owners has not been heard as yet.

Make sure you and your neighbors get out to the meetings. Numbers count, and so do your comments .

Members who attended the Annual General Meeting expressed a desire to view the revised Voluntary Planning Submission. It is now posted on our website.

All members are encouraged to attend one of the VP public meetings in their area. If there is an issue, a vision, a recommendation you will have the opportunity to express it. Weight of numbers counts.

You may also pass in written submissions at the meetings, or email them directly to Voluntary Planning.

See the column to your left for a list of community meetings being sponsored by Voluntary Planning.

Legacy Trees

An excerpt from Restoring the Acadian Forest by Jamie Simpson, p. 51, used with permission.

[When selective harvesting] identify and leave legacy trees. Legacy or 'full cycle' trees are large healthy dominant trees that are allowed to grow old and die. Alive they provide structural diversity and a rain of genetically fit seed; once dead, they provide cavity nest sites while standing and a source of large deadwood when they fall.

Lines of Communication

Members are encouraged to contact the Board of Directors, the Executive and other members through our email address (http://mail.google.com/mail/h/s5hc6vl43p5o/?v=b&cs=wh&to=nswooa@gmail.com) or by phone (902-633-2108 or, for member services, 902-673-3009). 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 this website: http://www.nswooa.ca/

NSWOOA Update 13

NSWOOA members gathered for our Annual General Meeting in Great Village on April 12. Above, President Lorne Burrows welcomes the group. For additional photos, see below.

Hello Woodlot Owners!

Ssssshhhhhh! Quiet. Just listen.

There's something to be said for increasing your ability to learn by closing your mouth and being still, as all good teachers have pointed out to unruly classes throughout the ages. In that context, more or less, Nagaya Forestry requires each management plan in its group to declare a quiet time when the woodlot owner is still and listens. Many of these plans, it turns out, list the spring as the chosen time of year for this learning experience. Seems reasonable, doesn't it? Spring is a time of rebirth, a time of awe and inspiration. Those who find a spiritual element in the forests are more likely to find it under these conditions.

It is the practice of some to take a few quiet moments throughout any day in the woods. Sometimes there is something to listen to: the animals. insects, or even the wind. Occasionally there is complete silence. And occasionally, speaking from experience, even the voices inside one's own head are still. These are precious moments. Sometimes they lead to a moment of insight, or a gradual understanding. Occasionally too they lead to a moment of contented drowsiness. Either way, you, the woodlot owner, are the richer for the experience.

Early Notice: Mill Tour

Here's early warning, in time for you to circle your calendar in red so you will not miss a very interesting event. NSWOOA members are invited on May 31 to tour the Elmsdale Lumber Mill. The morning will involve a tour of the yard and the mill, and information sessions by mill personnel. The afternoon will involve a tour of a company operated woodlot. Lunch will be provided. Details to follow.

The Elmsdale Lumber Company specializes in high quality lumber produces, and it aims to produce the highest quality lumber in the province. This fits nicely with the concept that the NSWOOA has been promoting lately, that of producing high-quality logs through selection management, crop tree pruning and crop tree release.

In order to know haw many to prepare for, we are requesting that interested members contact us by email (nswooa@gmail.com) or by phone (902-633-2108).

Were You There?

It was quite an annual general meeting this year! There was much enthusiasm in the room and many, many ideas shared.

Above, Registered Professional Forester Patricia Amero of Picea Forestry Consulting reports to the group on the success of the Outreach Project that the NSWOOA is conducting under a contract with the Association for Sustainable Forestry. Funding for this project is provided by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resource. Below, the Outreach Project has taken this display, hand-made by newly elected NSWOOA board member Sandy Hyde, to Woodlot Owner Conferences and other woodlot-owner meetings all over the province.

Patricia Amero of Picea Forestry Consulting presented a report on the Uneven-Aged Management Outreach Project that Picea is doing together with the NSWOOA. She summarized the features of the program, and outlined accomplishments to date. The project seems to be going very well and is on schedule. There are already about 250 woodlot owners in the database and more taking the survey every day. Read about the educational sessions below. Space is limited and pre-registration is required, so get in touch with the Outreach Project soon if you want to attend.

Above, NSWOOA Director Austin Parsons takes notes during his presentation on the Board's proposed submission to Voluntary Planning.

Director Austin Parsons presented the Board's proposed Voluntary Planning submission. It was in four parts. The first discussed forest diversity and healthy ecosystems as the basis of a diversified forest product industry. Diversity means sustainability and flexibility, whereas one product means rigidity and lack of sustainability. The second part dealt with the need for simplification and standardization in the industry. It would be much easier if all mills described their specifications in the same terms, and used the same criteria and paperwork for their Registered Buyer funds. The third section dealt with viewing woodlot owners as entrepreneurs who manage legitimate businesses. How can the business owners gain control of the resource? The final section was the recommendations and actions needed to bring about desired change.
Comments were vigorous and extremely helpful to the Board for their final revision. The presentation drew many compliments from those attending.

Lunch was followed by a lively panel discussion of "Hot Topics" such as Acadian Forest Restoration, biomass production, and global climate change. Below, NSWOOA President Lorne Burrows and Past President Tom Miller were among those who spoke during this discussion.

Lorne Burrows

Tom Miller

Cause to Celebrate

Three new directors were chosen for the NSWOOA board at the AGM: Tony Phillips, Sandy Hyde, and Kermit DeGooyer. Congratulations and welcome aboard.

Category 7 Outreach Project

Our Uneven-Aged Management Outreach Project will be conducting workshops and field trips throughout the province in May and June.

Focused on selection management, crop tree release, and crop tree pruning (silviculture methods that help woodlot owners to grow high-value trees), these free workshops are scheduled as follows:
• May 3, Digby County, Richfield area
• May 10, Colchester County, Earltown area
• May 24, Queens County, North Brookfield area
• June 7, Victoria County, Middle River area
• June 14, Antigonish County, St. Joseph area

Space for the Uneven-Aged Management Project workshops is limited, and pre-registration is required. To register, please call 902-673-2278 or email outreach@asforestry.com

Old Fields

An excerpt from Jamie Simpson's new book Restoring the Acadian Forest, p. 93. Used with permission.

Years of agricultural use typically have changed the soil composition and structure of [old fields]…. Some sites have a soil condition known as hardpan, caused by decades of ploughing to the same depth and which limits proper drainage and rooting. Course woody debris and, in some cases, nutrients and organic soil matter are even lower than in recent clearcuts. Plants common in abandoned fields—known as pioneer species—are able to withstand poor conditions, so they play an important role in rejuvenating such sites. With time, fields that are not mowed will eventually fill with pioneer species. The early successional plants protect the soil from erosion, add nutrients, and build organic matter. They also add shade and increase moisture levels, creating suitable microclimates for later-successional species and providing food and nesting sites for wildlife. Many of the pioneer trees grow fast and haverelatively short lives, so they provide a relatively quick source of standing and fallen deadwood. White spruce is a common component in this succession, along with species such as tamarack, white birch, poplar, cherry, alder and willow.

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 or, for member services, 902-673-3009). 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 this website.