NSWOOA Update 25: July 2009

In this issue:
NSWOOA field day
Congratulations to the new minister of the Department of Natural Resources
Insect report from a NSWOOA member in the field
Sympathies
Comments on Acadian Forest restoration from Wade Prest
Uneven-aged management notes from Patricia Amero
How to reach us

Hello Woodlot Owners,

Well, the government has changed, “turned over” as they used to say. You, the reader, a woodlot owner, have received an invitation from the new Minister of Natural Resources to discuss the forestry industry. You know that Industry has well-prepared presentations and easy access to the minister. In preparation to the meeting, you make some notes on the present issues and opportunities.

You also know that contractors are going out of business, mills have been laying off workers or closing down. There is a great pressure for the new minister to boost forestry employment and to make changes that will make it easier and cheaper for large forest-based companies to operate profitably. The current pressure is to develop a biomass industry, and it is being sold as a “green” alternative. Large tracts of land are being sold off, possibly to foreign owners or to developers for non-forestry use. Nova Scotia is at the very bottom of the list for the number of jobs created per ton of timber harvested. What about climate change? Beetles? And the list goes on.

On the other side, DNR has recently put forth initiatives in multi-aged forest management, silviculture options, and certification. A review of forest policy has been under way, the first phase of which makes it very clear that there is a great deal of public interest in forestry, and a desire by the public to be involved in forestry-management decisions.

You will have half an hour. What will you advise the new minister?

Please let us know.


NSWOOA Field Day September 19, 2009
Woodlot of Marlene and Lloyd Langille
Hopewell Area, near New Glasgow

If you’re a landowner with a bog, swamp, marsh or other wetlands on your property, a mid-September field day in Pictou County will be of particular interest.

That’s because John Brazner, wetland and water specialist for Nova Scotia Environment, will be on hand to listen to comments or concerns and answer questions about a draft provincial wetland policy.

Mr. Brazner will be one of several presenters at a Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association field day on Saturday, Sept. 19. The event will be hosted by Lloyd and Marlene Langille of the Hopewell area, near New Glasgow.

Wetlands provide a wide range of ecosystem services, including cleaner drinking water, carbon storage, and wildlife habitat, often for rare or endangered species.

“For small woodlot owners . . . some of the key roles and services associated with wetlands include moderating the effects of large rains by storing water, stabilizing runoff and minimizing erosion and flooding,” said Mr. Brazner in an email interview.

“The policy will represent a commitment to managing Nova Scotia’s wetlands in a consistent manner and to balance the desire for maintaining a high level of wetland integrity for future generations with the current need for sustainable economic development in our communities,” said Mr. Brazner. “Ultimately, the policy is intended to prevent the net loss of Nova Scotia’s valuable wetlands.”

Mr. Brazner said that net loss doesn’t mean every wetland will be protected. He said government will continue to base project-development decisions on avoiding wetlands or requiring mitigation efforts or compensation when avoidance isn’t possible.

Developing a new wetland policy by the end of 2009 is a legislated commitment under the province’s Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act. There will be public consultation before a policy is finalized.

More details on the field day, which will feature local food for lunch and wagon rides to different parts of the woodlot, will be released over the summer. The event will be held on a 130-acre mixed woodlot where the Langilles have been harvesting annually for more than 40 years. They’ve done so mainly through selection harvesting—cutting trees singly or in small groups—so wood volume has been retained and cut areas are vigorous and healthy with natural regeneration.

Also on the field day

NSWOOA member Rodney Spencer has agreed to participate in the field day on the Langille woodlot by demonstrating his Wood-Mizer bandsaw. He will bring some jigs to show how woodlot owners can produce value-added products, such as siding for buildings, etc. Rodney is well known for his sawing services and has been featured in the Update in past issues.

Information on registration, times, and the agenda will follow in a future Update, as well as directions to the site. Please make an effort to attend, and bring as many woodlot owner neighbours and interested folk as possible.

For more information on the field day, please contact George Johnson, chair of the NSWOOA field day committee, at 897-3750 (cell) or by email.

Congratulations

The Board and members of the NSWOOA offer hearty congratulations to John MacDonnell on his recent appointment to the position of Minister of the Department of Natural Resources. John’s approach to the management of the forests and the forest industry may well be different from that of many of our past ministers, as he began his experiences with woodlots as a horse logger. We wish him well in his new position and look forward to working with him for the betterment of the forests and woodlot owners.

Wildlife Report

Actual correspondence from a NSWOOA member in the field/woods June 10 .

"The mosquitoes have basically joined in with the blackflies, and now horseflies are part of the mix. Let's not forget the ticks. It depends on where you are and what kind of woods you are in. The no-seeums should arrive soon. Thanks goodness for this cool, damp weather. Really!! "

Sympathies

The Board and members of the NSWOOA extend sincere sympathies to former NSWOOA president Tom Miller and his family on the passing of Tom’s father.

Something to Think About

Jamie Simpson’s book Restoring the Acadian Forest contains several interviews with woodlot owners who have been involved in the restoration struggle. One interview is with Wade Prest:
“Prest has seen a gradual decline in the value of woodlots in the Acadian Forest causing higher volume harvesting of low value wood. He believes this trend towards quantity over quality prevents woodlot owners from managing their woodlots the way they would like. Instead they are forced to compete with contractors harvesting wood fibre on sites that would otherwise be uneconomical to harvest. ‘This leads to the fact that the benefits of owning land are being taken out private ownership … and being transferred to big companies, and this is not good for the forests or society.’” (Page 106. Copies of this book are available from Jamie.)

UAM Notes: Using silviculture funding to help offset restoration costs, part two
By Patricia Amero, RPF

In the previous newsletter, I discussed the silviculture treatment of fill planting—particularly underplanting, a type of fill planting that involves planting desired species under partial tree canopy. For this issue, I will discuss how fill planting can be used together with selection management to help you offset the cost of restoration and improvement efforts.

Selection management is part of the silviculture funding Category 7, Forest Quality Improvement, of the province’s Forest Sustainability Regulations and is available through the Association for Sustainable Forestry’s silviculture program as well as various Registered Buyers’ silviculture programs. Selection management involves the periodic harvest of trees that will not improve in growth or quality by means of individual tree selection and/or harvesting small groups of trees through patch cuts of various sizes. The aim is to create growing space for various aged and sized trees that are vigorous and are of good quality, often referred to as crop trees, promoting their growth and quality development, producing high-value forest products, and encouraging the regenerating class. Selection management is generally practiced in uneven-aged stands, but it also can be used to achieve multi-aged and structured forest conditions.

Take, for instance, a forest stand that contains an upper canopy of mature trees such as Balsam fir, White spruce, Red maple, and scattered Yellow birch and White ash with an intermediate class of immature spruce, Red maple, and some birches. Primarily Balsam fir, Red maple, and some Yellow birch are regenerating under canopy. A selection harvest could be used to salvage a portion of the maturing Balsam fir and White spruce while leaving partial canopy to provide conditions in which shade-tolerant species would be encouraged to fill in and establish.

However, because Balsam fir and Red maple are fairly shade-tolerant and aggressive, it might be difficult for Yellow birch regeneration to emerge and might be especially difficult for other desired species such as Red spruce, Hemlock, Sugar maple, and White ash to fill in, due not only to the prevalence of the Balsam Fir and Red maple but also because of the lack of desired seed sources in the area. In this case, fill planting (in the form of underplanting), as discussed in part one, can be used together with selection management to help move succession along for the next-generation forest.

Funding is available for both treatments as long as the criteria associated with each of these silviculture treatments are achievable. The criteria for fill planting, silviculture Category 1, were outlined in part one. In order to qualify for selection management, Category 7c, the following criteria must be met:

• Three different height classes must be present with one height class being at least 10 meters (33 feet). (Height classes are essentially the same as age classes.)
• At least 80% of the area must be covered by trees, but the height doesn’t matter.
• After treatment, the basal area must average 16-30 m2 per hectare, of which 5 m2 per hectare must consist of qualifying shade-tolerant species.
• After treatment, areas of dense young softwoods 3-7 meters (10-23 feet) tall and hardwoods 6-9 meters (20-30 feet) tall must be spaced 1.5 meters (5 feet) apart.

For more detailed information regarding selection management and criteria to be eligible for silviculture funding, please refer to this website. For a pdf on uneven-aged management, click here.

Lines of Communication

Members are encouraged to contact the Board of Directors, the Executive, and other members through our email address or by phone (902-633-2108 or, for member services, 902-673-2278). 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 mailouts, our column in Atlantic Forestry Review, the Annual General Meeting, and this website.

NSWOOA Update 24: May 2009

In this issue
Voluntary Planning
The NSWOOA seeks your opinion
Fall Field Day
Biomass harvesting
Using silviculture funding to help pay for restoration
The new executive
Update on Irving land sale
How to contact us

Hello Woodlot Owners!

Public Opinion

At the recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) Robin Barrett made a short presentation on the work of Voluntary Planning. It was their job to gather public opinion on the policies and practices in forestry, on parks and recreation, on biodiversity and on minerals.* They gathered these opinions, distilled them into themes and workshopped the results. Now they are prepared to pass the material over to four “panels of experts” who will make specific recommendations to a third and higher level panel whose job is to recommend policy to government. The panels of experts are yet to be named from the list of nominees, pending formulation of the final panel, indicated Robin.

So what are the main findings of the process so far? According to Robin, that theme is public participation. Over and over again presenters indicated that they wanted the public—ordinary concerned citizens like themselves—to have a mechanism through which they can have a meaningful role in determining public policy and practices. The quality of presentations from woodlot owners and members of the public at the VP hearings certainly indicates that there is a large body of people out there who have educated themselves on all aspects of forestry. There certainly is enough expertise among the general population to successfully argue that the public does really understand the forest, and thus their views should not be discounted when it comes to formulating forest policy. Recent shifts in programs, such as the Category 7 Quality Improvement Silviculture program and the newer woodlot certification program, seem to indicate that in the present day DNR attitude is more consultative. Things are looking up.

One can hope that the great demand for ongoing public input into forestry policy and practices will be satisfied. What the mechanism could and should be is difficult to imagine. There is certainly a range of opportunities, from boards and committees to discuss particular problems to the establishment of community-managed forest blocks.

What are community forests? Basically a community forest is a block of forest land that is managed according to the principles, practices and objectives of a group or “community” of citizens. A quick survey reveals that some community forests are public land only, set aside for an interest group to manage. Other forests are composed of both public and private lands. Aboriginal community forests are becoming more common. The question is this: Is it time for various groups in the Province to look into the community forest concept as a means of influencing forest policy and practice?

Where do you stand? How much are you willing to contribute? What structures would allow you the input and influence you would like to contribute?

*The NSWOOA is interested in all these topics, but especially forestry. The Board made a strong presentation to the VP process, backed up by the fact that members attending the 2008 AGM formally approved the presentation.

Something to Keep You Busy

Speaking of public input, members of the NSWOOA are being asked for their responses to a number of issues and proposals. Here is a list of the topics that you are asked to phone or email your thoughts on. Here’s your homework. It should fill in a half hour or more for you.

• What should the NSWOOA adopt as a policy on forestry? Do we have a common stand, and if so, what should it be?
• What membership services should we be providing? What do we do well, and what have we been neglecting?
• Is this website giving you what you need? Is there something more that we have missed?
• What role should we take in the Bancroft/Reed lawsuit against a federal and two provincial ministries for failing to protect the environment?
• Should we be involved in the Friends of the Redtail Society’s efforts to buy some Wagner land to use as a community resource?
• What is our position on biomass harvest? On building biomass-fired electrical or oil-producing plants?
• If you have been the victim of timber trespass, or have experiences on the topic to share, Tom Miller wants to hear from you. Please take the time to call us (633 2108) or email us .

Sept. 19 NSWOOA Field Day
By Steve Harder

This year’s field day in Pictou County will showcase the diversity of a working woodlot and a naturally regenerating forest.

Lloyd and Marlene Langille of the Hopewell area, near New Glasgow, will host the event on Saturday, Sept. 19.

The Langilles have been harvesting wood from a 130-acre mixed woodlot annually for more than 40 years. But they’ve done so mainly through selection harvesting—cutting trees singly or in small groups—so wood volume has been retained and cut areas are vigorous and healthy with natural regeneration. They try to avoid clearcutting.

“If you take it all in one shot, you can’t go back, at least in your lifetime,” says Marlene.

Lloyd keeps going back, removing logs using a tractor and winch. Up until about 10 years ago, he and Marlene used horses to take out the logs. Lloyd still sometimes brings in a horse in special spots where he doesn't want to cut a road for the tractor.

The field day will feature local food for lunch and horse and wagon rides to different parts of the woodlot.

Activities planned for this year’s NSWOOA field day include practical examples of woodland stewardship and discussion of broader issues of conservation and biodiversity.

Guest presenters will include Bob Bancroft, a well-known wildlife biologist who, along with his artist wife Alice Reed, is preparing to legally challenge provincial government officials over their failure to enforce existing land and water regulations that could have protected their 32 years of environmental stewardship.

A spokesperson for the Friends of the Redtail Society will speak about the nonprofit group’s efforts to raise funds to prevent a large parcel of land, some of which is old forest, from being clearcut.

Though the final agenda hasn’t been set, ideas being considered are:

1. Use an old field White spruce site, which is very common stand type on Nova Scotia woodlots, to show how these sites revert back to a natural forest.
2. Discuss topics such as old growth, habitat, and tree silvics along a trail network using examples of mature mixedwood stands (Eastern hemlock, Red spruce, Yellow birch, Red maple and Sugar maple).
3. Show the importance of riparian areas using small brooks as examples.
4. Demonstrate how silviculture, particularly selection harvesting, can be used to mimic natural processes of the forest through the implementation of various-sized patch cuts to encourage various ages of multi-species regeneration and thinning activities to promote growth of existing good-quality trees.
5. Mark an area of trees to help illustrate to landowners which tree should be cut and which tree should be left to grow and how this can vary depending on the landowner’s values and objectives.
6. Describe the province’s forest ecosystem classification system by showing soil and vegetation types and explain some hazards and advantages of different types.
7. Show the importance of soil biology, particularly in terms of long-term site productivity and ecosystem health.
8. Describe the role of wetlands in a healthy forest and their value in providing ecosystem services in filtering water and maintaining biodiversity and wildlife habitat.Display and operate a portable sawmill and explain how scaling and grading work.
9. Demonstrate how woodland owners can get value from non-timber forest products.
10. Provide information on outreach and silviculture funding programs offered by the Association for Sustainable Forestry.
11. Demonstrate raptor habitat with some examples of potential nest sites to show how to identify such habitat and potential habitat.

From this broad list of topics, a number will be selected for the Sept. 19 field day. If you have any suggestions or comments about the proposed demonstrations or events, please contact NSWOOA board members or send an email to nswooa@gmail.com. Stay tuned for more details on the final agenda and the format for the day’s activities.

The board of the NSWOOA invites members and anyone interested in woodland stewardship to attend the field day. To learn, share ideas with like-minded people and have fun.

Biomass Harvesting Guidelines
By Wade Prest

As reported at our AGM in April, the NSWOOA resigned from the NS Biomass Working Group, which has been given the task by DNR of developing guidelines for the harvest and retention of forest biomass in Nova Scotia. Recently, the latest draft was released for comment by interested stakeholders, including the NSWOOA. Interested members may contact the Board or Wade Prest to get more detail of the current version. Any members who would like to comment on the guidelines should contact Wade at 902-772-2211 before June 5, so that your concerns can be taken into consideration as the Association’s comments are prepared.

The guidelines will be mandatory on Crown Lands, and private landowners will be encouraged to follow the guidelines on their own properties. There are two main classes of biomass identified as important to the maintenance of site productivity. One of those is coarse woody debris (CWD), which is standing and fallen trees (or pieces thereof) over 10 cm in diameter. For some years now, guidelines for the retention of CWD have been in place in Nova Scotia, as part of the Wildlife Habitat and Watercourse Protection regulations. The recommended volumes of CWD to be left on harvested sites are based on observed CWD volumes in mature natural unmanaged stands. This will more or less be unchanged. The second category is the fine woody debris (FWD or “fines”), which is defined as tree components less than 10 cm in diameter, typically tops, limbs, twigs, and foliage. Recommendations are made for the amounts of this material which should remain well distributed on the site following harvest. The amounts vary with the site quality (from no removal on poor sites to 75% removal on better sites) and with silvicultural system (even-aged vs.uneven-aged management).

At this point, the NSWOOA still has grave concerns that harvesting more material (over and above stemwood) is an unsustainable practice. There is ample evidence in the woods that our forests are stressed, unhealthy, and often growing at a rate less than it should be. That should not be surprising, given the treatment many woodlots have experienced in the past. Unfortunately, the Biomass Working Group has offered no basis for its recommendations, and we will be expressing these reservations in our comments. Although these are only guidelines and woodlot owners are not obliged to follow them, your Association would prefer to see the Province issue guidelines which we can recommend to our members. As it stands, the NSWOOA will continue to urge its members to think of the long-term health and productivity of their woodlots, and consider a reduction in the level of biomass utilization, rather than stripping the land of its lifeblood for minimal short term financial gain.

UAM Notes: Using silviculture funding to help pay restoration costs, part one
By Patricia Amero, RPF

If you are trying to restore Acadian Forest species and structure on your woodlot, you may be able to use silviculture funding programs to help offset the cost of these efforts. These programs are available throughout Nova Scotia.

For example, a common occurrence in Nova Scotia is a stand dominated by mature pioneer species such as White spruce and/or Balsam fir, where the regeneration consists primarily of fir. In more cases than not, species such as Red spruce, Red maple, White ash, and Yellow birch can be found scattered among the regenerating fir, particularly where there are partial openings in the upper canopy. (Partially shaded conditions are most favorable for these shade-tolerant species.) When desired species are not regenerating naturally, you can plant to boost the proportion of desired species. This will move succession along and establish seed sources of shade-tolerant species for the next generation forest.

Which species to plant depends on your management objectives and the soil and vegetation types that naturally characterize your forest. If you want to qualify for funding, you must plant tree species with commercial value, which are referred to as crop trees. At this time, species that would be funded include Red spruce, White pine, Red pine, Eastern hemlock, Yellow birch, Sugar maple, White ash, and Red oak.

When an area does not have enough desired species in the desired locations, you can remedy this by planting the desired trees. In forestry terms, this type of planting is referred to as fill planting. Underplanting is a type of fill planting in which trees are planted under partial canopy. In restoration efforts, fill planting is especially useful in situations where there is a shortage of seed sources for desired species.

Money is available to help pay for fill planting under Silviculture Category 1 (“Natural Regeneration Establishment”) of the province’s Forest Sustainability Regulations. Although the reimbursement varies, typically it is $300 per hectare.

In order to qualify for funding under Category 1, you must meet certain criteria:

• You must plant acceptable species, as described earlier.
• You must plant at least 300 trees per hectare. (This is not very much.)
• After planting, at least 17% of the area must be stocked with planted trees.
• After planting, 80% of the area must be covered by trees of acceptable species. These trees may be either naturally regenerated or planted.
• Any planted hardwood species must be protected from browse, and no funding is available to help offset the cost of protecting these seedlings.

If you are fill planting 300-500 trees per hectare and if certain other conditions are met, a site such as this one might be eligible for additional silviculture funding under Silviculture Category 7 (“Quality Improvement”) of the Forest Sustainability Regulations. I’ll talk more about using fill planting together with selection management in the next edition of the NSWOOA Update. Following that, I’ll talk about how to use fill planting along with manual weeding in cut-over areas where most of the regeneration consists of pioneer species. Finally, I’ll explain how the funding process works and talk about what to do if you are interested in applying.

For more information on uneven-aged management, please check my blog.

The New Executive
In accordance with the By-Laws of the NSWOOA the Board of Directors at its first meeting following the AGM elected a new slate of officers.

President: Austin Parsons

Vice President (open temporarily)

Treasurer: Tony Phillips

Recording Secretary: Paul Brison

Corresponding Secretary: Ken MacRury

Central Wood Supply Division:
President: Lorne Burrows
Secretary: Paul Brison

The new executive thanks members for their support and asks that you make the extra effort to keep in contact, so that we may be better able to serve your needs.

Update on Irving Land Sale
By Kermit DeGooyer

The provincial government has taken a small step to secure some of the 214,000 acres of land that JD Irving Ltd. is selling in southwestern Nova Scotia. During a rally organized by Buy Back Nova Scotia at Province House on April 30, Natural Resources Minister Carolyn Bolivar-Getson announced that the government was bidding on 21,000 acres. This amounts to 10% of Irving’s holdings currently for sale, and if acquired, would be added to the Crown Land base. Most of the land is in the Silver and Caribou River watersheds in Digby Co. The Province is also putting in offers on a few small scattered parcels that contain old or uncommon forests, like the cedar swamp at Hectanooga. The Buy Back Nova Scotia coalition had hoped for more, and have pledged to continue pressing government (of whatever stripe we end up with) to acquire Irving’s lands. The coalition ranges from environmental groups and trail clubs to trappers and local businesses. They hope to prevent such a large area falling into the hands of real estate speculators, who tend to liquidate the forest, ring backcountry lakes with exclusive housing lots, and kick everyone out. Every municipality in the region has endorsed the Buy Back effort. For more, check out http://www.buybacknovascotia.ca/

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, 902-673-2278). 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 22: March 2009

In this issue
Notice of Annual General Meeting
Tentative agenda for AGM
The fall field day
Advertise your business or sell products at the AGM
Restoring the Acadian Forest will be available at the AGM
What is ecosystem-based forest management?
NSWOOA Past Presidents featured in Atlantic Forestry
Reminder
How to reach us

Hello Woodlot Owners!

One sermon preachers of every stripe have close at hand is their “Why Go To Church Sermon.” They pull it out and use it whenever they can. If you do go to church you probably have heard it there, and if the padre has visited your home, you may well have heard part of this sermon in the comfort of your own residence. Without going into the religious side of it, the fact is that it is easier and more fulfilling being a member of a group of like-minded individuals who encourage and nurture their common values. Well, it is the same for woodlot owners.

No, really. We don’t join an organization and go its annual general meeting and other events unless there is something in it for us. We can think of the educational elements of the programs, of the group lobbying power, of the intergenerational transfer of woodlots requirements, of meeting old acquaintances, and a lot more, but it comes down to the fact that we feel a sense of community and comradeship from our association with other like-minded woodlot owners. Belonging to this community makes us better woodlot owners. We are better off for it.

Notice of meeting: Annual General Meeting

We want everyone to attend!

Place: United Church Hall, Old Barns. Take Rte. 236 South from Truro 7 Km.
When: Saturday April 18, 9:00-3:30
Who: Members, prospective members, guests
Registration cost: Members $10, Guests $20 (Registration covers the cost of a meal.)
Theme/agenda:·Review of NSWOOA forest management policy, biomass, viewing of Eastern Shore Forest Watch’s “Honour in the Woods”, ecosystem-based management, silviculture funding options

Yes, you can still pay your 2009 dues at the AGM. Please note that if you wish to take advantage of our special $15/year subscription offer to Atlantic Forestry Review, we must have your membership and money no later than the AGM.

Agenda for the 2009 NSWOOA Annual General Meeting

April 18, Old Barns N.S.

Tentative Agenda

8:45-9:00: Registration, membership renewals and new memberships, set up displays, post ads, sell products
9:00-9:15: Call to order, welcome, and President’s address
9:15-10:00: Minutes of 2008 AGM, financial statements/report for 2008
10:00-10:45: Business arising, including letter re Group Savoie, seeking additional funds for Category 7, Voluntary Planning, recognition
10:45-11:00: Recess in business meeting and coffee break
11:00-11:20: New Business, resolutions, other
11:20-11:30: Kim Thompson, "Honor in the Woods"
11:30-11:40: Jamie Simpson, Restoring the Acadian Forest
11:40-12:40: Lunch and viewing of "Honor in the Woods" for those who wish to see it. Exchange materials, sell products, etc.
12:40-1:20: Session on establishing our forest policy
1:20-2:00: Consideration of membership and membership services
2:00- 2:10: Re-open business meeting, nominations of directors, close of business meeting
2:10-3:30: Ecosystem-based management and multi-aged and multi-species management funding from existing silviculture funds
3:30-3:40: Wrap up and adjournment.

Upcoming event

While all the focus is currently on the AGM, please don’t forget the Fall Field Day at the woodlot of Lloyd and Marlene Langille on Saturday, September 19. Rumour has it that horses will be present in the woods. The Langille woodlot is in the Hopewell area.

A membership privilege/perk

All members attending the AGM have the opportunity, free of cost, to set up a small table-top display of products, to circulate business cards, and to distribute pamphlets for their woodlot businesses at the meeting. Use this as an opportunity to promote your business or sell some product. New this year is the opportunity for members to advertise machinery, equipment or product wanted or for sale. Bring an item to advertise on the buy-and-sell bulletin board. Go for it. Sell some maple syrup. Or some woodland crafts. No charge, but let us know of your need for space by calling Charlie Baird at 895 8172.

Books available

Jamie Simpson will be present at the AGM to promote and sell his newly published book Restoring the Acadian Forest: A Guide to Forest Stewardship for Woodlot Owners in the Maritimes. The books are $20 each at the AGM. They are $25 each if you order them through the mail. Books can be ordered by mail from Jamie (bocabec@gmail.com) and you can also make arrangements to pick them up in Halifax or St. Andrews or Fredricton, NB. Contact Jamie for details.

UAM Notes: Ecosystem-Based Forest Management

By Patricia Amero, RPF

What is Ecosystem-Based Forest Management?

Forest managers must do much more than plan. We must be protectors and stewards of the land. To achieve this goal, many of us use an approach to management that is sometimes referred to as ecosystem-based forest management.

Generally speaking, an ecosystem is a community of interacting organisms. Ecosystems generally have similar site conditions (i.e., soil, climate, moisture), and the species in a particular ecosystem are all adapted to these shared environmental conditions. Ecosystems vary from one place to another because of differences in physical characteristics (geology, soils, landforms, topography, and surface materials) and biological characteristics (vegetation, animals, and microbes).

Ecosystems can be found on land (terrestrial) or in the water (aquatic) and can be very large (for example the Earth) or relatively small (a local forest). Ecosystems usually overlap and are interconnected or are dependent on one another through various processes—for instance the water cycle.

The Acadian Forest, where we live, is an ecosystem that contains many different ecosystems. The mix of tree species and other vegetation within each Acadian Forest ecosystem depends on various factors:

• site and soil conditions (aka moisture and nutrient regimes. For instance, wet to very dry sites and nutrient poor to rich fertile sites);
• climate or microclimate (a microclimate is an area where the climate is different from the climate in surrounding areas);
• the way humans have used the land (aka land-use patterns or human disturbances);
• the frequency with which the ecosystem experiences naturally occurring events such as high winds, fires, lightning, and insect outbreaks (aka natural disturbance regimes); and
• the forest’s current stage of development—that is, whether it is just beginning to grow back, is mature, is somewhere in between, or is a mixture of stages. This process of development from early stages to later stages, which all ecosystems go through, is referred to as natural or ecological succession.

In Nova Scotia we have two newly available tools that provide a good basis for identifying ecosystems across our landscape:

The Ecological Land Classification (ELC) for Nova Scotia uses information on climate, geology, soils, and so on to create maps of ecological groupings within the province at three levels: ecoregion, ecodistrict, and ecosection.

The Forest Ecosystem Classification (FEC) manuals for the central, western, and eastern regions of Nova Scotia contain vegetation and soil identification keys, descriptions, photographs, and corresponding management interpretations for the various vegetation and soil types found in Nova Scotia. Using the vegetation and soil type keys provided in the manual, ecosystems are then classified into 10 ecotypes. These range from dry-poor conifer (i.e., rock barren) to very rich deciduous (i.e., floodplains). (The manuals for the west and east are interim versions. The NSDNR provincial manual is scheduled for publication in 2011.)

In ecosystem-based forest management, tools such as these are very valuable. They are used to identify and apply management interpretations that reflect opportunities and address hazards and operational limitations associated with a site’s specific ecosystem (ecotype).

Incorporating such information into recommendations and operational planning will limit possible damage from harvesting and help to maintain both overall ecosystem health and site productivity for the long term. For instance, an ecosystem with Soil type 12 as classified in the FEC manual (“Rich moist, fine—medium textured”) is prone to rutting, compaction, and erosion. Thus management recommendations made using an ecosystem-base approach will include measures to minimize this risk. Protecting the soil will, in turn, ensure that the site remains productive for many years to come.

This approach to forest management respects the dynamic, changing character of the forest community and forest landscape. It takes a more holistic view of the forest and is especially appropriate for landowners whose goals and objectives are based on multiple values and use. For more information on ecosystem-based forest management and other forest-management topics, don’t miss the upcoming NSWOOA AGM on April 18.

Editor's note: For more information on uneven-aged management and related topics, see Patricia's blog at http://www.trishameroblog.blogspot.com/

Did You Notice?

The most recent issue of the Atlantic Forestry Review features two NSWOOA members, both Past Presidents of the Association. Wade Prest is quoted in David Lindsay’s "Harvesting Biomass, Under the Influence." Wade is the NSWOOA’s spokesperson on this topic. Tom Miller contributed a letter to the editor that reviewed the Nova Scotia Agricultural College’s Woodsmen’s Competition. It would seem that the event earned all five possible stars.

Not so Gentle a Reminder

If you haven’t yet renewed your membership, do it today. Our postal address is Box 823, Truro, N.S. B2N 5G6. Cost is only$30.

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, 902-673-2278). 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 mailouts, our column in Atlantic Forestry Review, the Annual General Meeting, and this website.

"How To" A Big Success!

Our fall program titled "How to Do It and How to Pay For It" came off with scarcely a hitch in Old Barns on Nov. 10. About 50 people attended, a good turnout under any circumstances and especially impressive given the slushy snowfall that greeted most of us when we woke up that morning. Here are some photos from the day.

The day began with a presentation by Rebecca Aggas (shown left), coordinator of the Association for Sustainable Forestry. Rebecca gave us an overview of the new Category 7 program, created under the Forest Sustainability Regulations to provide funding for selection harvesting, pruning, and crop tree release. This program is designed to increase the number of small private woodlot owners suing uneven-aged management techniques where appropriate. This is a goal the NSWOOA supports wholeheartedly, of course.

Sandy Hyde of Picea Forest Consulting (left) then gave a presentation on treatments that improve forest quality followed by discussion of what types of sites will qualify for funding under the Category 7 program. The many questions both Rebecca and Sandy received were a heartening sign of the level of interest in both of these topics.

Following Sandy's presentation, there was time for socializing and a meal. Then we headed to Charlie Baird's award-winning woodlot.

Despite the cold and the slight possibility of being mistaken for a deer, very few people turned down the chance to see the presentations Charlie had lined up for us.

Shown left, Mike Hamilton discussed how to choose which trees to leave during a pre-commercial thinning.

Mike then gave us an impressive demonstration of how to use a spacing saw.

Our next stop was to a site where Charlie has been doing selection management toward creating a multi-aged, multi-species stand. After three passes, the site now has three age classes.

Left, NSWOOA Board Member Minga O'Brien is wearing the orange jacket. Next to her is Patricia Amero, registered professional forester with Picea Forestry Consulting.

Our third stop was for a demonstration of crop tree release. The tree marked with a yellow ribbon would be taken in order to give more growing room to the the tree marked with a pink ribbon, which is a crop tree. That's Charlie in the foreground.

Left, Charlie demonstrates how to use a prism to calculate basal area.

Last stop of the day was to Charlie's maple sugar-making operation, which he describes as a hobby. Like many other parts of the woodlot, Charlie's sugarwoods took a beating during Hurricane Juan. However he recently completed a cleanup operation and is getting back into operation again.

Left, Jamie Baird, sales representative for Dominion & Grimm Inc., demonstrates how to install lines.

The Board of the NSWOOA wishes to thank presenters Rebecca Aggas, Sandy Hyde, Mike Hamilton, and Jamie Baird for helping to make this day such a success. A special thanks to Board Member Charlie Baird for allowing his woodlot to be used for the mini-field day and arranging for presentations and to all other NSWOOA members who were so helpful on the day. Thanks also to all who attended and were such an interested, enthusiastic audience.

NSWOOA Update, September 2007

This update can be emailed to members who request it.

Hello, woodlot owners,

Woodlot owners are probably familiar with the Biblical quote "for everything there is a season." Working outdoors and close to nature, we are perhaps more sensitive to the changing seasons. While some larger land owners work all year round in the woods, for many others autumn is time to think about going back to the woods again. Time to check the management plan, the markets and maybe tune up the equipment. Of course woodlot owners don't have only four seasons; we also have two mud seasons, blueberry season, Christmas tree season, hunting season, maple syrup season, road closure season, black fly season, and so on. Nothing's ever simple, is it?

Voluntary Planning
The NSWOOA has received a request for representation on the Voluntary Planning Board that will conduct the public hearings on forest strategies. This important job is time consuming, but very necessary. Are there any members who would consider taking it on? Contact us ASAP.

Meanwhile, I am pleased to pass along the following information received from Rita Frasier, Project Coordinator for Voluntary Planning:

As you may know, the Voluntary Planning Board of the provincial government has been asked by the Department of Natural Resources to undertake a citizen engagement process in 2008 that will provide the foundation for a departmental strategy covering minerals, forests, parks and biodiversity. As a first step, Voluntary Planning is about to begin recruiting volunteers to participate on a Project Committee that will lead the process.

Ads seeking expressions of interest to participate on the Project Committee will appear in newspapers around the province and on Eastlink cable tv between Sept. 8 and Sept. 22. Expressions of interest will be received until October 1, 2007.

Terms of Reference for the Project Committee are available on our website at www.gov.ns.ca/vp.

Woodlot Owner Representative Named
NSWOOA Director Austin Parsons has agreed to represent NSWOOA members on the committee that oversees administration and distribution of the new Section 7C funds. Insuring that members understand how to access these funds is very important. Only by demonstrating that there is a demand for funds that promote uneven-age multi-species forest management will we ensure that funds continue to be made available.

Many thanks to Vice-President Ken MacRury, who represented us on this committee so far. If you want to learn more about these funds, contact us at our email address, nswooa@gmail.ca.

NS DNR Field Days
This month NS DNR will be sponsoring three field days in honor of Woodlot Owner of the Year winners. On the days of these events, there will be signs to help you locate these woodlots.

On Sept. 15, a field day will be held on the property of regional winners Bob Bancroft and Alice Reed of Pomquet Harbour, Antigonish County. Bob is a biologist, retired from DNR and the Dept. of Fisheries, and is well known to Nova Scotians from his appearances as a wildlife expert on the CBC. He writes, "We have a great deal of information about the woodlot that I could share. The land was cleared--even a wooded swamp converted to pasture--and then abandoned. It subsequently regenerated in pioneer species that were too thick. I have been thinning and using the overstory to restore shade-tolerant Acadian forest terrestrial and aquatic habitats now for 32 years. Last year I spent more than $3,000 on trees, wire, and stakes. Fortunately there were relics. We have used that and climate change to guide the restoration. ... As a member of NSWOOA, I invite other members to see what we have been doing." Bob has also scheduled an extra program at 3 pm, following the official DNR-sponsored event, in which he and NSWOOA board member Minga O'Brien, from the Ecology Action Centre's Standing Tall Campaign for Environmentally Responsible Forestry, will lead a tour. For additional information about Bob and Alice's woodlot, see the DNR website. To get there, follow Highway 104 east past Antigonish approximately 2 km east of Exit 35 to Taylor road, and turn left. Travel 5 km to Monks Head road and turn left again. Travel for 2 km, and look for house #15 on the left.

On Sept. 22, there will be a field day on the property of regional winner Brian W. Brown of Oxford, Cumberland County, who retired 13 years ago from a long career as a conservation officer with DNR. According to the DNR website, he maintains 14 woodlots for multiple forest values, including maple syrup production, shiitake mushrooms, Christmas trees, water protection and quality, wildlife habitat, timber production, and recreation. He has planted more than 600,000 seedlings on his woodlands and encourages the use of his woodlands by others for recreational uses. Take Trans-Canada Hwy 104 from Truro, 73 km to Exit 6 (toward Rte 321). At the top of Exit 6, turn left onto Rte 301 (River Phillip Rd). After 11 km on Rte 301, turn right at Windham Hill Rd. After 7 km on Windham Hill Rd, turn left onto woodlot road and proceed to Brian's woodlot gate.

On Sept. 29, there will be a field day on the property of provincial winners Kevin and Susan Veinotte of Bridgewater, Lunenberg County. According to the DNR website, "The family owns a 170 ha (about 420 acres) woodlot that has had a long history through 7 generations. ...Thoughtful stewardship of the land through previous generations has led to a primary uneven aged Acadian Forest. As a result, multiple forest values have been maintained over time including high quality timber, wildlife habitat, water quality, aesthetics, recreational opportunities, spiritual aspects of nature and many more. Kevin has great appreciation and respect for his land. His management philosophy, as written in his forest management plan, '… is to have the condition of his woodlot in good or better shape than it is at present, and to ensure the forests' value, yield, multiple benefits are sustained for his children'. " The woodlot has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council since 2004. The farm and woodlot are located in West Northfield, approximately 7 km north of Bridgewater on the Mossman Rd about 1 km off the #10 hwy. Take Exit 12 off the 103 hwy and turn right at the lights.

NSWOOA members extend a hearty congratulations to these woodlot owners and extend our best wishes for very successful field days.

Darn ... It's Cancelled
We are very sorry to announce that the planned crop tree management seminar that was to have been led by Wade Prest has had to be cancelled. With so many forestry-related activities scheduled this autumn, there was no possible way to slot it in. Heavy work commitments are keeping Wade quite busy, plus he is representing us at the EAC-sponsored Acadian Forest Science Conference in New Brunswick. See "Coming Events" on the left-hand side of this page and the conference website for details on this important coming event.

Wishing Good Health and Quick Recoveries
We have learned that NSWOOA member Bill "Nagaya" MacKay was scheduled for an operation on September 5. Bill promotes the FSC certification of private woodlots and has been a frequent presenter at NSWOOA functions. We wish Bill a speedy recovery.

NSWOOA member and former secretary Pam Langille is fighting lung cancer. She indicates that the doctors have detected it in its early stages and she is in treatment, with every sign of a successful recovery. Pam, get well soon.

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 and in your community or area. We try to keep you informed through email updates, newsletters and mail outs, our column in Atlantic Forestry Review, the Annual General Meeting and this website.

Paul Brison

Looking for earlier updates?

August, 2007

July, 2007

June, 2007

May, 2007

Remembering Last Fall's Field Day

Above, NSWOOA members Paul Brison (center) and Florence Antle-Brison (standing next to Paul) welcome guests to the 2007 Fall Field Day, held at their woodlot in West Hants. All photos courtesy Pam Langille.

Each year, the Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association hosts two much-anticipated events: in spring, our annual general meeting and, each fall, a field day in which NSWOOA members and guests visit a Nova Scotia woodlot. The following article, reprinted here by permission of the author, captures why we all cherish such fond memories of these events.

Forest Time

By Donna Smyth

“IN FOREST TIME” was the theme of this year’s woodlot tour sponsored by the Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association (NSWOOA). Over 50 people gathered at Paul and Florence Brison’s woodlot (mostly hardwood), just off the New Cheverie Road in West Hants, for a guided walk with talks by experts at various stations in the woods.

Forest Time is the natural growing time of different trees within the forest. Depending on the species, it can range from 40 years to 200-400 years. White pine, red spruce, yellow birch are among the long-lived species typical of the original Acadian Forests of Nova Scotia. The grandmother of them all is the hemlock, which can live to be 800 years old.

Right: A map shows visitors how to find several well-marked trails through the Brison woodlot. On each trail there are stations where speakers make presentations on woodlot management, using the Brison woodlot as an example.

To compare this to our sense of human time is to understand that thinking in Forest Time requires both imagination and knowledge. We have to be able to imagine a future forest not only beyond ourselves but also beyond the next several generations. Paul Brison, for instance, says he’s growing red oak trees for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

(Article continues after photograph.)

WE ALSO NEED a deep knowledge of how Forest Time unfolds so we can work with the forest rather than against its natural rhythms of decay and regeneration. Bill McKay, from Dieppe, NB, took us into the small valley created by an old shale pit dug out by the Department of Highways about 35 years ago. Bill’s company, Nagaya Forest Restoration Limited, works with local woodlot owners interested in sustainable forestry. He also certifies forests for the Forest Stewardship Council whose standards are the toughest and highest in the world.

Left: Bill McKay of Nagaya Forest Restoration discusses how forest is reclaiming an area that was mined for shale several decades ago.

He showed us how horsetail and coltsfoot are among the first plants to start reclaiming the pit for other kinds of growth. Both these plants can grow under poor conditions. Then, if there is enough moisture, come the willow and alders. Alders take nitrogen from the air and fix it in the soil. Meanwhile, other small plants—mosses, herbs, fungi—take hold and form complex relationships with living forms both under the soil and above it. Poplar moves in, white birch, then sugar maple. Now there’s habitat for the birds who also distribute seeds to new habitats.

Right: Field Day guests listen to Bill's presentation. That's current NSWOOA President Lorne Burrows in the center (wearing a light blue jacket).

Essential to all these species and to insects is water. As Bill says, "Everything needs a drink.” Amphibians and reptiles thrive in and around the pond as do salamanders, those small creatures essential to the health of the forest because they eat “bad bugs”. In fact, Bill calls the mole salamander the “ground woodpecker”. Dragonflies take care of mosquitoes and black flies above the ground. Birds and bats do the work in higher aerial space.

Bill showed how all these species worked together for the past 30 years to naturally reclaim the pit and prepare the way for the larger species such as red spruce and yellow birch. In a couple of hundred years, if left alone, this would be an Acadian Forest area restored according to Forest Time.

(Article continues after photograph.)

OTHER PRESENTERS talked about how to manage a woodlot for hardwood (Tom Miller), how to encourage the natural regeneration of valuable species such as red spruce without using clearcuts and herbicide spraying (Wade Prest), and how to help hemlock growth and regeneration (Minga O’Brien). Karen Diadick Casselman, well-known plant dye expert, spoke of how to "read" the lichen of the forest to assess levels of various pollutants.

Art Lynds, an ecological scientist with the Department of Natural Resources, explained how clearcuts breed “bad beetles” who thrive in the stumps left behind after harvesting and then migrate to devour nearby stands of previously healthy trees. He referred to some recent scientific studies, which have demonstrated that insect infestations are a sign of unhealthy forests and poor forest management practices. Instead of being the problem, as is commonly thought, the insects are a symptom of the need for change at a deeper level of forestry practices. Lynd also spoke about the value of dead wood on the forest floor as a source of soil enrichment and as home to so many of the small forest mammals, birds and insects.

Left: Former NSWOOA President Wade Prest spoke about how to encourage natural regeneration.

Wade Prest and Minga O’Brien also stressed how important it is to leave the forest floor “messy” so that the natural processes of decay and regeneration can work their magic. Prest, in particular, talked about how he had to learn to not salvage all fallen logs but to leave many of them on the ground as an investment in the future forest.

Right: NSWOOA board member Minga O'Brien works on behalf of the Acadian Forest with the Standing Tall Campaign.

The enthusiasm and knowledge of the presenters and many of the people on the tours made this a memorable day. Around us were the beautiful hardwoods and clear evidence of the careful select cutting and silviculture work of Paul Brison and his family. For a brief human instant, we experienced Forest Time in all its glory and complexity.

NSWOOA Update, May 2007

This update can be emailed to NSWOOA members who request it.

Hello, woodlot owners,

This is a busy time for the directors of the NSWOOA, but we are trying a new project,
to communicate with members, through this update for those on line.

New address. For those who would like to communicate with the Directors, to communicate ideas and concerns, to give input or ask questions, our email address is now nswooa@gmail.com

Annual General Meeting April 14. It was good to see many of you at the annual meeting. This year we were focusing on practical advice, especially for those beginning to manage their woodlots, but for experienced folk too. We will miss the contributions of Will Martin and Adam Campbell from the Board, but welcome Austin Parsons aboard. Minga O’Brien updated us on our involvement with Ecology Action Center’s Standing Tall Campaign which we joined at last year’s annual meeting. Presentations were made on management plans, sustainable forest funds, how Group Savoie distributes silviculture funds, progress on the restoration handbook being prepared by the North Mountain Old Forest Society, and much more.

Help wanted. The Board is searching for a woodlot owner who can offer help by taking over management of our website, nswooa.ca. The site is visited by news organizations and prospective members, as well as members looking for news and events. Frequent updates of information, changing pictures, adding pages and features would be involved. A vibrant web site is Important to our growth and influence. If you can help or know someone who can, respond to the above address.

Opportunity knocks. The Board is offering a $1000 incentive to any member (or woodlot owner willing to become a member) to host our annual woodlot tour and demonstration day. You can nominate yourself or a friend. The successful woodlot may have some interesting work done, or it may be the right woodlot because nothing has been done, and we can discuss how to get started. Time is an important factor here; act today.

We are also contemplating workshop style events at the field day. Participants might for example spend a whole morning pruning trees, or learning to select which trees to harvest. Let us know your preferences.

Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle. The only resolution from the membership at the annual meeting directed the Board to represent the rights and welfare of woodlot owners under the new regulations for containment of the BSLB. Of particular concern to the Board is the inflammatory language used to describe the beetle and its possible impact. The fear of utter devastation could possibly lead landowners to rashly agreeing to have their woodlots stripped. The more advisable course is to assess the real damage and potential risks on your woodlots, and to make plans to deal with these areas. If you are unskilled at management planning yourself, getting the advice of a forester or management planner who uses multiple techniques to manage the forest and to keep the forest structure as intact as possible is advised.

Seeking Input. Have you heard talk about biomass harvesting? Cogeneration? The NSWOOA is preparing to represent woodlot owners on these and other issues, and it is helpful to have your input. Is it a good idea? Can the allowable cut for NS support another market? What restrictions should reasonably be put on this market? The NSWOOA expects to be making presentations to the forest strategy hearings when they commence, so give us your thoughts on this and other issues that need to be dealt with.

Pay the Piper. Membership fees are the only source of income for our Association. By oversight, the membership renewal form was omitted from the pre Annual meeting mail out. If you also had an oversight and forgot to renew your 2007 membership, please send it in to our mail box:
NSWOOA
P.O. Box 823
Truro, N.S. B2N 5G6