NSWOOA Update: December

Photo by Flora Johnson

Christmas Wish
May you have a joyous and peaceful Christmas, and may you be richly blessed in the New Year.

From the Board of Directors of the NSWOOA

Hello Woodlot Owners,

The NSWOOA sometimes receives requests from university students who are looking for information to be used on school projects. Topics range from what restoration of the Acadian Forest means to low-impact forestry, and even to our views or policies on silviculture, market conditions, etc. So it was that we were not surprised when early in the spring of 2007 a young lady called the NSWOOA with a question about nontimber forest products. The student, from Newfoundland, was taking Environmental Studies at Dalhousie. She was surveying the Atlantic Provinces for a paper she was writing on nontimber forest products.

"What nontimber forest products do your members produce?" she wanted to know.

"Well, we don't have that information. We do not have a database of what each member produces and how much or how often. Maybe we should have but … We do know some products that various members produce, but we have no systematic or thorough records."

The young lady was disappointed, perhaps because the project was going to be harder than she had anticipated. She did seem pleased to know one member was making garden fixtures from willows, another was selling photos of woodland plants and landscapes, and still others were doing wreaths, mushrooms, and, yes, maple syrup. It would be interesting though to have a copy of her completed project.

Let us know of any interesting nontimber forest products you are involved with. Contact us by email or phone. Now read what NSWOOA Director Dave Parker has to say about this topic.

Nontimber Forest Products

By Dave Parker, Director NSWOOA

Many forest landowners have a growing interest in ways to diversify income from their lands without resorting to the now traditional clearcut even-aged model of forestry. The decades that are required to convert damaged stands to their Acadian Forest roots may mean a long period between paydays. Here are a few possibilities for producing income that do not require significant timber harvesting.

The options available to generate income can be divided into two categories: goods and services. Goods are the more traditional items and generally have established markets and pricing. They also will likely have more competition in the marketplace. These include fir brush for Christmas wreaths , swags, etc., and of course maple products if your holdings have suitable stands. Rustic furniture made from excess young growth is in growing demand and really is only limited by one's imagination and talents. Stout walking sticks for hikers and gardeners as well as the traditional rustic canes also have some market. An unusual forest "product" that has enjoyed some past success is the sale of chanterelle mushrooms which grow abundantly in some forest types in wet seasons like 2007. For those more agriculturally inclined, there are several types of fungi that cannot be grown domestically. They must be grown on decaying hardwood stumps or logs. I suspect this would be both an interesting and challenging way to market low-grade poplar logs being remove from regenerating sites. Finally, if you live near an urban center, there is some market for tree and shrub seedlings. These may be transplanted to containers as wildlings or they may be grown from seed. The increasing awareness of climate change and all things natural bodes well for the future of this market.

The sale of services by landowners is certainly less well established and yet may now offer more potential than the sale of goods. As our society becomes more urbanized and ever busier the peace and solitude that many of us treasure in our woodlands are becoming a marketable service. Possibilities here include the leasing of camp lots to other users or the construction and monthly rental of facilities. Facilities can range from the most rustic camps to elaborate chalets. Potential clients include snowmobilers, hikers, birdwatchers, hunters, cross country skiers, and people who just want to get away from it all. One can tailor their business to the nature of the property as well as the type of clientele they wish to do business with.

Several landowners in my area are awaiting the development of wind energy turbines on their lands. These turbines involve an access road and a relatively small footprint for the tower while leaving the remaining area free to grow forest. This idea, however, is not compatible with the one discussed in the previous paragraph!

Finally, although our woodlands provide the essential services of purifying our air and filtering our water, we cannot yet sell this service. In the near future, however, landowners who commit their forests to long term sustainable Acadian Forests may get paid for sequestering carbon. This will be a vital component in the battle against global warming. I suspect that small landowners will need to band together to provide a larger unit to interest large corporations who need to purchase carbon credits. Yet another good reason to belong to NSWOOA.

Breaking News

By Flora Johnson, NSWOOA member services coordinator

The Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association has great news for woodlot owners and contractors. We will soon be promoting uneven-aged management throughout the province, thanks to a contract we were awarded by the Association for Sustainable Forestry. This outreach campaign, which begins in January and continues through the summer, will include informational materials and educational programs that will be offered free all over the province. Some woodlot owners and contractors will even have the opportunity to receive free site visits and consultations from NSWOOA members.

This outreach project is taking place under a contract NSWOOA was awarded by the ASF in a competitive process, with funding for the project coming from the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources. Many of the services will be delivered by Picea Forestry Consulting and Woodlot Management of Bridgewater, NS, which consists of NSWOOA members Patricia Amero, a Registered Professional Forester, and Sandy Hyde, Forest Technician. Other NSWOOA members will also be assisting as needed.

During this campaign, we hope to collect information from woodlot owners and contractors for use in preparing a report for ASF and NSDNR outlining challenges that may be preventing woodlot owners and contractors from engaging in uneven-aged management. This report will also recommend improvements in the Category 7 funding program, which provides support for silviculture techniques that are consistent with uneven-aged management ( i.e., selection management, crop tree release, and crop tree pruning). We'll be talking to woodlot owners and contractors both one on one and in discussion groups during our educational programs, and we will also be asking woodlot owners and contractors to help us by completing a short survey. Those who complete the survey will be entered in a prize draw, with several prizes to be awarded this coming fall.

You can find out more about this campaign by calling the project telephone number (902-673-2278) after January 1, writing to the project email address (outreach@asforestry.com), or visiting the project website. Please help us by contacting us and completing our survey!

Information about other NSWOOA programs is available at this website, from our email address (nswooa@gmail.com), or by calling ( 902) 633-2108.

Christmas Quiz

Every interest group has its own jargon, and woodlot owners are no different. Indeed, it's hard for a civilian to understand two woodlot owners in conversation because of all the terms, acronyms, and abbreviations. To test your knowledge of N.S. woodlot-owner jargon, identify thesefollowing terms (answers below):

1. ASF


2. EAC


3. FPANS


4. GPS


5. FSC


6. rS


7. AFR


8. Neenah


9. CFS


10. FPFANS


11. PCT


12. NFA


13. CPAWS


14. NSSA


15. VP


16. CWSD


17. CFIA


18. Nagaya


19. AAC


20. NSDNR

Christmas Quiz Answers

1. ASF: Association for Sustainable Forestry (the agency that administers forest sustainability funds for registered buyers who do not have their own programs)


2. EAC: Ecology Action Center


3. FPANS: Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia


4. GPS: Global Positioning System (used in plotting woodlot treatments)


5. FSC: Forest Stewardship Council (the agency that certifies forest-management practices)


6. rS: Red Spruce, our provincial tree


7. AFR: Atlantic Forestry Review


8. Neenah: the pulp mill at Abercrombie


9. CFS: Canadian Forest Service, a Federal agency


10. RPFANS: Registered Professional Foresters Association of Nova Scotia (credentials)


11. PCT: precommercial thinning


12. NFA: Nova Forest Alliance (Nova Scotia's Model Forest)


13. CPAWS: Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society


14. NSSA: Nova Scotia Salmon Association (woodlot owners are not the only ones concerned with the forest's health)


15. VP: Voluntary Planning (the organization which will conduct the forest strategy review in Nova Scotia)


16. CWSD: Central Wood Supply Division (the now dormant division of the NSWOOA that marketed pulp in Central Nova Scotia)


17. CFIA: Canadian Food Inspection Agency ( the federal agency behind the brown longhorn bark beetle exclusion zone)


18. Nagaya: Bill McKay's company that through Smartwood provides FSC certification to woodlot owners.


19. AAC: Annual Allowable Cut


20. NSDNR: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources

Rating

16-20: Excellent. Consider a Directorship in the NSWOOA.
12-15: You're up on your lingo.
8-11: A brush up would be a good idea.
0-8: Better shut off the chain saw and study the literature.

Check This Out

Director Gerald Romsa suggests that we all should read a November 30 Globe and Mail article available online. Titled "It Ain't Easy," the six-page article by Konrad Yakabuski deals with the worldwide market in forest products and compares our own products and producers with the competition. Stora Enso in Canada is related to Stora in Finland. A warning is appropriate: If you already have high blood pressure or are suffering stress, you may want to avoid this article.

Some points made can be quite disturbing; for example, the author writes, "Content for decades to send low-value-added lumber and paper products to a hungry U.S. market, and encouraged by government policy to maximize jobs in far-flung mill towns, our companies long ignored the need to innovate and modernize. We are now left with the most unproductive forest products sector in the developed world, unprepared to contend with either new competition from developing countries or a weak U.S. dollar."

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

Paul Brison

NSWOOA Secretary

NSWOOA Update, August 2007

Hello, woodlot owners:

Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash may not be with us anymore, but his signature song " I'll Walk The Line" still is. Perhaps we woodlot owners identify with this song, or at least the title, more than most other songs, as it seems we are always walking the line. Sure there is the literal line, the boundary line that always needs cleaning and remarking, but also the line between harvesting it all now or doing what is truly sustainable and good for the planet by leaving some for tomorrow. Also that line between drudgery and renewal, between back breaking work and the peace of the woodland. You get the picture. It seems woodlot owners are faced with many trade-offs, or lines. Good luck as you walk the lines on you woodlot.

Director George Johnson refers to walking the line in his woodlot this way: "I feel the decision to clear cut versus selection management is akin to the young man who believes he will not live to be forty so he spends every cent he makes now. Later he realizes he is not only past forty, he is past his working years, and he has set nothing aside. When his friends are going south for the winter, he bemoans his hard luck and expresses jealousy to compensate for his lack of foresight and planning."

A Global Forest Convention?
One of our directors has forwarded an article which is drumming up support to oppose a proposed global forest convention. He recommends that we study the article, and the issue. At a time when "global" has come to mean "lowest common denominator," we should be cautious of what covenants our government signs us up for. It's a long article so we do not include it here, but please check it out at this website. We would like to know what you think of it.

Seminar News
Wade Prest informs us that his crop tree management seminar is a go. He is finalizing details, and we will get them out ASAP. Meanwhile, if interested contact us at nswooa@gmail.ca. There will be a registration fee, and a limited number of participants. We have some names already.

Acadian Forest Seminar
The first Acadian Forest Science Conference will be held October 10-13, 2007, in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The main goal of the conference is to showcase scientific research on the Acadian Forest, increasing awareness of its character and potential. The conference will also provide a regional forum for the exchange of ideas among scientists, forestry professionals, land stewards, environmentalists, policy makers, aboriginal peoples, and others interested in our forests. Online registration and abstract submission are preferred. Seating is limited so please register early. For more information, please click on the following to visit the web site.

We need to recommend a variety of people to sit on the Voluntary Planning Natural Resources Strategy task force. NSWOOA members should consider themselves and/or ask neighbours and friends. Names should be passed along to Voluntary Planning staff. The selection of individuals will be crucial.

A Piece of Your Mind
The NSWOOA is a member of the FSC Maritime Steering Committee of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). We have supported this movement, and some of our members have certified their woodlots. Is it time to promote FSC products in some organized manner, either among our members or to the population at large? If so, how should this be done? Give us a piece of your mind. Email your views.

Herbicide Spraying*
In our July Update (#4) woodlot owners were encouraged to spend time with family members in their woodlots. Before doing so in August and September, you may want to check this website to see if herbicide spraying applications are under review in your area. Applications to spray thousands of hectares of NS forests have been received. Information such as the area (in hectares) to be sprayed, the communities where the spraying is being proposed, the type of application (aerial or ground), the type of product to be applied, and the approximate start date for the spraying will be provided.

The Department of Environment and Labour informed Director Barbara Gallagher that it is a requirement for applicators to provide pre-notification when it is requested. This should make it easier to avoid spray sites if you have concerns about health impacts from accidental exposure to herbicides. For example, if family members have medical conditions (such as asthma, or other respiratory problems, chemical sensitivities, receiving cancer treatments, etc), or include children or pregnant women, you will be contacted before the spraying takes place if it is requested. Others may want pre-notification if worried about drift near FSC certified woodlots, or organic crops, so that they can monitor buffer zones and wind conditions.

To request pre-notification, you are advised to contact the Approval holders once the Approval is issued and a pdf copy is placed on the website. If you are unable to access this information on a computer, updated information should be available from your closest Department of Environment and Labour office.

* The NSWOOA endorses truly sustainable forestry management, which includes diversity of species, a multi-generational forest, low impact forestry, and ecodiversity that make the application of herbicides unnecessary.

A Contractor's Views
A local forestry contractor was contacted for his views of the state of the industry in Nova Scotia just now. There is more than a hint of irony/sarcasm in his summary of what contractors are facing, and his own involvement. Sometimes humor is the best way to deal with serious topics.

This is his report:

Not much to report on in the forest industry. Prices for studs and logs are down to where you should leave them standing if you can. Low grade pulp prices have picked up to almost a break even place. The bugs are eating well, so wood quality is down Expenses are up, making it hard to make a living. On the positive side, work is picking up with many of the other contractors going out of business.

What Holidays?
Sure, it is the dog days of summer, but that does not mean your interests and concerns have been ignored. Yes, things do come to life again in September, stirred no doubt by lower temperatures and the return of children to schools. In the meantime, meetings go on, councils meet, working sessions are called, and so on. President Lorne Burrows has represented us on the Stora FSC certification hearings. Particularly active on our behalf has been Ken MacRury, VP, who has been temporarily representing us on the Sustainable Forest oversight committee for the new dedicated funds for Section 7(c) silviculture work. We thank Ken and the other Board members who work for us over the summer when it would be easier to wait until September.

Here is Ken's report:

Someone wants to spend money on your woodlot!

There have been two meetings of the Category 7 ad hoc steering committee so far. The primary objective has been to finalize the process to get the new category (7) funding in place by completing a contract between DNR and ASF (Association for Sustainable Forestry) and secondly to complete development of a job description for the Outreach Coordinator that will be hired to promote and oversee the new program. Both of these documents are now finalized and will be presented to the ASF Board on Aug. 7 for their approval. The budget for the program is $570k for this year and next. Of this, $443k is allocated for actual silviculture treatments. This is a very large amount when you consider that based on best available records only $84k was spent on category 7 treatments over the last three years. The Outreach Coordinator position is critical to the success of this program and woodlot owners will have to be made aware that funds are available to assist them in upgrading their woodlots.

I also attended my first meeting of the FTAC on July 26 at the DNR Training Centre in Shubenacadie. There were a number of items on the agenda, most of which will take some time to become familiar with. The one item that was of most interest was a report by DNR on the Category 7 changes and the new program with dedicated funding that will be coming on stream this year. It appears to me there is a significant trend to encourage uneven aged management on the part of DNR and while clearcuts remain at 91% of all areas harvested this is down from 98% ten years ago. The new emphasis on category 7 will hopefully move these figures even further in favor in uneven aged harvest practices.

Participation on the FTAC, with the appointment of several new members, has become more diverse and over time I expect the committee will change the emphasis of the technical standards to favor more uneven aged management of the forests. We can all hope and work to better the health of the forests.

Ken

Want to know how to access these funds? Contact Ken at nswooa@gmail.com

Lines of Communication (more lines for woodlot owners)

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

Paul Brison

Looking for earlier updates?

July 2007

June 2007

May 2007