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 20: January 2009

Above, NSWOOA member Rodney Spencer's Woodmizer portable sawmill in action. Details below. Photo by Susan Danko.

In this issue:
Are you interested in becoming FSC certified?
Portrait of a portable sawmill and its owner
Annual Meeting general notice and corrected venue
Opinions requested
Why have a management plan?
Time to re-enlist
Chainsaw classes
Excerpt from Restoring the Acadian Forest
How to reach us

Hello Woodlot Owners!

Another Way of Thinking About …

… the Hippocratic Oath?

"You know, the oath doctors have to take! Goes way back to the Greeks," explained my friend from high school days—the same friend who had authored a series of articles on economics, education and entrepreneurship in our local weekly newspaper. It was not at all clear what this oath had to do with rural development and woodlot management, which along with the said economics, education and entrepreneurship, were the topics of that particular discussion.

Noting my puzzled expression, he explained, "I believe the first concept of the oath can be summarized as 'First, do no harm.' If you are in the woods and deciding what to do to your land, I think the concept that should guide you and underlie all your actions is that whatever you do, do no harm. In other words, if down the road what you do to your woods will hurt it, hurt the wildlife, the water supply, or your future economic benefits, do not do it."

OK, admittedly, he did not say it in those exact words, and as these discussions happened over the course of a year, what is recalled here is more of a distillation and simplification. Although the concept itself is sound enough, and can be applied to almost any endeavor, it had faded into the background until the Voluntary Planning meeting in Truro in October. The meeting was called to get reaction to "What We Heard", a report on their series of public meetings.

At that meeting the Hippocratic Oath came to mind because it is similar to a concept that was discussed there. Quite a few of those present put forth the concept of the Precautionary Principle as one of the themes they thought the VP people missed from the public consultations. What is this principle? Well, it states that if an action or policy might harm the public or the environment, those who want to pursue this action or policy should be required to prove that it won't be harmful. It was felt that unless it could be proved that there were no negative outcomes to various policies, practices and developments, they should be disallowed.

Wouldn't it be refreshing if either or both these concepts were recommended by VP in their final report, and adopted by the Government as guiding principles for our future forests?

Certification Opportunity

NSWOOA President Lorne Burrows confirms that the NSWOOA, working with Nagaya Forest Restoration Ltd., has signed a contract with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources to bring five new NSWOOA member woodlots into FSC certification. The project will cover most of the costs to the landowners and is funded from the Community Development Trust.

Of the five woodlots chosen, one has been completed and certified, and four are "making progress, or nearing completion."

There is a very good chance that the project will be extended and expanded, so if any NSWOOA member is interested in becoming FSC certified, he or she should contact the NSWOOA or Nagaya as soon as possible.

We would like to build up a list of those interested in having their lands FSC certified. Documented demand for this service will help secure future funding. Call the number listed at the end of this Update, or contact us by email.

Portable Sawmill Gets Around

Susan Danko and Rodney Spencer own an FSC-certified woodlot, and are long time members of the NSWOOA. This article was originally published in their local paper. We thank Susan for allowing us to reprint it here.

By Susan Danko

Rodney Spencer has seen many local woodlots during the past two years. From high on Nuttby Mountain, to sea level along the Gulf shore, he has set up his Woodmizer portable sawmill in barnyards, fields, building lots and woodlot landing areas, ready to turn logs into lumber for his customers. "It has been both interesting and rewarding to observe the diversity of local woodlots and learn about traditional uses of different tree species," says Rodney. "I am happy I can assist local woodlot owners to utilize their own resource for themselves and their neighbors, and it seems I learn something new with every job. People have so many creative ways of accomplishing tasks."

Customers have used lumber produced by Rodney's sawmill for everything from repairing barn stalls to construction of a two-storey barn and a 2,400 square foot new home. Projects include renovations and new construction of barns, sheds, garages, decks, porches and houses. Craftsmen have used local lumber and beautifully patterned hardwood for interior finish carpentry, cabinetry, and furniture making.

"No job is too large or too small," Rodney emphasizes, "nor do we have a fixed geographical area. It all depends on the circumstances. If we have to travel a little farther but we can leave the mill on site for several weeks, then that might work out just fine. I do lots of one day jobs in the local area, and occasionally people bring a couple of logs to me in their pickup truck. Sometimes people just bring a few planks or beams to me for re-sawing into custom clapboards or other specialized pieces for renovations on older homes."

Rodney adds that customers who require graded lumber for building inspections have easily obtained inspection of their lumber through a number of different solutions including inspection by a local licensed grader, using the call grading service of the Maritime Lumber Bureau, or obtaining an engineer's certification of lumber quality. All lumber produced by his sawmill that has been graded has met and exceeded quality requirements.

At the recent Woodlot Owner of the Year field day in Nuttby, sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources on the woodlot of Russell McNally, Rodney demonstrated the accurate and consistent sawing for which Woodmizer sawmills are renowned. The portable sawmill can saw logs up to 21 feet long and 36 inches in diameter without modification, and longer logs with some adjustments. It features hydraulic log loading and turning and an automatic debarker to speed up the milling process. A separate resaw attachment is used to saw custom clapboards in any width from 4 to 12 inches.

"Using a portable mill will save you trucking the logs to a mill," says Adrian Samson, Forest Resources Technician for the Department of Natural Resources, "thus saving you a few hundred dollars and helping the environment. You get to use the slabwood and edgings for firewood and kindling and the sawdust for mulch. The small kerf of the bandsaw compared to a circular saw gives you more lumber especially if it is high quality wood." He also notes, "The lumber can be custom sawn such as quarter sawn for woodworker use. By the way," Mr. Samson adds, "wood sawn with a bandsaw is easier to plane and sand than if you had it rough sawn with a circular mill."

Rodney usually charges an hourly rate of $35 per hour for time sawing on a job. The woodlot owner and/or other people helping the owner work alongside to offload the lumber and slabwood. On a job with good saw logs, an efficient setup and good help, Rodney has produced as much as 2,300 board feet in six hours. The quality of the logs has the greatest impact on productivity. "Trying to get lumber out of pulpwood is inefficient," Rodney says. "It pays to be practical when deciding what logs to saw." Rodney always prefers to visit a job site even before the logs are stacked to help arrange the most efficient setup.

"I find a big advantage of working with the sawyer is you get to see what the round log looks like with its exterior defects," adds Mr. Samson. "Then, while being sawn you get to see some of the beautiful grains and patterns these 'defects' actually can produce. By doing this you can then select individual trees on your lot for that purpose, knowing what these standing trees may produce. This is great for artisans and furniture makers."

Portable sawmill service can also help woodlot owners deal with a current widespread problem. "We have a very large number of spruce being killed by our native bark beetle across the province," says Mr. Samson. "The sawmills are not normally wanting trees after they are dead, but these trees still can make good lumber for individual projects. A landowner can cut the trees and put them at a landing area and have a portable mill saw them. If the lumber is not to be used for a while it can be stickered to dry and top covered with a tarp until needed."

Rodney admits he loves to meet new people, and he has developed a great respect for the hardworking and innovative farmers and woodlot owners he has come to know. "I believe strongly in using local resources locally," he says, " and I hope that my portable sawmill service enables local people to achieve that goal."

Annual General Meeting Notice

Change of venue notice: The NSWOOA Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday April 18. As the venue used the past several years is unavailable that date, the meeting will be held in the United Church Hall, in Old Barns, just outside Truro. The program for the meeting is still being assembled, so stay tuned for the theme and agenda.

A Membership Privilege: All NSWOOA members attending our Annual General Meeting are invited to put up a table-top display of their products and services. Pamphlets, business cards, photos, samples are welcome for timber and non-timber products, as well as services.

Opinion Piece

Premier Danny Williams is not shy about protecting Newfoundland or its citizens. His government recently gave notice that it intended to "take back" timber and power rights from a multi-national pulp company that had decided to close shop in Newfoundland. He seems to consider it as re-patriation, and he refers to a specific agreement the Province had with the original owners of the mill. The question for us is, How would we like to see our government in Nova Scotia respond to mill closures, and the timber rights and property of the closed mills? Your opinions and observations are solicited. Give us your advice and recommendations by our email address or phone contact number.

UAM Notes: Management Plans Part 1

By Patricia Amero, RPF

In the last NSWOOA Update I discussed the two approaches to forest management: even-aged management and uneven-aged management. Whether you apply one or a mix of these approaches depends on what you want to achieve from and for your forest and what you have to work with—that is, forest conditions. These two factors are also the basis of a forest management plan. In this issue of the Update I'll explain why woodlot owners benefit from having management plans. In February I'll discuss how management plans are developed, what they contain, and what they cost.

A forest management plan can be fairly simple or quite detailed. Generally at a minimum the management plan provides documentation of your forest and tips on what you can do to improve it. If you do plan to do any work in the woods, the management plan will tell you what could be done to achieve your objectives and where to focus your efforts. Recommendations are not etched in stone but do provide you with direction on where and how to proceed.

Why have a management plan done?

Even if your plan is quite simple and you do not plan to do any harvesting in the near future, a management plan will tell you what you have and where it is—including whether you have any unique areas or special management zones (e.g., riparian areas, species at risk), where the best opportunities are for growing high-quality forest products over the long term, and whether you have potential for non-timber forest products, recreational activities, or other benefits of woodland ownership.

Having a management plan may be extremely helpful in coping with tax implications of woodlot ownership. A management plan may help you to qualify for the Intergenerational Land Transfer program, under which you may be able to pass your woodlot on to the next generation without burdening them with capital gains tax. It may also help to ensure that your property continues to be designated as forest resource, with lower property taxes than if it is designated residential. (Tax issues are complicated and depend on individual circumstances, so typically you would have to consult with a qualified professional in order to determine whether and/or how you can derive tax benefits from having a woodlot management plan.)

If you do plan to harvest, having an inventory that includes wood-product volumes allows you to place a current value on standing wood volume. A management plan also can determine an annual allowable cut or sustainable harvest level dependent on land capability and amount of mature (merchantable) trees present. This information will be extremely useful in planning harvesting and silviculture activities and in any negotiations with contractors.

In addition, a management plan may help you to identify stands/areas that are eligible for silviculture funding, which will help offset cost of improvement work. A management plan can also help you to obtain forest certification, which is increasingly important in making forest products attractive to consumers. A forest management plan is a first step towards achieving certification.

Next issue: How is a management plan developed? What does a management plan contain? How much does a management plan cost?

Time to Re-enlist

As the NSWOOA comes to the end of a very active, very successful year, we remind you that memberships are on a calendar year basis from January 1 to January 1. So if you haven't already sent in your membership renewal or are interested joining our organization, this is the time to do so. A copy of our 2009 membership application form is available here at our website.

If you have any questions about membership, please feel free to contact Member Services Coordinator Flora Johnson at the NSWOOA email address or 902-673-2278.

Please note that all member subscriptions to Atlantic Forestry Review begin and end on May 1. Subscriptions must be paid for no later than the middle of April.

Where to Start?

Many first-time woodlot owners wonder how to start managing their newly acquired land, or even how to cut some firewood. Sometimes the answer is as simple as, "Pick up your chainsaw." If you are not already proficient with a chainsaw, better advice is to start by taking a chainsaw operating and maintenance course. It is interesting to see that some old barriers are falling, and women are now commonly participants in these courses. Besides the opportunities advertised below, groups of interested chainsawers can always organize their own training session. Contact the NSWOOA for info.

The following two workshops cost $10 per person. There is a limit of 20 participants in each workshop. To pre-register or for information, For call (902) 424 -5444 or visit www.gov.ns.ca/natr/extension/woodlot/course.htm#course

Western region

Date: Saturday, February 07, 2009
Location: Milton Canoe and Camera Club, Liverpool, NS
Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Central region

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2009
Location: Goffs Fire Hal, Goffs, Halifax Regional Municipality, N S. (near Robert Stanfield Airport)
Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Black Cherry

The following is excerpted from Jamie Simpson's book Restoring the Acadian Forest: A Guide for Woodlot Owners in the Maritimes, P 168. The book is due to be published this January 30. Meanwhile, Jamie is taking orders for the book at this email address (bocabec@gmail.com). The price will be $20, including shipping.

"Black cherry is found scattered in rich hardwood and mixed-wood areas throughout most of southern New Brunswick and western Nova Scotia. It is shade intolerant and fast growing, reaching a height of 23 m (75 ft) and living up to 200 years. It attains its best growth in moist, fertile soils. Black cherry is sought after for its valuable wood, and was probably more abundant in the past than it is today, so it should be promoted wherever it occurs. It can be included in restoration plantings on rich soils in full sun." (Emphasis added)

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.

Update 18: November 2008

Hello Woodlot Owners!

The neighbor back on the hill made another visit the other night, and in the course of discussion made an observation—or was it an accusation: “I was back in your woods looking for you. The place’s a mess. You must be getting lazy.” The words stung, even if he had meant it in jest.
“What do you mean? There’s nothing wrong…”

But he had the evidence: “Some trees are cut and just laying there. Some trees that should be cut, aren’t. Deadfalls aren’t taken; brush isn’t piled up. Some places you cut out holes in the woods, and other places you didn’t cut trees that were big enough to take. There’s no pattern to it.”

OK, his meaning was becoming clear. The woods did not look tidy. A few more comments and it was clear that the site had not been cut the way he would have cut it. Or my father or grandfather either, apparently. He was right. And yes, the place was and is messy. There are open spots, to encourage regeneration. Some thickets have been left, for wildlife. Cavity trees were not harvested, and some trees had been left standing for no more reason than there were very few of that kind of tree on the lot. Coarse woody debris is strewn around. Seed trees have been left standing.

There is a strange thing that happens in the woods during harvest, because there are more factors than economic values telling the land owner what needs to be done. And more costs than just the cost of harvesting that have to be accounted for. After making slow, careful decision after decision about what is right to do with each tree, a kind of “feeling” for the forest develops. An understanding about what the forest needs, what it tolerates, what it likes, seems to settle upon the thinking harvester. And tidiness is not one of the forest’s needs.

Voluntary Planning

Three NSWOOA directors, including President Lorne Burrows, attended the Oct. 26 Voluntary Planning session workshop in Truro, to discuss and evaluate their report What We Heard, which is a look at major themes and perspectives distilled from comments and written submissions generated by their province-wide public meetings. Sixty people, including citizens, woodlot owners, activists, DNR types, mining industry reps and the various mills, attended. This was one of three such meetings designed to workshop five main themes: sustainability, balance, diversity, and transparency. No actual recommendations were discussed or points debated. And no weight was given to the themes, or numbers of respondents supporting each view, and so on. It was also not revealed how many meetings individuals or industries attended.

The next step is for a committee to review all the input data and Voluntary Planning’s synthesis of this data, to formulate recommendations. Composition of this committee is not known, or how one would achieve a seat on it, but in the interest of transparency—one of the VP themes—its meetings necessarily need to be open to the public, and its comments balanced to represent the proportion of individuals who attended from each of the types mentioned above. There are strong reasons to require this new board to keep DNR and Industry to a minority position on this committee. Confidence in the process seems much more shaky to many of the participants, and one wonders what will happen next.

Biomass and the NSWOOA

The NSWOOA announces that it has resigned its seat on the government’s biomass working group, charged with developing guidelines for biomass harvesting in Nova Scotia. Wade Prest, our representative on the group, announced his resignation, and the NSWOOA’s withdrawal from the process on October 20.

The NSWOOA will not be associated with any reports, rules or regulations produced by this group, and strongly urges those who continue with the process to conduct a review of existing research on biomass removal and forest health, to conduct research to see how it applies to the Nova Scotia situation and the Acadian Forest, and to apply the precautionary approach.

Outreach Project

The Uneven-Aged Management Outreach Project is coming to an end, but before closing up shop the Outreach Team has asked us to pass on some great news. Because of the outstanding response to the project, NSDNR allocated an additional $153,000 to funding under the Category 7 program, bringing the total funding available to almost $600,000. Some funding is still available for work to be completed by March, 2009, so if you have a site that would qualify, haven't already applied for funding, and are interested in doing some quality-improvement work this winter, please contact Association for Sustainable Forestry Coordinator Rebecca Aggas at (902) 890-4685 or rjaggas@ASForestry.com. Information on the program, including the Outreach Project’s 6-page handout on uneven-aged management and the Category 7 program, can still be downloaded from the ASF's website at http://www.asforestry.com/Category7program.htm

The Outreach Team also wants to thank NSWOOA members for your help in making this project a success. The Outreach Project was contacted by approximately 400 individuals and families. About 200 people attended the workshops. Newspapers, magazines and radio stations all over the province carried stories about the project, the Category 7 program and uneven-aged management. And allocations of Category 7 funding more than tripled, rising from $180,000 as of the end of 2007 to $575,000 as of late October 2008. Thanks to the information the project received from woodlot owners and contractors during the course, the team was able to submit a detailed report to the ASF and NSDNR emphasizing the tremendous interest and support for uneven-aged management among woodlot owners and forestry contractors throughout the province.

We hope that this report will encourage even more support for uneven-aged management—not only funding but also additional outreach activitiesin future years. None of this would have been possible without your interest and participation in this project.

Early Notice

At its November meeting, the NSWOOA Board of Directors has chosen the date and location for our Annual General Meeting. It is April 18th 2009, at the Masonic Hall in Great Village. If you have any suggestions for speakers or themes and activities, please forward them to us at our email address or to our contact phone number.

Balsam Fir

(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 this month. Meanwhile, Jamie is taking orders for the book at this email address (price will be $20, including shipping.)

Balsam fir is far more abundant, dominant and wide-spread in the forest than it was a few generations ago.

Forest cutting practices often create conditions favorable to balsam fir. High-grade cutting removes species that grow with balsam fir, such as white pine, red spruce, hemlock, cedar and hardwoods….Clearcutting, too, promotes balsam fir by creating growing conditions in which the aggressive fir seedlings gain advantage over seedlings of other species. Balsam fir has rather large seed and fir seedlings have strong root systems that access water more easily than spruce seedlings do, giving balsam fir the advantage in the relatively dry conditions of a clear cut. Finally, because forests are often cut before they are ecologically mature, tree species that would normally gain dominance over balsam fir trees by simply outliving them are cut before they have a chance to grow old, further perpetuating balsam fir on harvested land.

Lines of Communication

Members are encouraged to contact the Board of Directors, the Executive and other members through our email address (nswooa@gmail.com) or by phone (902-633-2108). Please feel free to use these methods to keep us informed of what is going on in your woodlot or in your community or area. We try to keep you informed through these updates, mail outs, our column in Atlantic Forestry Review, the Annual General Meeting, and this website.

NSWOOA Update 16: August/Sept. 2008

What Do You Do With...?

The long evenings of early July are conducive to social visits, but the social pleasantries were scarcely over when the neighbor from back on the hill brought up the topic of his woodlot. "Look," he said, "you've got a woodlot and there's grey birch on it. What do you do with grey birch?" The tone of his voice betrayed his sense of frustration. "I got five, maybe six acres of red spruce plantation from back in the 80s and it's being beaten up by grey birch that came into it. Some places where the plantation failed there's only grey birch; in other places it's growing up over the spruce and doing damage. What do you do with grey birch?"

"How big are they? You can always put some in the firewood you sell, or burn it yourself. There's a market for that sort of wood these days, but not at a high price and not too many cords of grey birch alone."

"No," he replied, and after a pause, "I don't think it's big enough to sell at any kind of a price. Most of it is the size of my wrist. But it takes so long to cut it. A cord can take all morning, and at that rate, maybe I should just let it lay on the ground. Or maybe let it stand and after a while…" He trailed off, uncertain what to do.

"You have much cut so far? Have you been working at it steady? Maybe grey birch is only a hobby thing. You work at it a half day now and then, and make wood where it is large enough, and lay it down otherwise. It doesn't pay to put other work aside in favor of releasing the planted spruce."

The neighbor tilted his head, reflecting, "This is the second time I cut these trees. Years ago I went through and cut down all the birch and laid it down. Thought I was done with it. Now I got a new hobby." He produced a smile with a twist of irony in it.

"Now," he said, "what do you do about a couple of acres of alders?"

If you have your own experiences, stories or advice on grey birch, email us.

NSWOOA Member Selected Winner

The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources will hold a field day at the Mabou, Cape Breton, woodlot of NSWOOA member Neal Livingston on September 27. Neal won regional Woodlot Owner of the Year for the Eastern Region from NSDNR. Additional field days will be held in Maitland Bridge on September 13 (Western Region regional winner) and in Greenfield on October 4 (Central Region and Provincial winner). For more information on Neal's woodlot and all of the field days, see http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/extension/woya/2008.htm#east

Congratulations to Neal!

Also Scheduled in September

Demo International 2008, hosted by Ledwidge Lumber, is scheduled for the forests just east of the Halifax airport on September 18-20. This is a huge exhibition of forestry equipment and technology, both large scale and small scale, and will be of interest to all woodlot owners. It includes demonstrations as well as static displays. A few contests too. For more information, consult the July edition of Atlantic Forestry Review, or go to http://www.atlanticfarmer.com/ and follow the links to Demo 2008.

Voluntary Planning

On April 22, 2008, the Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association made a presentation to the volunteer Natural Resources Citizen Engagement Committee (Voluntary Planning), which will be making recommendations for natural resources policy in Nova Scotia. We put forward a number of recommendations designed to improve the ecological health of Nova Scotia woodlots and increase economic choice among woodlot owners. For the full text of our presentation, please see the Voluntary Planning website, https://vp.gov.ns.ca/files/u4/2008_AGM_presentation_4_.pdf

Outreach Project

Outreach Coordinator Patricia Amero reports that the NSWOOA-Picea Forestry Uneven-Aged Management Outreach Project is progressing nicely. NSWOOA Member Services Coordinator Flora Johnson has the task of going through all the survey and workshop discussion results to begin preparing the written report. Meanwhile, Patricia and her partner, Sandy Hyde, have moved on to the individual woodlot half-day visits require by the project. According to Patricia, selecting the lots to be visited has been difficult, as there were many worthy woodlots to consider. The project will also hold a half-day woodlot seminar for contractors only, to be delivered in the early fall.

The Uneven-Aged Management Outreach Project is administered by the Association for Sustainable Forestry and is funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources. NSWOOA is delivering the project in partnership with Picea.

Sad News

NSWOOA members are mourning the loss of former NSWOOA board member Pamela (Pam) Langille. Pam was a dedicated and effective worker on behalf of protection of the Acadian Forest and promotion of ecologically sound forest practices. Donations in Pam's memory can be sent to the Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association (Comp 10, Site 2 R.R.1, Head Jeddore, NS B0J 1P0). We extend our sympathies to her family and friends.

Grey Birch

(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 soon. Meanwhile Jamie is taking orders for the book at bocabec@gmail.com. The price will be $20, including shipping.)

[Grey Birch] grows on a wide variety of soils, from dry to poorly drained, and
often regenerates well on nutrient-deficient soils where other trees do not grow
well. However, it is the shortest lived tree in the Acadian Forest with an upper
lifespan of 50 years. With mature height of 11 meters (35 feet) it is also the
shortest tree in the Acadian Forest.

Because grey birch grows almost
exclusively on recently disturbed ground where sometimes other trees cannot
survive, it plays an important role in re-vegetating sites, capturing nutrients
and stabilizing the soil. Being short in height, and longevity, and very
intolerant of shade, grey birch is quickly succeeded by other species; stands
can be thinned and under-planted with shade tolerant species.

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 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 Presentation to Voluntary Planning

Sawmill photo by Susan Danko

The following is the text of the PowerPoint presentation made by the Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association on April 22, 2008, as part of the review of Nova Scotia natural resources policy being conducted by Voluntary Planning. Voluntary Planning will use this and other public comment to develop recommendations for the government to consider. The NSWOOA's presentation represents the values, policies and regulations that we feel should be in the final recommendations.

For an account of our April 12 2008 Annual General Meeting, please click here.

Slide 1
Focus

Economics: Recognizing we are dealing with an ecological asset.

Why would anyone listen to us?

• We are small, private woodlot owners and operators. We have an emotional and financial interest in the land.
  
• Our knowledge--the issues important to the small, private woodlot owner (forestry, ecology, biodiversity, processing, business)

We are small private woodlot owners who, by and large, have their boots on the ground and hearts in the trees.

Slide 2
We will present 3 themes (each with principle, premise, argument, recommendations):

1. Single species = single product, multiple species = multiple products
   
2. Beyond the woodlot gate


3. The woodlot is a business

Synthesizing our ideas into one story: Public interest

Slide 3
1. Single species = single product, multiple species = multiple product

Slide 4
Principles:

• Maximize ecological health
  
• Ecological health leads to economic choice

The premise:

• A single product market has its flaws--not robust, difficult to adapt.


• A single species managed forest has its flaws--not robust, difficult to adapt.


• A multiple product market has its strengths--diversified, resilient


• A multiple species managed forest has its strengths--diversified, resilient

Slide 5
The single species = single product model, aka the industrial model, is geared to provide cheap fibre (pulp) to the pulp and paper mills and dimensional sawmills.

Under such a regime, biodiversity is reduced.

There is a widespread public perception that forest complexity has been compromised over the past 50 years making it less able to deal with environmental stressors.

There is also widespread public sentiment that the magnitude of clearcutting is excessive.

Slide 6
When biodiversity is reduced because of fibre focus, the small private woodlot owner cannot make a continual income ("one game in town").

This fibre focus has lead to both excessive pressure on the forest and less economic choice for the woodlot owner.

In point of fact, this fibre focus has resulted in an economic environment where the small private woodlot owner is not in charge and very seldom consulted.

The mills rule. They dictate:

• Supply chain: Crown blocs--industrial holdings--small proviate woodlot owners


• Prices and


• Silviculture funds.

This is an artifact of the existing provincial forest tenure system.

Slide 7
How does one take pressure off the idea that a forest is just a fibre factory and at the same time, provide the small, private woodlot owner with a continual income?

Change the management focus away from a single group of trees to one where the forest is considered as a system.

Under such a focus, its ecological diversity, structure and the forest’s multiple species and uneven age characteristics become important.

Fibre becomes one option along with maple syrup, Christmas trees, mushrooms, carbon, ecotourism.

Slide 8
Regaining ecological health means making a forest not just more trees.

A single species tree farm or a multi-species tree farm is still a tree farm.

An ecological healthy, multiple species forest can better adapt to climate change.

Don’t simplify the forest, focus on increasing the forest’s biodiversity.

Under such a regime, small private woodlot owners can take a continual income from their woodlots because of the potential to create a diverse product base.

With no single focus on fibre, the woodlot owner can manage the interest, not the capital.

Each viable woodlot creates a job.

Slide 9
Provide the woodlot owner with the time needed to increase the biodiversity and ecosystem complexity of the Acadian Forest.

Recognize that time is $.

Recommendations:

• Identify the best use for timber: decouple the requirement to operate a mill from being granted a Crown block’s timber rights.


• Introduce a Category 8 in the Provincial Forest Sustainabilty Regulations

Slide 10
Category 8 Woodlot Investment Fund Program

Boundary lines and GPS data

Management plans--land capacity assessments

Land migration and deed updates

Biodiversity, ecosystem complexity

Travel for education and conferences

Travel for market development

Loan $ to assist additional land purchases to create economically viable woodlots

Acadian Forest ecosystem projects

Bridge funding--$ to set aside immature stands for later harvest, $ for species conversion, $ for time

Value-added development assistance for capital purchases (equipment) and buildings
$ for market development

Woodlot road access and stream crossings

Environment projects: wildlife, biodiversity, species re-introduction

Slide 11
2. Beyond the woodlot gate: Valuing the environment

Slide 12
Principles:

• Streamline the present system.


• Emphasize vertical integration via secondary/value-added processing

Premise:

• The present silviculture funding system has too much duplication and bias.


• Jobs generated from a woodlot include both forestry and processing work.


• Maximize the $/biomass ratio.

Slide 13
Fibre specifications:

• Buying and selling logs--if it looks like a log and feels like a log, it may not necessarily be a log.


• Mills have different grades and counts.

Fibre supply system:

• Industrial mill: Crown Land--industrial holdings--small private woodlot


• Medium scale mill: holdings--small private woodlot

Fibre transport is biased against small cuts

Industry (trucking)

Silviculture funding

• Each registered buyer (a mill) and the Association of Sustainable Forestry (ASF) has its own administrative policies regarding how funds are distributed.


• The ASF has insufficient monies to pay for all the Provincial Forest Sustainability Regulations category 7 applications it receives.


• The current system operates on credit for many treatments, the rates are kept so low that contractors are leaving the business.


• Some work may be best paid for by the hour.

Slide 14

Develop the added value capability of each woodlot:

• Not every woodlot owner will want to be their own mill or secondary processor.


• Provide the woodlot owner with the option of seeking information that will allow them to identify the best use for their log and an information network that will provide them with access to the appropriate buyer.

Slide 15

Recommendations:

• Develop universal log-buying standards (create a task force of industry players and task them with this objective).


• Develop a single silviculture application form that can be used to solicit funds from any mill or ASF.


• Review the allocation and amounts of silviculture funding as well as how it is allocated.


• Create a “one stop shop” where a woodlot owner can access information on the specifications, transport options and market prices for the particular woodlot products they are interested in selling.

Slide 16
3: The woodlot is a business.

Slide 17

Principle:

• Recognize that biodiversity = economic choice by incorporating full-cost accounting in the present system.


• Recognize that the traditional skill set of the woodlot owner needs to be fostered.
  

Slide 18

It is the woodlot owner’s decision whether their forest can help provide

• carbon sequestration


• clean water


• tranquility

They can either keep their forest in place, or clearcut it.

This is not a threat, but a reality given that we place no economic value on these services.

Place a $ value on these services so that the woodlot owner can have a choice.

2 avenues: free market or legislation

• Free market: carbon sequestration


• Legislation: Ecosystem Attributes Act

Slide 19
Recommendations:

• Create a provincial carbon credit system.


• Conduct a study as to the feasibility of an Ecosystem Attributes Protection Act.


• Provide training in financial planning, accounting, marketing, silviculture practices and product awareness (specifications, market likes and dislikes) as these subjects apply to a multiple product generating woodlot.


• Hope for a predictable political environment (consistent, long term silvicultural programs).

Slide 20
The Public Interest

A strategy to create a diverse, healthy forest within which a small private woodlot owner can make a living.

Slide 21
Within the woodlot:

• multiple species = mulitiple products strategy


• increase biodiversity

Beyond the woodlot gate:

• Review the present system


• Maximize the $/biomass ratio
  

The woodlot is a business:

• Take into account the ecological attributes of the forest


• Promote knowledge building within the woodlot owner community


• A healthy forest = a healthy woodlot owner = a healthy community

Slide 22
One of the best ways to ensure the establishment of biodiversity, sound ecology and sustainable forestry in Nova Scotia will be to make systemic changes that support and facilitate those taking a leadership role in those efforts: the province's small private woodlot owners.

• Decouple the relationship between operating an industrial scale mill and timber rights.


• Introduce a Category 8.


• Introduce a provincial carbon credit system.


• Consider a legislative option: the Ecosystem Attributes Act.


• Create a more streamlined marketplace:
  –universal log buying standards
  –universal silviculture application forms
  –introduce a “one stop shop” forest products information center


• Provide business and technical support to the private woodlot owner to maintain their skill set, and in turn the cultural values of the forest community.

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.