Flying Finns
Nova Scotia
| Population: | 944,765 |
| Total Area: | 5.6 million ha |
| Land Area: | 0.57 million ha |
| Forest Land: | 5.3 million ha |
| Provincial Parks: | 30,507 ha |
George Chisholm has been working and managing his 200-hectares of woodland in western Nova Scotia for over 20 years. Home for George is Bear River, Digby County where he has lived all of his life and where forestry has historically played a significant role in the life of his community.
Mr. Chisholm describes himself as a conservationist and is committed to leaving 10% of his land in a natural state. His long-term goal is to see most of his property, which is largely abandoned farmland, restored to the Acadian forest type with longlived species like red spruce, hemlock, white pine and oak returning to inhabit the land. He is also committed to managing his land as a productive forest through the use of different silviculture treatments such as shelterwood harvesting, commercial and pre-commercial thinnings, planting and weeding. As a result of the forest management practices on his wooded property, Mr. Chisholm was awarded Nova Scotia’s Woodlot Owner of the Year award in 1998.
“During the last six years I’ve continued to carry out different treatments on my woodlots, most recently a pre-commercial thinning in a young stand to encourage the growth of red spruce.” says Mr. Chisholm. “I’ve also increased the amount of work I do for others in my community who have similar goals for managing their forested properties.”
Nova Scotia is located within the Acadian Forest Region, which includes Prince Edward Island and much of New Brunswick in Canada and Maine in the United States. The Acadian Forest is unique because of the variety of softwood and hardwood species that can be found throughout the region. They include red, white and black spruce; balsam fir (resulting in Nova Scotia’s successful Christmas tree exporting industry); eastern white and red pine; eastern hemlock; red and sugar maple; white and yellow birch; trembling and large tooth aspen; and beech. In comparison, the Boreal Forest, located just below the treeless tundra in the northern areas of Canada, is dominated more by softwoods with fewer varieties of tree species.
 Sorting lumber in a Nova Scotia mill |
Nova Scotia’s total land area spans 5.3 million hectares, of which 4.25 million hectares are forested. The province’s forests are made up of 52% softwood, 12% hardwood, 24% mixed wood and 12% land that is regrowing. Mr. Chisholm’s family-owned operation isn’t unique in this province. Much of Nova Scotia’s forested lands are privately owned—almost 70%—and have been passed down from generation to generation.
Although small in size by area, Nova Scotia has been actively logged since the early 1600s when Europeans first arrived on our shores and settled communities. Today, forestry is still a key economic driver, particularly in rural communities where many of the sawmills and family-owned woodlots are located. Nearly three quarters of the province’s primary forest workers live in these rural areas.
Mr. Chisholm can attest to that as a fourth generation landowner himself who is committed to taking into account the natural environment around him by leaving wildlife corridors, cavity trees, snags and riparian zones along streams on his properties. His woodlots are also used for recreational activities, such as hiking and cross-country skiing.
Nova Scotia forests are essential to our way of life, providing opportunities for tourism, recreation, and clean air and water. Over 30,000 individual woodlot owners account for almost half of the productive forestland in the province. Woodlot and industrial lands together supply 90% of the annual provincial harvest, which totaled 6.1 million cubic meters in 2003.
In 1997, the Nova Scotia government introduced a forest strategy to ensure that the province’s forests are sustainable into the future. Nancy McInnis Leek is the Director of Forestry for the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and has been leading implementation of the strategy.
“A need for change in forest management was identified back in the early to mid-1990s to ensure that forest practices in the province were sustainable,” says Ms. McInnis Leek. “The strategy underscores the province’s commitment to biodiversity, ecosystem management and a strong, healthy forest sector.”
There are a number of tools in place to support the forest strategy. Through new regulations the government is able to collect information on our forests, set requirements for silviculture work, and protect wildlife habitat to ensure that the forests and the environment they support are sustainable.
Staff uses a variety of education and information tools to assist the public in understanding the forest environment and forest use and to help landowners manage their forestland effectively.
The principles of the strategy are based on science, including ecological land classification and forest ecosystem classification systems. The Department of Natural Resources continuously takes inventory of Nova Scotia forests, identifying changes that occur. This information is used to forecast the long-term wood supply, which can then be used to evaluate any changes that may be needed in government policy or within the forest sector.
Cooperation among government, the forest sector and other stakeholders will ensure that Nova Scotia achieves a varied and productive forest. Silviculture is key to ensuring the province’s forests are sustainable, says Ms. McInnis Leek. Since 2000, the forest industry has carried out around $52 million worth of silviculture on more than 116,000 hectares of land.
“The amount of silviculture is tied directly to the level of harvest on private lands,” she says. “And these figures illustrate that industry and private landowners are generally supportive of the strategy and its initiatives by their compliance with regulations and legislation.”
The Department of Natural Resources will be developing a strategy to look at the next steps for Nova Scotia’s forests and their use. Once finalized, implementation of the strategy will take place over a five-year period. Ms. McInnis Leek says it will be broader in scope, but also take into account any changes in the forest sector that need to be addressed.
 A heavily timbered buffer zone separates a protected riparian area from a harvest site |
“This strategy will look at any aspects or gaps that were not included in our first forest strategy, such as the interaction between forest management and watersheds,’ says McInnis Leek. ‘We will also look further at biodiversity objectives and some aesthetic and recreational values.”
Nova Scotia’s forest sector is an important part of the provincial economy, employing thousands of people directly and indirectly. It remains the backbone of the province’s rural economy, much as it was back in the 1600s when communities were first settled in the new world.
The strength of our forests originates with our people, is founded upon sustainability and flourishes as a result of diversity. George Chisholm demonstrates management practices that underscore these tenets as he continues to manage his own and other woodlots in his in western Nova Scotia community.
human need to use natural resources is fundamental to our continued presence on earth."