Nature Nova Scotia

N.S. Forest Cutting Plans are continuing to be developed despite the severe need to allow the landscapes to recovered from overcutting. This is destruction of wildlife habitat as well as elimiination of any chance for a long term healthy forest landscape for future generations.  The plans threated to eliminate the rest of the mainland moose in western Nova Scotia.

Shown here is a segment of the provincial Forest Harvesting Plan Viewer near the Cloud Lake Wilderness area and Shell Camp Lake in Kings Coutny. The tan areas are new plans  for clear cutting (now called Retention …)  These you can still comment on as of 27 Oct 2020. The yellow outlines are earlier plans that we can no longer comment on.  In addition the light colored areas of the aerial image show areas already clear cut.

You can view the current plans and past plans on this viewer.  See our  page on N.S. Forestry

Endangered Canada Warbler

Judge Bothers has found that the Minister (in reality, the Department of Lands and Forestry) has not fulfilled many of his legal obligations under the Endangered Species Act. Specifically, with respect to the 6 representative species  chosen for the case:

– recovery plans have not been completed on time,
– recovery teams have not been appointed on time,
– recovery plans must now identify areas that can be considered for designation as core habitat,- recovery plans must be reviewed on time, and
– if the Minister is to rely on a federal recovery strategy in lieu of creating a provincial recovery plan, the federal strategy must be formally adopted by the Minister within the timeline stipulated in the Act.

The judgement can be read at https://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nssc/en/item/479814/index.do