Contacts Atlantic Forestry Review November 2016

North Nova Forest Owners Co-op Ltd
    On Sunday Oct. 2, North Nova Forest Owners Co-op Limited held its 40th anniversary celebration in Wentworth, with an active field day on the Jaime Snell-Pollendine woodlot. This is a diverse woodlot with lots of potential and well-drained productive soils, which becomes obvious as you drive into the woodlot. 
    The field day was a tremendous success, with approximately 100 people in attendance. There was a demonstration with a Ponsse Scorpion single-grip harvester owned and operated by Kim Contracting of the Gulf Shore and sold and serviced by ALPA Equipment in Truro. There was also a horse-logging demo by Brad Yantzi, who normally runs the Scorpion. A long-time North Nova contractor and pre-commercial thinning veteran, Laurie Peters, demonstrated and discussed proper techniques of PCT in young forest stands. Patricia Amero, of Picea Forestry Consulting, demonstrated pre-treatment assessment (PTA) and Forest Ecosystem Classification (FEC), important tools we use to prescribe harvesting treatments. Also present was Dale Prest, of Community Forests International, who talked to participants about carbon storage in woodlots. Gary Fisher, president of the Nova Scotia Trappers Association, was on hand to discuss where and when to trap and why it may be necessary in some cases. 
    The field day was made possible by the Wentworth and Westchester volunteer fire departments. They looked after parking and the barbecue, as well as the safety of all attendees. I’d like to thank all participants involved in this event, and a special thanks to ALPA Equipment, Port Hawkesbury Paper, Northern Pulp, Ledwidge Lumber, Scotsburn Lumber, and Hefler Forest Products, who all donated prizes for draws. I would also like to thank my father for transporting the horses and helping hook up logs, my staff for helping put this together, and Brothers Meats who donated sausages and sauerkraut for the barbecue.
    We hope to continue our success here at North Nova, and we plan to have more field days that get landowners involved in what we do. We’re a growing business dedicated to sustainable management of small private landowners in Colchester, Cumberland, and Pictou counties. If you are interested in your woodlot and need unbiased advice, please contact us and we’ll arrange a site visit.  Hope to see you all again soon!

Greg Watson
Manager, North Nova Forest Owners Co-op Ltd.
Phone 902-548-2400 or email north.nova@northnovaforestry.com