Federation of Nova Scotia Woodland Owners
Truro, N.S.

   While exploring my woodlot the other morning at dawn, bowing beneath branches and hopping mossy hummocks with my favourite “four-legged” circling my immediate perimeter, I discovered an acorn under a long-ago disposed-of broken jar. I have yet to see an oak tree directly on my woodlot, but there it was in all its glory, sprouting with pride. I left it, not knowing what our spring will have in store for it, but if it sprouted, it has hope, and so do I.
   I once read an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson that spoke about the idea that there is one mind common to all individuals and therefore the whole of history exists in the individual. “The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” This idea has been replaying through my brain repeatedly lately. How can the idea of one create a plentiful future? Nurture what we have, build on what we know, empower each other to grow, and have pride in our passion and ourselves. I interpret the word “one” as a culture, a population, a community.
   Forests provide for flora, fauna, and folks. Forest growers are living in an era of apathy regarding their contribution to ecosystems, economics, and social and cultural wellness. They also exist as important cultivators of a carbon-sequestration-cycled system. Forest growers are being overlooked and, in some cases, devastatingly devalued. In the mix of heated social media debates, third-party reviews, and forest funerals, the reality that these products can take the place of most finite resource stores is being discounted. The philosopher Wayne Dyer stated, “The highest form of ignorance is rejecting something you do not understand.”
   Forest product production takes a diverse set of folks, most who live rurally and work very hard to practise good land stewardship and maintain innovation and productivity, while making accountable economic decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities. Forest modelling administration remains as diverse as the people that manage the land, and the land they manage. So how can we become more recognized for our efforts, contributions, and achievements? One deliberates the answer: Be the acorn. If every acorn can nurture a hopeful sprout, learn to weather itself against much opposition, find niche microclimates, and grow with neighbouring acorns, then a resilient movement can be propagated.
   Recent accomplishments have been moving us towards a brighter future as nurturing farmers of the forest, through unified provincial certification, mentorship learning, and understanding forest soil health and associated indications. Yet, we are a long way from being considered vital components of our social biodiversity. Society has generally disregarded the human element in the debates of resource utilization and the necessity of it. Forest farmers have been left in the wake of the “not in my backyard” attitude.
   Forests and humans have evolved together over time, both lending something to the other. Roy Underhill, the brilliantly quirky, creative carpenter extraordinaire who hosts The Woodwright’s Shop, on PBS, taught us that “Hardwood trees and humans appeared on the planet at about the same time, and the two have grown together. The origins of this relationship reach beyond tradition into instinct, all the way back to judging the strength of the next branch. It is what is known as common sense.” Over time, we developed dynamically together as needs changed along with population, industrialization, and globalization.
   Forests offer solutions to various resource needs simultaneously. Cultivating these ecosystems for maximum healthy growth and development should fill us with pride. Add in the element of creative product utilization from a renewable resource that our growing population will necessitate, and you have a dynamic, resilient relationship. If we can build this relationship in our own backyard, why would we not? Putting our renewable resources to work and supporting what grows locally is also the best ecological choice we can currently make as a population. When we grow forests and utilize forest products, we should stand proud in supporting this renewable process. From the planter of the seed to the state-of-the-art architect making creative building accomplishments that remain carbon sinks for many generations, we have a chance to make this shift in paradigm – together.

Stacie Carroll
Executive Director, FNSWO
Phone 1-844-966-3568
or email Stacie@fnswo.ca

The Association for Sustainable Forestry
Truro, N.S.

   With an open winter and good drying conditions, pre-commercial thinning (PCT) assistance is very much in demand at ASF. In fact, it’s the most common request we receive! Many sites that are being submitted for thinning are high-density (35,000-plus stems per hectare) softwood stands, situated on good-quality sites with a land capability rating of more than five m3/ha/year. This indicates that a softwood stand growing on the site has the ability to grow more than a cord per acre per year, which can vary according to species. Sites such as these benefit greatly from thinning, and increased diameter growth of the trees is noticeable within a few years.
   While shade-tolerant hardwood stands are nearly always of lower density than softwood stands, these sites also benefit from PCT. Waiting until the hardwood trees average more than six metres in height (20 feet) before thinning will keep branching to a minimum, an important consideration in growing good quality hardwood trees.
   Spring and early summer is a popular time to undertake PCT, especially before the buds burst and the flies take over! It is also a good time to look over young softwood plantations to determine the degree of competition from pioneer species such as Pin cherry, aspen, and Grey birch. Controlling this competition with a clearing saw can help your plantation gain the light and space it needs to grow more quickly. ASF offers assistance for this treatment, which is called Early Competition Control, and which is best done while the young softwood trees are less than two metres in height.
   Thanks to everyone who has provided a funding request for this year. Please visit our website for further information and application forms.
   Wishing you a good summer season on your woodlot!

David Sutherland, RPF
Coordinator, Association for Sustainable Forestry
P.O. Box 696
Truro, N.S. B2N 5E5
Phone 902-895-1179
www.asforestry.com

North Nova Lumberjacks Society
Truro, N.S.

   Things are in “full swing” with planning for our two big 2018 events. The third annual Nova Scotia Lumberjack Championships will be a two-day event held at Wild Axe Park in Barrington, N.S., June 16-17. We will have all the chopping and sawing events from previous years, but this year, in addition, you’ll see log rolling, endurance races, and bow sawing, as well as masters and junior events. The competition will once again be filmed for the TV program Lumberjacks, which will air nationally later this year. We’ll offer our biggest prize purse to date, with more than $15,000 on the line for competitors, so we expect a big turnout of the best pros from the Maritimes, Quebec, and northeast U.S. to show up and try to take home the title of Nova Scotia Lumberjack Champion!
   Aug. 25-26 we will host the Canadian National Axe Throwing Championships at Victoria Park in Truro, N.S. This will be a tournament-style competition with qualifying throws on Saturday, and finals for the top 10 female and top 20 male competitors on Sunday. The Canadian championships will bring some of the best professional axe throwers in the world to Nova Scotia, including 10 European competitors who placed very well at the 2017 World Axe Throwing Championships in Germany. This is the first national championship lumberjack event to be held in the Maritimes, so it’s a great honour to host it and we are excited to promote our province and country to our visitors. Be sure to mark your calendars for both of these world-class events!
   We’ve recently launched a website that has information about our events and our society, and provides links to other lumberjack sports organizations, including Canadian competition dates, so be sure to check it out: www.novalumberjacks.com.
   Stay sharp folks.
Ryan McIntyre
President, North Nova Lumberjacks Society
902-499-2727
novalumberjacks@gmail.com

New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners
Fredericton, N.B.

Election 2018
   As we all know, there will be a fall election here in New Brunswick. Political parties are currently working to create their platforms and position papers. In order to raise the profile of private woodlot owners, I would suggest that everyone reading this ask your local politician what their position on forestry is. Ask also what they are hearing from the general public. If you do not like their position, ask what led them to take such a stand. This way you get to address the reasons behind the decision.
   The N.B. Federation of Woodlot Owners sent the following questions to all five political parties at the end of February, requesting answers by the end of March. We indicated that we would be sharing the answers with the membership. Perhaps you could pose these questions directly to your candidate:
1) What is your party’s position on the Private Woodlot Silviculture Program?
2) What is your party’s position on ensuring that the marketability of private wood is not impacted by company access to Crown wood?
3) Does your party support either Primary Source of Supply status for private woodlot wood or some other mechanism to ensure the sale of private wood is not impeded by other sources of wood supply?
4) Does your party see any value in a group negotiating system, such as the current marketing board system?
5) What is your party’s position on the current Crown Lands and Forests Act?
6) Does your party have a position on research and development of new uses for primary forest products?
7) What other policies does your party have regarding private woodlots, that would allow our members to view the future with optimism and confidence?
   We will post the answers that we receive from the political parties to our website. Check it out at www.nbwoodlotowners.ca. Our website is also the location where you can sign up to be on our communication list and receive updates directly to your inbox. You can also “like” or “follow” our Facebook page. We want to hear from you, and we want to share what we are doing. Let’s start a dialogue that raises the profile of the private woodlot sector and forestry.

Susannah Banks
Executive Director, NBFWO
506-459-2990
nbfwo@nb.aibn.com