Funds to Improve Value of Eastern Nova Scotia Woodlots

The province is following up on a commitment in the province's new natural resources strategy to help Nova Scotia woodlot owners manage their properties ecologically and increase the wood supply to industry.

The province is providing $350,000 to help independent woodlot owners in eastern Nova Scotia develop management plans and receive training that meets the Maritime Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standard. The work will be carried out by the Nova Scotia Landowners and Forest Fibre Producers Association under an agreement signed this week with the Department of Natural Resources.

"This agreement benefits the small private woodlot owner, the forest industry and the environment," said Charlie Parker, Minister of Natural Resources. "Small, private woodlot owners play a key role in supplying wood fibre for the forest industry, who in turn will be able to find new markets and verify the sustainability of their forestry practices."

The funds extend an agreement the province signed with the association in 2008 and increase the acreage of land that is FSC certified in eastern Nova Scotia.

"This is a major incentive to any buyer of the NewPage mill because it provides access to more demanding markets and an acclaimed landowner-run program to the highest sustainability standard in the world," said Wilma Stub, executive director of the Nova Scotia Landowners and Forest Fibre Producers Association.

The funds are part of the $5-million investment announced in May to help the province achieve its target of reducing clearcutting to 50 per cent of the total harvest over the next five years.

There are more than 30,000 private woodlot owners in Nova Scotia. The timber in small, private woodlots makes up two-thirds of the province's wood supply.