News release

Amendments to Scalers Act Introduced

Natural Resources (to July 2018)

Natural Resources Minister Ernest Fage has introduced several amendments to the Scalers Act that will improve the way wood volume is measured in the Nova Scotia forest sector.

The revisions, introduced in the House of Assembly today, include: clarification of the responsibility and duties of the supervisor of scaling; provision to appoint an additional representative from the forestry sector to the scalers board of examiners; and required use of a licensed scaler for quantities that exceed 1,000 cubic metres (about 454 cords) of wood.

"The changes reflect the current practices of the forest industry, as well as the needs expressed by scalers and companies in the forest sector," said Mr. Fage. "These amendments will provide the forest industry, land owners and harvesting contractors the benefit of having a fair and consistent means of evaluating the volume of primary forest products harvested in the province."

The amendments also call for establishment of training courses for scalers, detailed development of the Scaling Manual and specific enforcement procedures to ensure compliance with the act.

The Scalers Act itself provides legislative authority for the supervisor of scaling. It also governs standardizing the measurement of primary wood products and the licensing of qualified scalers. Scaling involves measuring or estimating the quantity of products obtained from trees after they are harvested.

The amendments are necessary in order to update the administrative processes and procedures associated with the act, making them more efficient and bringing them into the 21st century.