News release

Funds To Help Western Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners

Natural Resources (to July 2018)

More woodlot owners in western Nova Scotia can build and upgrade access roads to move products, make silviculture work easier and increase forest fire protection with a $500,000 investment by the province.

"People in western Nova Scotia, where the Bowater mill's closure has the greatest effect, deserve this kind of support for their local economy," said Queens MLA Vicki Conrad, on behalf of Charlie Parker, Minister of Natural Resources. "We are advancing the provincial natural resources strategy by engaging and helping small, private land owners to improve the management of their forested lands."

Improved woodlot access will help landowners meet provincial ecosystem management goals and improve things woodlots provide to the environment.

"Woodlot owners, especially in this region, need this kind of support from the province so we can improve access to our woodland to perform silvicultural treatments, and more efficiently move forest products to market," said Jim Crooker, 2012 Western Region Woodlot owner of the Year Award winner. "It's good for woodlot owners, and the local economy as well."

Applications remaining from $1 million in provincewide funding for access roads announced this summer will be used, on a first-come, first-serve basis, for this round for Queens County and western Nova Scotia. New applications are not being accepted.

Applicants needed to own, occupy, or have lease control of the 20 to 20,000 hectares of woodlot land and plan to use forest management over the next five years. They could not be a producer of softwood lumber or other wood products covered under the Canada United States Softwood Lumber Agreement of 2006.

Forest management includes producing wood, sustainably managing wood fibre with silviculture, or developing the woodlot to produce maple products or Christmas trees.

The Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia is managing and distributing the funding.