This page is a subpage of nsforestmatters.ca/
Ecol. Forestry & Conservation
Selected items… Workin on it
Titus Smith, a pioneer of plant ecology in North America
E Gorham, 1955 in Ecology Archived on JSTOR. “The contribution of the early naturalists to plant ecology is seldom acknowledged, though many of the facts upon which ecology is based were observed and correctly interpreted long before the subject became established professionally. In calling attention to the neglected yet brilliant investigations of Titus Smith, Jr., the writer hopes both to rescue from undeserved oblivion one of the earliest North American ecologists, and at the same time to provide an example of the marked capacity for careful observation and induction exhibited by many of the early amateurs. Titus Smith, Jr., born in 1768 and died in 1850, was a native of New England who accompanied his father to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 1783. After a broad education at home, he became a land surveyor, and in 1801 was commissioned by the governor of the colony to make a survey of the unfrequented areas of Nova Scotia, for the purpose of describing their natural resources, agricultural potentialities, and suitability for settlement. During 1801 and 1802 Smith made three trips, to the eastern, western, and northern parts of the Nova Scotian 1nainland, largely through the woods and with a single companion (none on the northern tourr. The unpublished journals of these tours, together with a map, lists of the flora, and notes on the various tree species provide an admirable…”
From Fernow, 1912. “Mixed forest, Sugar Maple, Yellow Birch, Beech, Red Spruce with Fir on the margin of the lake. Nearly three-fourths of the forests of Nova Scotia are of this type.
Forest Conditions of Nova Scotia
B.E. Fernow. 1912. Commission of Conservation, Ottawa
Available as PDF from NSDNR, also PDFs of Original Regional Maps. “In 1912, the Canadian federal Commission of Conservation published, “Forest Conditions of Nova Scotia”, written by B.E. Fernow and assisted by C.D. Howe and J.H. White. The report was based on information gathered from a reconnaissance forest survey of the Province, carried out under the direction of Dr. B.E. Fernow, then Dean of the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto. The expense for the survey was paid for by the Government of Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia through the trees 1761-1930
Kenneth C. Burrows. 2003. Terra Firma Press, Wellington NS, 149 pp
Available from Internet Archive
Interesting, thoughtful and should-be-more-read by Nova Scotians. View extracts.
At the Cutting Edge: The crisis in Canada’s forests
Elizabeth May. 1998. Key Porter Books.
Pages 78-97 provide a concise history of forestry in Nova Scotia.
Defining a forest reference condition for Kouchibouguac National Park and adjacent landscape in eastern New Brunswick using four reconstructive approaches
Donna R. Crossland, 2006. Thesis for Master of Science in Forestry, University of New Brunswick ABSTRACT
A forest reference condition for Kouchibouguac National Park and the adjacent landscape in eastern New Brunswick was derived by integrating information from historical descriptions, witness tree information, square timber harvest records, and ecosystem archaeology. Species frequency results indicated that forests were dominated by mid-to late- successional Picea, Tsuga canadensis, Betula, Acer, Abies balsamea, and Pinus strobes, comprising 70-80 % of 19th century forests. Fagus grandifolia and Thuja occidentalis existed at 5 and 6 – 1 4 %. Trees were mostly tall, large diameter, and mature to old growth. Early-successional or shade-intolerant species occurred at 1-3 % of forest composition. In the current forest, frequencies of Tsuga canadensis and F. grandifolia have decreased to approximately 1 % and 0.1 % respectively, A. balsamea has doubled on many sites, and Populus has become the most abundant hardwood species. Pinus banksiana, nearly absent ca. 1800, has become the most dominant pine species. Six dominant tree species comprise 95 % of contemporary forests, whereas there were nine species ca. 1800. Riparian zones have lost approximately 40 % of forest cover, and support little of the former species composition.
Against the Grain: Forestry & Politics in Nova Scotia
LA Sandbery and P. Clancy. 2000. UBC Press. “This study of foresters and forestry in Nova Scotia presents profiles of seven forestry professionals, whose careers run from the 1920s to the present. Including figures from the interwar, postwar, and contemporary periods, the sample reflects issues and experiences in industrial, government, and civil-sector forestry. It points to a rich tradition of alternative and dissenting practices that is intertwinedwith the professional and political orthodoxies of the day.” Chapters 1 & 2 are available online. Ch 1, a 37 page introduction, is a must-read for anyone trying to comprehend the politics of forestry in Nova Scotia (indeed, the whole book is so recommended).
Dimensions of Power in Forest Resource Decision-Making: A Case Study of Nova Scotia’s Forest Conservation Legislation.
Glyn Charles Bissix, 1999. PhD. Thesis The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London. “This study identifies power relationships within forest conservation decision-making in Nova Scotia, Canada. Rather than rely on the ‘customary science’ of resource
conservation largely based on biological and physical parameters, this analysis is steeped
in the traditions of social science and policy analysis. This study’s central focus is the
Forest Improvement Act (FIA): 1962-1986. Forest conservation policies and legislative
initiatives developed prior to FIA enactment such as the Small Tree Act (STA): 1942 –
1965 are treated in this study as the FIA’s policy gestation period. Theoretical and
practical insights derived from this pre-FIA period are used in the assessment of the FIA
and these combined understandings are subsequently applied to the analysis of
contemporary forest conservation policy. For contemporary analysis, six case studies
including the Nova Scotia Envirofor process and the St. Mary’s River Landscape and
Ecology Management proposal, as well as a recent provincial government initiative are
examined…Regardless of policy content, this study shows that external forces such as woodfibre markets were key to the implementation of ground level forest conservation. Ironically, this study links the renewal of forest conservation legislation to the demand for increased forest exploitation. New forest policy initiatives were as much to do with pacifying conservation interests as they were about promoting ground level forest conservation.”
Forest Use in Nova Scotia: Past, Present, and a Potential Future
Soren Bondrup-Nielsen. 2024. Article in Between the Tides, Journal of the Blomidon Field Naturalists 51(1), pp 17-20. Graphs such as that at right of Volume harvested, Revenue from logging, Employment, Contribution of real GPD per hectare over last 30 years.
Pulp Culture: How Nova Scotia’s Faustian bargain with the pulp industry may leave the sawmills in ruins
Linda Pannozzo in the Halifax Examiner, Mar 12, 2019. There is a lot in the article. Commented Soren Bondrup-Nielsen: “Nova Scotia, part of Mi’kma’ki, has a long history of forest use, from clearing forests for agriculture, to sending timbers to France and later England for ship building, to supplying the wooden ship building industry in the 1800s, to large- scale extraction by the pulp and paper and lumber industries, starting in the late 1800s. Just about all of Nova Scotia has been cut over during the last 300 years, and more than just once or twice. Only the most inaccessible areas of the province have not seen an axe, crosscut or chain saw. Government policies with respect to the pulp and paper industry have been frequently criticized since the early 1900s. This history is summarized in the Halifax Examiner in a thoughtful 2019 article by Linda Pannozzo.”
Forestry report of the Nova Scotia Royal Commission on Forestry.
Nova Scotia. Royal Commission on Forestry. 1984 Available at Dalhosuie University Library. Or view here as Photographs of newspaper ed.
Recommendations are made with respect to: (a) The present and projected forest inventory, its quantity, quality, distribution, value, and availability, and the sustainable harvest levels for products of the forests in relation to present and future industrial and other demands; (b) The most appropriate forest management procedures, including protection and the utilization of the forest resources of Nova Scotia, to ensure maximum future benefits; (c) The impact of land ownership and tenure, competing uses and forest management practices on the future supply of forest products, fish and wildlife population, and recreational opportunities in Nova Scotia; (d) The role of Governments, atall levels, in relation to all aspects of the use and management of the resources of the forests of Nova Scotia, includingtaxation, and the most appropriate regulatory framework for the Province.
Loucks, O.L. (1962). A forest classification for the Maritime provinces. Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science, 25(2), 85-167. Available on Dalspace