This is a subpage of NS Forest Biomass RRA 2024
View that page for other subpages
Some key historical publications, announcements etc
DRAFTING
2009
– Our Common Ground: The Future of Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources
Final Report March 2009 Natural Resources Citizen Engagement Committee, 53 pages “Some Nova Scotians feel that our province relies too heavily on our forests for the production of fibre (e.g., pulp, paper, biomass energy).”
https://novascotia.ca/govt/vp/NaturalResourcesReport.pdf
Response to: An Application by NSPI, NewPage Port Hawkesbury Corp. and Strait Bio-Gen Ltd. – Review and Approval of a Proposed 60) MW Biomass Project (UARBP)
By Larry Hughes Energy Research Group Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Dalhousie University. He argues that use of forest biomass to generate electricity is inefficient, it should be used solely for heat; concerns about sustainability of forest biomass supply
http://dclh.electricalandcomputerengineering.dal.ca/enen/2009/ERG200907.pdf
– Clearcutting Nova Scotian Forests for Biomass: Implications for Carbon Sequestration and Sustainability
Comments submitted to the Nova Scotia Renewable Energy Stakeholder Consultation Process in response to the Interim Report To Stakeholders (December 15th 2009)
by David Patriquin Professor of Biology, Dalhousie University (Retired), Dec. 15, 2009.
https://versicolor.ca/biomass/docs/DalConsultation.html
– Stakeholder Consultation Process for A New Renewable Energy Strategy – Final Report to the Government of Nova Scotia
by Dr Michelle Adams & Dr David Wheeler, Faculty of Management Dalhousie University,. Dec 28, 2009.”Recommendation 15: The Department of Natural Resources publishes – by April 1st – a “high level standard” for the harvesting of forest biomass which allows those proponents currently accredited to the highest possible standards to proceed without undue delay.9 The Department should also establish – in consultation with the Department of Energy and other interested Departments – general guidelines and procedures for forest biomass harvesting for renewable energy that do not require external accreditation but which can nevertheless lead to the same standards of ecologically sustainable and restorative forestry practices. These guidelines to be published by July 1st 2010″. “While almost all submissions recognized that the use of wood for heat energy was common-place in Nova Scotia homes, there were few submissions that discussed current use of Nova Scotia forest-biomass for energy generation at an industrial level, such as found at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Brooklyn Energy, or those European
thermal generation stations currently importing biomass from Nova Scotia. There is significant concern within some stakeholder groups that the use of forest biomass for any larger-scale energy generation will result in irreparable ecological damage to Nova Scotian forests. The diametrically opposed point of view is that under-utilized forest- biomass is an economic waste and its use within the energy mix should be maximized, limited only by what makes economic sense (related to transportation distances and ease
of stand access).
https://web.archive.org/web/20111123122527/http://www.gov.ns.ca/energy/resources/EM/renewable/Wheeler-Renewable-Stakeholder-Consultation-Report.pdf
2010
– Restoring the Health of Nova Scotia’s Forests
A panel of expertise report on forests by Bob Bancroft and Donna Crossland to the steering panel for the Nova Scotia Natural Resources Strategy 2010 process.
https://web.archive.org/web/20171106062330/https://novascotia.ca/natr/strategy/pdf/phase2-reports/Forests-Health.pdf
– Panels of Expertise Addendum, Natural Resources Strategy 2010
https://web.archive.org/web/20171106062336/https://novascotia.ca/natr/strategy/pdf/phase2-reports/Natural%20Balance_Addendum.pdf
Diverging perspectives on clearcutting and Forest Biomass by J. Porter/R. Bancroft and D. Crossland
– A Natural Balance Working Toward Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources Strategy
Report of the Steering Panel Phase II, Natural Resources Strategy, Hon. Constance R. Glube, et al. April 2010
https://web.archive.org/web/20171106062319/https://novascotia.ca/natr/strategy/pdf/phase2-reports/Steering%20Panel_FINAL.pdf
from p. 23: FORESTS – RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE STEERING PANEL
Regulations (Public and Private Lands)
• Require management plans prior to cutting on all public and private lands.
• Allow clear-cutting by permit only.
• Allow use of pesticides and herbicides by permit only.
• Stop whole-tree harvesting as a forestry practice, except for Christmas tree farms.
Biomass for Power Generation
• Exercise great caution in the use of biomass for power generation. There is ample evidence that our forests are already under considerable stress. Despite the need to reduce greenhouse gases, Nova Scotia does not have the wood capacity for biomass use to make much of a difference even provincially. It is counter-intuitive for the province to protect the environment by cutting down too many trees or reducing the quality of already thin and acidic soils. The province should instead encourage the exploration and expansion of other sustainable methods to generate power and, at the same time, methods to conserve energy and reduce demand.
NSDNR Minister MacDonell at rally on Oct 29, 2010: “There’s gonna be a reduction in clearcutting in Nova Scotia.” View video
Comment: Initially, these recommendations were accepted and then Minister of Natural Resources and then NDP Minister of Natural Resources John MacDonell promised fundamental change.[Article in CH]. He released a set of “*strategic directions” which included a commitment to “Reduce the proportion of wood harvested by the clear cut method to no more than 50% of all forested lands over a five-year period”. Within months, however, Premier Dexter shifted MacDonell to another Dept. and the Bancroft/Crossland Report was tacitly shelved in favour of an alternative, industrial forestry-oriented *Report by Jon Porter. The province was still committed to the 50% target for clearcutting but introduced a *definition of clearcutting that effectively allowed a lot of what is functionally a clearcut not to be counted as a clearcut. Four years later the new Liberal government hired Jon Porter as the executive director of the NSDNR’s Renewable Resources Branch [Archived Chronicle Herald Article] In August of 2016 (the year clearcutting was to have been reduced to 50% of all cuts), the province issued a *five-year Progress Report on the 2011-2020 Natural Resources Strategy in which they announced that the 50% target was irrelevant because “We have now developed tools that ensure that all harvest treatments are aligned with the nature-based requirements of Nova Scotia’s lands.”
EAC Response to Forest Industry Campaign against Steering Panel Report
by Matt Miller and Raymond Plourde, Ecology Action Centre, July 12, 2010 “Following the release of A Natural Balance: Report to the Steering Panel Phase II, a massive lobbying campaign was launched by the Bowater Mersey Paper Company, the Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia (FPANS), NewPage, Northern Pulp and Ledwidge Lumber. Together they have sent out hundreds of letters to woodlot owners and contractors across Nova Scotia…”
https://web.archive.org/web/20210412141417/https://ecologyaction.ca/content/eac-response-forest-industry-campaign-against-steering-panel-report
UARB approves Nova Scotia Power/NewPage Port Hawkesbury Corp. Biomass Project
UARB decision Oct 14, 2010. Forecasted to consume 650,000 metric tonnes of biomass per year.
Orginal UARB announcement could not be located. Reference to it in EAC document “The UARB approved today NS Power Inc.’s proposed forest biomass energy project with NewPage Corp…The Ecology Action Centre supports small-scale biomass heating projects such as were recently announced in Prince Edward Island. “But large-scale forest biomass electricity is not the way to go,” says Simpson. “It’s a very inefficient use of our very limited forest resources”
https://web.archive.org/web/20110511060315/http://www.ecologyaction.ca/content/nspi-newpage-biomass-plant-increase-forest-cutting-and-increase-carbon-emissions
2011
Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (August, 2011). The Path We Share, A Natural Resources
Strategy for Nova Scotia 2011-2020, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
http://www.integrativescience.ca/uploads/files/Natural_Resources_Strategy_NS_2011-2020.pdf
(It appear to be no longer available on the Gov website)
4. Forests: Actions:
• Reduce clearcutting and establish a harvest tracking system.
• Review and redesign silviculture programs.
• Limit herbicide use.
• Clarify the use of forest biomass for energy.
• Establish the rules for whole-tree harvesting, and incorporate this into the Code of
Forest Practice.
• Evaluate the effects of implementing an Annual Allowable Cut (AAC)—the amount of
wood permitted to be harvested—to ensure the sustainability and productivity of
Nova Scotia’s forests.
Forest biomass for energy
In Phase 2 of the strategy development process, the steering panel urged government to exercise great caution in the use of biomass (wood fibre) for power generation. It also urged government to encourage the exploration and expansion of other sustainable methods to generate power, while continuing to conserve energy and reduce demand.
The cap set for new consumption of forest biomass for renewable electricity generation has been reduced to 350,000 dry tonnes per year, from the original 500,000 dry tonnes per year. The earlier cap was set as part of the Renewable Electricity Regulations, released in October 2010. Those regulations require that the Department of Natural Resources advise the Minister of Energy when any new forest biomass- based applications have a fuel procurement plan that will meet sustainable harvesting requirements.
In its Renewable Electricity Plan, the government of Nova Scotia committed itself to a cautious approach to the use of forest biomass for electricity production. The natural resources strategy reaffirms that commitment.
Rules for whole-tree harvesting will be developed as part of an ongoing legislative and policy review, consultation, and engagement. Requirements for the use of tree stems—for electricity generation only—have been completed and added to regulations and policy documents. Regulations under the Forests Act will be revised to ensure that harvesting practices (i.e., whole-tree harvesting) and the use of forest biomass for energy and fuel will meet commitments made in the Policy Framework for the Future of Nova Scotia’s Forestry. Other regulatory changes will be made to include biomass users as registered buyers. This will require their following the same rules as other buyers in the forestry sector. Standards for removing forest biomass from sites will be clearly identified in the Code of Forest Practice.
2013
Port Hawkesbury biomass plant officially opens
By Canadian Biomass October 30, 2013, Point Tupper, N.S. – The Port Hawkesbury biomass plant has officially opened its doors as part of the Port Hawkesbury Paper site in Point Tupper. The biomass plant has been operating at full capacity since July. The biomass-fuelled cogeneration plant, owned by Nova Scotia Power, will use approximately 650,000 tons of biomass per year. That volume will provide 60MW of power, enough to provide power for around 50,000 homes. The biomass power at Port Hawkesbury will provide between nine to twelve per cent of Nova Scotia’s renewable energy target. The government set the target for total renewable energy at 25 per cent of all electricity consumed by the end of 2015, with an increase to 40 per cent renewable energy by 2020. The biomass plant has created
approximately 30 full-time jobs, with an additional 200 indirect jobs as a result of the plant’s operations.
https://www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca/port-hawkesbury-biomass-plant-officially-opens-4344/
2015
– Nova Scotia Power biomass project in Cape Breton raising green concerns
Aaron Beswick for the Herald News, Jan 9, 2015. WebArchive Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20160416030539/http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1261832-nova-scotia-power-biomass-project-in-cape-breton-raising-green-concerns “…Foresters in northern Nova Scotia are warning that the wood being burned at Nova Scotia Power’s new biomass boiler may be green, but the electricity coming out of it isn’t…The boiler, started by now-defunct NewPage Port Hawkesbury Corp. and sold to Nova Scotia Power, opened during the summer of 2013. Running at peak capacity, which it is a bit shy of now, it burns 670,000 green tonnes of wood fibre annually to produce 60 megawatts of electricity. “They’re going after anything they can get their hands on to feed that thing,” Phil Clark, an Antigonish County sawmill operator, said Thursday. “They’re laying places to waste to feed it.” …According to Nova Scotia Power, half the boiler’s needs are fed by wood waste from Port Hawkesbury Paper, sawmills and other woods operations. That leaves about 335,000 green tonnes that are cut to feed it. A rough industry average in northern Nova Scotia is that you get about 120 tonnes of wood fibre off a hectare. Divide 335,000 tonnes by 120 and you get 2,792 hectares getting cut every year for the foreseeable future to be burned for electricity…He [Alan Eddy, associate deputy minister at the Natural Resources Department] said Nova Scotia Power has an obligation to its ratepayers to get wood fibre as cheaply as possible. The cheapest way is to clear land, not selectively harvest to improve the lot for the future. “Do all Nova Scotians who pay power bills want to pay a higher power bill so that they can help us improve our forest?” said Eddy. “I don’t think there’s a guilty party. ”
– Forest Biomass Energy Policy in the Maritime Provinces: Accounting for Science
Jamie Simpson for East Coast Environmental Law, December 15, 2015
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/63f90734d9086a595a4b4a2a/t/6435f4011d99f858e59eeac0/1681257477573/RR-13-2015_12_15_ECELAW_Biomass_Report_Final.pdf
A comprehensive review of forest biomass issues in the Maritimes as they had developed to the end of 2015. Section 3 Biomass Energy Policy: Nova Scotia provides a concise history for NS
2016
– The Path We Share A Natural Resources Strategy for Nova Scotia 2011–2020
http://www.integrativescience.ca/uploads/files/Natural_Resources_Strategy_NS_2011-2020.pdf “In the strategy, for example, we committed to reducing clearcutting to no more than 50 per cent and to revisit the annual allowable cut (AAC). We understand now that the decision to clearcut (or not) has to be made in a larger context. In some areas, clearcutting will not have an impact on the total health of the forest—it may even improve it. In others, clearcutting could have a negative impact. We have now developed tools that ensure that all harvest treatments are aligned with the nature-based requirements of Nova Scotia’s lands”
– A Simple Geospatial Nutrient Budget Model for Assessing Forest Harvest Sustainability across Nova Scotia, Canada
Kevin Keys et al., 2016 in Open Journal of Forestry,
https://www.scirp.org/pdf/ojf_2016092914590401.pdf
– What’s left in Nova Scotia’s forest soil bank account?
Jamie Simpson in Rural Delivery
http://www.rurallife.ca/whats-left-in-nova-scotias-forest-soil-bank-account
– Forest Biomass Harvesting for Electricity
Briefing Note Healthy Forests Coalition, April 8, 2016
The HFC maintained that “at least 18 percent of the total provincial harvest – about 12,800 acres – went to energy generation”
https://www.healthyforestcoalition.ca/uploads/8/0/1/6/80167352/biomass_briefing_note_healthy_forets_coalition_10_30_2016.pdf
2018
– A review of forestry practices in Nova Scotia
Report with recommendations of Prof William Lahey.
https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/Forest_Review/Lahey_FP_Review_Report_ExecSummary.pdf
Lahey’s recommendations, chief amongst them, the application of a Forest TRIAD to Crown lands, were eventually widely accepted. However, except to recommend small-scale forest bioenergy systems, reduce clearcutting on Crown lands and address nutrient limitation issues, other issues that had been raised about forest biomass, e.g. most notably use for electricity generation, were not addressed.
– Addendum to the review of forestry practices in Nova Scotia
https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/Forest_Review/FP_Addendum.pdf
Figure 1.1 Summary of issues about forest practices raised in submissions to the Review (from p4 in the Addendum)
“Figure 1.1. [at right] Summary of issues about forest practices raised in submissions to the Review. Issues relating specifically to the industry included forest sector employment, biomass harvesting, the operation of WestFor in western Nova Scotia, transparency of decision making and the economic importance of pulp and lumber mills (Figure 1.2). The importance of the forest industry to the rural economy was highlighted by many. The majority of submissions from private citizens and NGOs opposed the use of biomass for electricity generation. Submissions, primarily from industry, suggested that the suitability of biomass be determined based on operation size, fibre supply (roundwood versus mill leftovers), location, and as a market for low grade fibre. With respect to western Nova Scotia, concerns were raised about forest practices, in particular with respect to the area’s poor soils, and the concentration of harvesting rights for Crown land to multiple sawmills through a single management group (WestFor).”
Opinion – Lahey forestry report: The good, the bad & the missing
By Raymond Plourde is the Wilderness Coordinator at the Ecology Action Centre.
Originally published in The Chronicle Herald, Sept. 8, 2018.
https://ecologyaction.ca/resources-media/press-releases/opinion-lahey-forestry-report-good-bad-missing
“…despite rather serious shortcomings, there is a lot of good research and recommendations in the Lahey report. ” Plourde lists 13 points he likes. “Paradigm shift to true ecological forestry, A major reduction of clearcutting on Crown land , Significant increase in uneven-aged forest management…” On the bad side, he comments “Most shockingly of all, the report completely avoids comment on the significant new consumptive pressure of high-volume harvesting of trees to feed large biomass electricity generators, both here and abroad. It’s a glaring omission…Biomass was certainly within the purview of the review, was repeatedly raised in stakeholder consultations and was specifically identified by the expert review team themselves early on as one of four key forestry practices to examine: 1) clearcutting 2) herbicide spraying 3) whole tree harvesting and 4) harvesting for biomass. (Lahey report addendum, pg. 136). All other major topics were addressed in the report except biomass.”
2020
The biomass power shuffle
Jennifer Henderson in the Halifax Examiner Sep 30, 2020
https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/economy/energy/the-biomass-power-shuffle/
Despite dire warnings from the forestry industry when Northern Pulp shut down at the end of January, not one sawmill in Nova Scotia has closed. That’s the good news. The bad news is that in order to provide replacement markets for bark, woodchips, and sawmill waste, large biomass boilers in the province are running flat-out…About 30% of the province’s electricity comes from renewable sources today. Low-value wood as well as wood waste such as chips and bark are technically considered a “renewable” form of energy that qualify toward reducing the dependence on coal-fired power plants. Giant biomass boilers have become customers for sawmills and, as these figures provided yesterday by Nova Scotia Power demonstrate, the amount of electricity being generated by wood products in 2020 has increased dramatically since May…Many scientists and environmental groups dispute whether burning biomass to generate electricity is “green” or should be classified as renewable energy at all. Retired Dalhousie biologist David Patriquin reported Natural Resources Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Calculator has shown it takes 65-80 years to replace the amount of carbon from burning wood to produce electricity. A lot of the controversy around biomass in Nova Scotia hinges on whether what is going into the boilers is true sawmill waste (chips) or higher-value wood that has been clearcut…“Nova Scotia Power does not share fuel purchase information as it is commercially sensitive,” said NSP senior communications advisor Jacqueline Foster.
2021
Canada: Nova Scotia Power increases use of biomass for generating electricity
Int Centre for Sustainable Carbon, Dec 2, 2021
https://www.sustainable-carbon.org/canada-nova-scotia-power-increases-use-of-biomass-for-generating-electricity/
A boiler owned by Nova Scotia Power on the grounds of the Port Hawkesbury paper plant is burning 35% more woody biomass this year than last…Burning biomass — which includes everything from low-grade pulpwood to bark, shavings, and wood chip waste from sawmills — for the purpose of generating electricity is only about 22% efficient. Nova Scotia Power’s boiler at Port Hawkesbury supplies about 3% of the total electricity used in the province. Citizens concerned about climate change have for years opposed the government classifying biomass as “renewable energy” because clearcutting, which releases carbon from the ground, remains the dominant form of harvesting on Crown and private land. That’s despite ongoing work to begin implementing 2018 recommendations from Professor Bill Lahey to move toward a more ecological approach. In May 2020, after it became obvious renewable hydroelectricity from Muskrat Falls was going to be delayed yet again, the McNeil government passed an Order-in-Council extending until December 2022 the deadline to generate 40% of electricity from renewable sources. To help with the shortfall, Nova Scotia Power was told to “maximize” its use of biomass at both the facility it owns in Port Hawkesbury and another one in Brooklyn owned by its parent company, Emera.”
2022
Province orders Nova Scotia Power to use biomass to generate electricity
Michael Gorman · CBC News, Dec 19, 2022. “Nova Scotia Power will use more biomass to generate electricity for the next three years, under regulatory changes by the province that are angering environmentalists and being lauded by the forestry industry. The changes to renewable electricity regulations in the Electricity Act that were announced Monday call for the utility to purchase 135,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy in 2023, 2024 and 2025, which is all but certain to come from biomass. Previously, there was no required amount. A spokesperson for the utility said it is equivalent to approximately 3.6 per cent of the total renewable energy that will be supplied to customers in 2022…”This is just a really terrible announcement for the environment,” said the Ecology Action Centre’s Ray Plourde…Stephen Moore, executive director of Forest Nova Scotia, said the requirement is good news for his members.” Also view NRR News Release
2023
A Nutrient-Sustainable Harvest Assessment Tool for Nova Scotia Acadian Forests
Kevin Keys & Jana Bockstette, NS Natural Resources and Renewables, Natural Resources and Renewables Biodiversity Conservation and Forestry Technical Report Series, Forestry Tech Report 2023-04, October 2023
https://novascotia.ca/natr/library/forestry/reports/2023-004-forestry-research-report.pdf “The forest nutrient budget model (NBM-NS) project was initiated in 2008 and led by Dr. Paul Arp, University of New Brunswick (UNB) Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management. NBM-NS was initially designed to be a decision support tool to assess the suitability of forest sites for biomass harvesting by assessing potential impacts on soil nutrient levels. ”
Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Forest Bioenergy Production at Combined Heat and Power Projects in Nova Scotia, Canada
by James W N Steenberg, Jérôme Laganière, Nathan W Ayer, Peter N Duinker, published in Forest Science Jan 2, 2023.
https://academic.oup.com/forestscience/article/69/3/286/6967067 “…When primary biomass (roundwood) was used as the feedstock type, carbon parity was achieved within four to nine years when pulp and paper products were substituted, whereas carbon parity was achieved in 86–100 years or longer when biomass harvests were additional. Net GHG benefits were achieved in 10 years with the use of secondary biomass (mill residues) as the bioenergy feedstock, although they were delayed when at lower energy conversion efficiencies. Adoption of more intensive silvicultural practices (plantations) reduced the time to carbon parity because of increased yields, although uncertainties in long-term soil carbon storage exist.”