NAVIGATION. This page is a subpage of In the News – Wildfire/Extreme Weather on the website Nova Scotia Forest Matters (www.nsforestmatters.ca)
What happens to the wood from this burnt forest?
CBC News Video, Dec 5, 2025. “The cleanup of the Long Lake wildfire in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County has begun. So what happens to the thousands of hectares of forest that was burned? The CBC’s Aly Thomson went to West Dalhousie to find out.”
ROUGH TRANSCRIPT (NSFM)
CBC Aly Thomson:
I am in a part of NS that was devastared by wild fire just a few months ago. This mihjt look like a typical forestry operation but here’s why it’s not. The NS government is working with the forestry industry to salvage wood from the Long Lake wildfire, a first of its kind project for the province, and they invited us to see what they’re up to. Despite being burnt, the province says this wood has market value and will be turned into lumber and siding; what’s unique about all this is that most of it sits on Crown land.
Ryan McIntyre, Resource Manager, Department of Natural Resources:
The idea here is to try to turn something devastating on the landscape into something positive. We can capture some of the dead and dying timber turn into lumber and maybe rebuild homes that’s that’s a positive thing.
CBC Aly Thomson:
More than 8500 hectares were burnt in the wildfire which is still not fully extinguished. The bulk is licensed to Westfor which manages forestry in western Nova Scotia. This forest was in various stages of growth and destined to be harvested anyway. Officials say the project ensures the wood doesn’t go to waste.
Marcus Zwicker, Freeman Lumber:
Why would you cut a tree over here today that green, has green needles and can live for tomorrow when you have one right beside it that’s already on the ground dead and burnt; like that’s just straight common sense.
CBC Aly Thomson:
The wood is headed to various mills in western Nova Scotia. Natural Rresources says some parts of the tree are intentionally left behind to decompose providing nutrients to the forest soil, but time is of the essence, the wood does start to decay after 8 to 12 months.
Harvesting wood for sale after a wildfire does happen in other jurisdictions including British Columbia. The Nova Scotia government says this project has a patchwork approach, meaning younger trees will be left and protected areas will remain untouched.
The province pays a stumpage fee for the wood harvested on Crown land, those fees are expected to amount to more than 3 million dollars which goes to provincial coffers.
Breck Stuart, General Manager, WestFor Management Inc.:
We will have this cleaned up, we will have it regenerated, and we will have a much healthier forest than if we don’t do anything with this.
CBC Aly Thomson: Salvaging operations will take place over the next several months to make way for new trees that will be planted in the coming years Allie Thompson CBC News West Dalhousie