Old Growth

NAVIGATION
www.nsforestnotes.ca
— Links
— — NS Gov Info
— — — Old Growth (This Page)

DRAFTING… (Feb 18, 2025)

Where this page is found on novascotia.ca website (Feb 18, 2025

NRR/DNR Old Growth Web Page
” Once a hallmark of the Acadian Forest, old growth has become rare. Under the Old-growth Forest Policy (effective 18 August 2022) about 30,000 hectares of old-growth forest and restoration opportunities on Crown Land are protected. Further, more than 280,000 hectares of actual and potential old-growth forest are in legally protected areas. Conservation of old forests on private land is actively encouraged and supported through several initiatives, while research is ongoing to develop tools, monitor progress, and better define old growth in different forest communities.”
The page lists the following “Policy resources”:

It also lists 2 Education Resources and 6 Research Reports.

RELATED MAPS

Comment (david p for NSFM): There are 2 related maps or sets of maps:

(i) The Old Growth Forestry Map, accessible as an interactive online map, as well as by dowloading files using GIS software (see link to Old Forest Scoring Data, above). This map as noted below “delineates forest areas on publicly owned land, outside of protected areas, within the province (see Old-Growth Forest Policy 2022) that are accounted for as old-growth forest areas and old-growth restoration opportunities”  (italic inserted). Most of the entries on the map are described as  “Old Growth Status Unknown”.

(ii) The Old Forest Layer on the NS Provincial Landscape Viewer. This map, as I understand it,  delineates both “old-growth forest areas and old-growth restoration opportunities” on Crown lands both within and outside of protected areas, but most of them are within protected areas. It is not clear if the layer is now being regularly updated.

So neither of these maps provides a simple “Map of Old Growth forests stands on Crown lands in NS”. For reasons not clear to the public, DNR seems highly averse to making such info. publicly available.

1. Old Growth Forest Policy Map
Forest stands identified under the Nova Scotia Old Growth Forest Policy.
Access via link (above) or below:

View This Page for more info about it. Viewed on Feb 18, 2025 “Last UpdatedJanuary 29, 2025 “The Old-Growth Forest Policy Layer is a geospatial database created and managed by the Forestry Division of the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables. It delineates forest areas on publicly owned land, outside of protected areas, within the province (see Old-Growth Forest Policy 2022) that are accounted for as old-growth forest areas and old-growth restoration opportunities. The protection provisions apply only to the management of Crown land by the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables under the authority of the Crown Lands Act of 1989. The data were updated Dec 1, 2023.”

This page lists some of the data, not locations

2. Old Forest Layer Map

Screenshot of PLV, Old Growth Forest Policy Layer (Feb 19, 2025).

Look at the Old Forest Layer in the Nova Scotia Provincial Landscape Viewer From the Help Page:
Once in the Viewer, Select the layer at Forestry>Forestry>Old Forest Policy.

The old forest layer maps the locations of stands that were selected under the Interim Old Forest Policy of 1999. (novascotia.ca/natr/library/forestry/reports/Old-Forest-Policy-2012.pdf). The forests identified in the layer consist of old growth stands, as well as mature stands set aside to restore old growth. According to the policy these stands will be maintained and left to mature naturally with no management intervention. Most of the forests in this layer are not old growth. The majority are mature climax stands that provide good opportunities for long-term old growth restoration. They were selected following the Procedures in the Interim Old Forest Policy. True old growth forests are uncommon, and make up only a small proportion of the stands in this layer. The location of all old growth in the Province is unknown, however DNR maintains a registry of old stands that have been evaluated using DNR’s Old Forest Scoring system (novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/programs/ecosystems/scoresht.asp). The 2008 report “Implementation of Nova Scotia Interim Old Forest Policy for Crown Land – A Status Report” provides a summary of the forest stands contained within the old forest layer.(novascotia.ca/natr/library/forestry/reports/state-of-forest-old-growth.pdf).

Here is a map for the whole province which I compiled in 2018 from screen captures of views in the PLV – but go to the current PLV to confirm (or not) that a particular stand is included in the Old Forest Policy stands. (There has not been much change in the interim; it is not clear if the layer is being regularly updated. UPDATE Feb 21, 2025: It appears additions are still being made.)

Old Forest Policy
2000 pics version
4000 pics version

So if a site of interest lies in one of the red patches on this map, that means (as I understand it) that it is Crown land or otherwise is protected as Old Growth or future Old Growth.

Also from nsforestnotes.ca and needing to be updated, this combination which shows the overlaps between the Old Forest Layer and PPAs:

Old Forest Policy Map above and PPAs below. Click on map for larger version.

The Definition of “Old Growth” and stands protected under the Old Forest Policy              DRAFTING…

COMMENT (NSFM): Some key historical documents are no longer readily available on line.  This document, not listed on the Old Growth page, and available for now elsewhere on novascotia.ca, provides some of the early history:

Implementation of Nova Scotia Interim
Old Forest Policy for Crown Land: “A Status Report”
Bruce Stewart and Peter Neily REPORT FOR 2008 – 1
Renewable Resources Branch – Ecological Technical Committee

From that doc:

In 1999, Nova Scotia implemented the Interim Old Forest Policy (NSDNR, 1999a*) to identify and increase the representation and protection of old forests on Crown land and to support the long-term restoration of old growth forest in the Province.*Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (NSDNR). 1999a. Nova Scotia’s old growth forests: interim old forest policy. “The complete Interim Old Forest Policy is available on-line at:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/natr/forestry/planresch/oldgrowth/policy.htm. [COMMENT: This doc is no longer readily available, however key components from the 1999 doc were incorporated in the NS Old Forest Policy 2012; also see the NS Old Growth Forest Score Sheet that was used to classify old forest development stage.

The Interim Old Forest Policy is intended to clarify and consolidate the Department’ s initiatives to maintain old forests in the landscape. The primary goal is to set aside the best remaining old growth forests and old forest restoration opportunities by addressing gaps in old forest representation within the existing protected areas system (NSDNR, 1994). This will establish a network of high quality old forests that provide a critical component for forest age class planning.

The specific policy commitment by the province is to set aside as old growth and old forest, a minimum of eight percent of Crown land in each of the 39 forested ecodistricts defined by the Ecological Land Classification (ELC) for Nova Scotia (Neily et.al., 2003). Where possible, the selected forest should provide a full representation of the climax forest types that are ecologically natural for the ecodistrict, as determined by the “ potential climax forest ” mapping associated with the ecosection level of the ELC. The Policy provides three criteria to aid decision making: I) favouring older stands in later stages of succession, ii) selecting larger stands and groups of stands, and iii) opting for stands with higher proportions of climax species.

The purpose of this document is to report on the implementation and achievements of the
Interim Old Forest Policy up to 2008

METHODS
The policy was implemented by Department of Natural Resources Regional Services Integrated Resource Management (IRM) planning teams who assessed and selected stands following the five step procedure outlined in the policy. These steps provided a sequential approach toward fulfilling the policy commitments, as follows:

Step 1:

All old growth (> 125 years old) within existing protected areas (including federal parks) is given the first priority to meet the policy targets.

The 1999-2003 provincial forest inventory (NSDNR, 2004) indicates that only 0.3 percent of the province is over 105 years of age. Therefore it was assumed that no ecodistrict had sufficient old growth in protected areas to meet the policy target, and a search of protected lands for old growth was not necessary to verify this.

Step 2:

All old growth (> 125 years) on Crown land outside of protected areas (IRM – C1, C2) is the next priority for meeting the policy targets.

IRM teams assessed all known old growth and identified it under the policy. A moratorium was placed on harvesting any stands found to be over 125 years of age. During operations planning any old stands encountered that were potentially old growth were assessed using the old forest scoresheet in the policy to
determine their status. As with step 1, it was assumed that no ecodistrict had sufficient old growth to meet the policy targets, and a full inventory of all lands was not required to verify this.

Step 3:

Within protected areas (C3) all “ climax” forest stands greater than 40 years of age are considered old forest restoration opportunities, and are given the next priority to meet the policy targets

A query of the Geographic Information System (GIS) forest inventory was carried out to identify all qualifying stands within protected areas. These were mapped and the data was summarized by ecodistrict to identify gaps regarding
the area and climax forest representation targets of the policy.

Step 4:

Where gaps existed, the best old forest restoration opportunities on Crown land outside of protected areas (C1, C2) are identified and set aside following the criteria and objectives of the policy.

From a practical stand point, most of the implementation effort occurred at this step. A GIS based old forest prediction tool was developed to help identify promising candidates. Training sessions were conducted in all regions. Professional knowledge, and the experience of the regional IRM teams with their areas was then relied upon to find the best candidates. Planning was assisted with aerial photography and site visits. A number of stands were field assessed using the old forest scoring procedures. In making final selections, teams employed
professional judgement to balance the objectives for old stand conditions, large patch size, and ecological representation, as well as trying to achieve other multiple values where opportunities presented

Step 5

Select additional area above the policy targets where regionally important features exist.

IRM teams identified a significant amount of area beyond the eight percent policy target in many of the ecodistricts. In some cases this was necessary to meet objectives for climax forest representation, while in others it was a recognition of
important stand qualities, and opportunities to improve patch sizes.

In 2006 the selection of old forests under the policy was completed, and the stands were
identified as an old forest layer of the GIS. An old forest scoring program was developed to
permanently store data from scored stands and link it spatially to the GIS.

Related:
How Much Old Growth in NS?
Comments by Peter Bush (Provincial Landscape Ecologist, Forest Research and Planning; Acting Manager of Forest Research and Planning, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables),Mar 13, 2022. How Much Old Growth in NS?