Clearcutting numbers down in Nova Scotia

A recent study of the numbers by Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia (FPANS) has revealed that clearcutting use in the province’s forest industry is way down. Actually, it appears it may never have been ‘way up’.



Statistics from the National Forestry Database appear to show clearcutting is the number one method of harvesting trees in Nova Scotia. The database shows numbers of over 98% of harvesting being clearcutting in most years – numbers often quoted by those who would prefer to see less clearcutting used. Until recently, it wasn’t quite clear just where those numbers in the National Forestry Database came from, but it was assumed there must be a scientific basis for them.



“Basically, we discovered that unless reported otherwise, harvesting is just put under the clearcut category for no reason,” says Steve Talbot, Executive Director of FPANS. “So, we’ve been working with the provincial Department of Natural Resources staff to figure out how we get the real numbers into that database.”



Breaking the issue down a little, volume numbers for wood harvested must be reported to the Province’s Registry of Buyers each year. Unless reported as being harvested in any other method, clearcutting is assumed and a conversion factor of 130m3/ha is applied to this volume number to get a land area number. The issue with using this conversion is that if any other harvesting method is used – and not clearcutting, the results will obviously be skewed.



“We’ve wondered for years where these numbers came from, because our members were telling us numbers, and the two didn’t quite fit together,” comments Talbot.



The difference between the FPANS study and the national database numbers is more than 20 per cent – a significant difference. For example, the 2008 FPANS numbers indicate clearcutting was at 82 per cent and in 2009 at 78 per cent –a trend FPANS would like to see continue. The companies contributing data for the FPANS study own and manage 56 per cent of the total land available for harvest in Nova Scotia.



One issue with correcting the numbers is that there is not currently a way to report harvesting methods to the Provincial Government for use in the database. FPANS will continue working with Nova Scotia’s Department of Natural Resources to see where that can be fixed in the system to ensure accurate numbers are provided.



“We’re not saying the real numbers are perfect either,” comments Talbot. “We think there’s still room to decrease the level of clearcut harvesting – based on the sites being cut. But what this does give us is a more clear point where we can tell Nova Scotians we are at today.”



Forestry is a vital industry in Nova Scotia. It is a part of our past. It is a bright, green key to our future. And it is the backbone of the rural economy. With just over 70% of the industry’s workforce based in rural parts of the province, the forest industry generates approximately $140 million in taxes, and exports over $1 billion in products all over the world each year. FPANS members represent a wide cross-section of all parts of the forest industry.



Source: Forest Products Association of Nova Scotia (website)