Nova Scotia Forestry Association

Forest and wooded lands cover 78 per cent of Nova Scotia’s 5.5 million hectares of land area. No wonder we need an organization dedicated to educating the public and stakeholders about the forest and forestry practices.

That organization is the Nova Scotia Forestry Association.

Established in the early 1940s, the group helps promote wise management and conservation of Nova Scotia’s forests through educational and communications efforts.

“We’re here to present a balanced message to educators and the general public,” explains Debbie Waycott, executive director of the Nova Scotia Forestry Association. “We help explain why things are done a certain way in the forests. For example, people often ask why clear cutting is necessary or why they leave patches of growth in the middle of clear cut areas. We help explain those kinds of practices.”

Waycott is a natural for the executive director role. She grew up in central Nova Scotia, and started camping with her family and with Girl Guides at an early age.

“Going into the forest was just part of life. I’ve spent time in the woods for as long as I can remember.”

Waycott has a science and a public relations degree and spent time working with Natural Resources Canada before the Nova Scotia Forestry Association hired her to do the first North American Canon Envirothon in Canada in 2000. She has been with the association ever since.

Waycott emphasizes the association’s role is not to take sides with individual organizations or government. Instead, the group looks at ways to create a sustainable environment and link it to Nova Scotia’s cultural values.

“Over the years, the Nova Scotia Forestry Association has evolved to include the overall environment. There is more to the forest than just trees. We take into account the animals, the soil, the streams and the other vegetation. We’re looking at ways to maintain all the components of the forest and its inhabitants.”

Members of the Nova Scotia Forestry Association include forestry industry representatives, educators, government departmental representatives and retired foresters.

One of the main functions of the association is to deliver educational programs through the schools. Project Learning Tree encourages students to do their own research into the forest and learn about the trees and other aspects of the forest environment in a hands-on way.

Elementary school kids get to know Woodsy Owl, a friendly owl who promotes a clean environment with his well-known “Give a Hoot. Don’t Pollute” message. Schools can bring the Woodsy Owl message to their classes, and benefit from materials that feature the environmentally-minded mascot.

One of the most successful programs the association runs is the year-long Envirothon, which challenges high school students and educators to develop a major project related to the forest environment and compete against other high schools from across Nova Scotia.

The program helps students and educators better understand all aspects of forest management and conservation, including aquatic ecology, forestry, soil and land use and wildlife.

At the end of each year, the Envirothon culminates with an event at Acadia University that includes field studies, presentations and lessons from resource people and forestry professionals. The winning team goes on to represent Nova Scotia at a North American Canon Envirothon competition.

“Participants get a taste of what university students are doing, and they learn more about careers in the forestry sector,” Waycott explains. “Students are a great audience for this program because they’re going to be the next leaders when it comes to the environment. They tend to like hands-on learning, both inside and outside the classroom. They also get a chance to work with the resource people and learn more about what they’ve done for a career.”

The Nova Scotia Forestry Association has expanded participation in the Envirothon in recent years to include three First Nations schools in Cape Breton. In fact, Waycott says students at Eskasoni High School really embraced the program and extended it to include other environmental initiatives.

“The students bring their own culture to their research and projects. They take their project and look at how it can help Nova Scotia,” she explains, emphasizing that First Nations schools find a great deal of relevance in the program because of their cultural connection with the environment.

The association is also involved in educating teachers as part of the Atlantic Teacher’s Tour, an annual gathering of teachers that focuses on professional development. Educators across the region take part in a four-day workshop focused on environmental and forestry education. Waycott says the sessions often change perceptions about forestry.

“Many teachers come in with one idea of forestry and leave with a completely different perspective,” she explains. ”We help them understand the business of forestry, but also the many steps that are taken to conserve the forest. They leave our sessions able to go back to the classroom and present the entire context of forestry in the province.”

Waycott emphasizes that from Yarmouth to Cape North, the forest is a major part of the landscape. She says government, post-secondary educational institutions and private industry are constantly doing research into the trees themselves, but also into the creatures in the forests, such as pine martens and wood turtles.

“Industry is studying the types of harvesting and how it’s affecting birds and other forest dwellers, so forestry companies can minimize damage,” she says, adding that there is a great deal of research being done into the Spruce Bark Beetle. Researchers have discovered it is native to Nova Scotia and is affecting mainly the older trees, as part of a natural culling process.

“Trees are like people; they grow old and get sick. The Spruce Bark Beetle has a bad reputation, but really it’s just an example of how older trees die off to make room for the younger ones. It’s a continual cycle.”

The Nova Scotia Forestry Association hopes to spread the message about why things are done the way they are in forestry. Waycott says the province’s forests are doing well and industry is working to be sustainable. She highlights that great progress has been made, and that forestry companies work hand-in-hand with government and environmental organizations to manage the forests carefully.

“Everyone is accountable for making sure our forests are managed properly. There’s no room to exploit the environment, and everyone agrees the best approach is to work together to learn and improve how we manage Nova Scotia’s beautiful forests.”

Moving forward, Waycott intends to expand the association’s educational programs with a particular focus on First Nations students. She also hopes to broaden the association’s focus to include overall environmental sustainability, not just that of the forest.

When asked to describe the best part of working in Nova Scotia, Waycott sums up her experience, saying “I like the forest. The forest, the water, the feeling of being at home. Home to me is a beautiful Acadian forest.”