Guest Editorial September 2010

Making progress
The Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest is now a reality

by Wade Prest
An axiom of ecology is "everything is connected." It seems that applies to the social and economic spheres (the human-directed parts of life) as well. A major accomplishment of the Colin Stewart Forest Forum process was the designation in 2008 of the Ship Harbour Long Lake Wilderness Area in the central part of the Halifax Regional Municipality. This designation had been long and vigorously fought for by, among others, the Ecology Action Centre (EAC) and the Eastern Shore Forest Watch Association (ESFWA).
As part of the negotiations for Ship Harbour Long Lake, Neenah Paper agreed to relinquish cutting rights on a substantial portion of the 14,000 hectares of Crown land involved. Northern Pulp (successor to Neenah Paper, Kimberly-Clarke, and Scott Paper at the Abercrombie pulp mill)has, by virtue of the Scott Maritimes Act of 1965, an annual entitlement to 50,000 cords from the Crown lands of Halifax County.
In due course, Northern Pulp's attention shifted to unleased Crown lands near Mooseland early in 2009. Immediately adjacent to the community is a Crown block heavily used by residents as a recreational area. Community representation to Northern Pulp resulted in modifications to its cutting plans to accommodate water and viewscape concerns. The Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association (NSWOOA) became involved through recognition that the area had very little harvesting for a long time, and contained what qualifies (in Mooseland anyway) as "old forest."
On May 22, 2009, a surprisingly hot spring day, members of NSWOOA, EAC, ESFWA, and the Mooseland and Area Community Association (MACA), hiked the core area of 300 hectares where no harvesting has taken place for 60 years. As usually happens, there was a lot of talking and the last leg of the tour was pretty rushed. What stood out immediately, and quickly dominated discussions, was the suitability of the area to demonstrate uneven-aged forestry practice.
Representatives of the four non-governmental organizations met with the new Minister of Natural Resources, John MacDonell, and his senior staff on July 17, 2009. The Department was asked to allow the groups to develop a plan "to create a demonstration forest for uneven-aged forestry on the Eastern Shore." The answer came back in September: let's do it!
We never looked back. The participation of Northern Pulp, now the lessee of the Crown land, was solicited and quickly offered. Throughout the fall and winter, an operating agreement was developed to provide governance for the Project. An initial memorandum of understanding was signed in March. Then, on June 22, 2010, a sunny summer morning outside Province House, the provincial government, Northern Pulp, and the newly formed NSWOOA – Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest Division inked the Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest Agreement.
Here are the highlights of the agreement: The Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest (OPDF) will be operated by a division of the Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association (namely, the NSWOOA - OPDF Division). The division has a board of directors of 14 members: three Directors are nominated by each of the four founding NGOs, and the Department of Natural Resources and Northern Pulp will each nominate one non-voting director. Authority to develop all policy and decisions respecting the project, within the guidance of the operating agreement, is therefore vested in the 12 voting directors.
This agreement is for a term of 25 years. After 10 years, there will be a review of the project, and if the mission and objectives are being met, the agreement may be extended for an additional five years, that is to 30 years. Each five years thereafter, an evaluation will take place and an extension may be granted. With good management, the agreement will continue in perpetuity. You might say this project will operate on "forest time."
The mission statement, from the agreement, reads: "The Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest will be a working demonstration forest that adheres to the principle that gradual restoration of ecosystem structure and function of the natural Acadian forest is an option for sustainable forest use in the Eastern Shore area of Nova Scotia." The project's objectives, summarized, are to operate as a working woodlot, to attain Forest Stewardship Council certification, to practice uneven-aged forest management, to develop and test silvicultural treatments, and to provide demonstration and education for woodlot owners and the public. That covers a pretty wide range of activity!
The Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest comprises 500 hectares of diverse forest, situated at the southern extent of the Tangier River drumlins. The last extensive harvesting on the core area (300 ha) was carried out in the 1940s. Since that time, the forest has developed according to the natural patterns of Acadian Forest succession which follow disturbance. Many features of forest structure and ecosystem function have been restored during the intervening years. Those processes are continuing today. On other parts of the block, some limited harvesting occurred 20 to 30 years ago. The OPDF also includes the areas harvested in 2009, so there is a full range of forest conditions for which to develop work plans.
Two drumlins with predominantly hardwood forest (Yellow and White birch, Red and Sugar maple, beech) are the prominent topographic features of the area. The lowland portions are characterized by softwood forest (Red spruce, Balsam fir, White pine, and hemlock) on low ridges of shallow soils with frequent exposures of the underlying bedrock, separated by poorly drained wet areas with sparse tree cover.
There is a substantial acreage of water (ponds and connecting streams) and wetlands dispersed throughout the block, including many feeder streamlets, which originate in the surrounding forest cover. All drainage from the block flows into the Tangier River.
As this project gets underway, there will be much more news to tell. Hopefully, readers of AFR will be able to follow the progress on a regular basis. The NSWOOA - Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest Division has been designed so everyone is eligible to become a division member, through the NSWOOA. Anyone who would like to be involved can email info@nswooa.ca.

(Wade Prest lives in Mooseland, N.S., and is heading up the OPDF division.)