Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification for Small Private Woodland Owners in Southwestern Nova Scotia
The Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI) is a non-profit co-operative with a mandate to advance collaborative research, monitoring, and management that promotes sustainable use of natural resources in southwestern Nova Scotia.
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FSC Certification Project
In November 2009 the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI), based in Kempt,
MTRI will be using the funds to increase woodland owner knowledge and understanding about certification programs in
The initial phase of the project involves the development of a feasibility analysis to provide information to parties interested in becoming Resource Managers for pools of small woodland owners interested in FSC certification.
Click here to view the completed Feasibility Report (779KB pdf)
The work plan for the two-year project also includes the development of a guide for implementing FSC Maritimes Standards on small private woodlands in Nova Scotia.
Click here to download the Guide to FSC Certification for Woodlot Owners in Nova Scotia (13.1MB)
Finally, MTRI will be involved in outreach and education programs to help communities that are rich in forest resources understand the value of their woodlands and the role of certification to recognize woodland owners who incorporate ecological and social values in their activities and operations.
A Bit of Background…
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Little woodland in Nova Scotia resembles the Acadian forests of the past. Early settlers harvested the best quality trees heavily for ship building and other early industries. The bounty of the forest seemed limitless. However, the poorer quality trees left intact seeded more freely, and so the diversity and quality of woodland was altered. Subsequent harvests did the same, so that what we see today is a poor cousin of the original forest.
Today we realize that forests are one of the earth’s most precious renewable resources, and one that our future is closely bound with. More and more people understand that many harvesting techniques are damaging this precious resource, but also that alternatives exist. By encouraging a more uneven-aged growth and diverse species mix suited to the local environment, forests can be managed sustainably for future generations, safeguarding woodlands of high conservation value, as well as soils and wetlands.
Woodland in Nova Scotia
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The forests of Nova Scotia are a part of the Acadian Forest, a unique mixed forest type lying to the north of the Northern Hardwood forests, and south of the Boreal Forest. In Nova Scotia, around half of all productive forests are small, privately owned woodlands. The way these are managed can, therefore, have a significant impact on the health of Nova Scotia’s forests overall. However, pressures from national and global markets can make harvesting these woodlands sustainably uneconomic, an important consideration for many landowners. This makes it harder for landowners to justify the time and resources in managing their woodlands in a sustainable way.
MTRI & Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification
As public awareness increases, so does demand for environmentally sound products. One way of fulfilling this demand is to track wood and woodland products from forests that are checked regularly to make sure they are managed in a way that ensures their long-term health. These woodlands are certified to guarantee to the consumer that woodland management techniques are monitored regularly and audited by a third party. As demands for certified wood increase, so does the opportunity for woodland owners to both benefit from growing market whilst working their woods in an environmentally sound way. Although premiums are not always paid for certified products, market access is more secure as the demand for certified wood and wood products continues to grow.
MTRI is promoting FSC as it is the certification system that is most closely aligned to its mission. FSC certification is an internationally recognized system that has a growing consumer demand, and ensures the health of the forest for future generations whilst protecting social interests. FSC also has a forest management certification system that allows many small woodland owners to form a group, bringing the cost of administration and annual audits down. It has regionally-specific Maritime standards that take into account local environmental and social factors and forest types.
Landowners who are interested in becoming certified must have a detailed management plan taking into consideration their personal management objectives and have a commitment to managing their woodland sustainably. If woodland owners would like to have their land certified, but are not able to carry out silviculture themselves, MTRI will be able to match them with forestry contractors trained to FSC Maritime standards.
If you are interested in learning more about this project, or if you are a small woodland owner in southwestern