- Northern Pulp Update
- Provincial Investment in Ecological Forestry
- A Walk In The Woods (Healthy Lawns)
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- Our History in Forestry
- A Walk In The Woods (Medicinal Weeds)
- Did You Know...
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On July 13th, Northern Pulp held a webinar to unveil their total transformation. Northern Pulp's goal is to become one of the world's cleanest, most environmentally focused, and community-based mills. This $350-million plan proposed the following changes:
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- Increased transparency and trust
- Enhanced community engagement and relationships
- Wastewater components to be treated and reduced by 75%
- 45% reduction in water use
- No detectable odour in surrounding communities during normal operations
- 70% reduction in visible plumes
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- Advanced ETF and all new equipment located on the Mill site
- No pipeline crossing neighbouring communities
- Improved appearance
- Among the best-in-class Canadian Kraft mills in terms of suspended solids, colour, organic halides, and biological oxygen demand (BOD).
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This transformation will also include a public dashboard on the Northern Pulp website to display live environmental data, such as ambient monitors, mill recorded environmental data, water use, etc. Implementation of the Lahey Report recommendations will also take place on Northern Pulp private and crown lands.
Northern Pulp has registered their three-stage effluent treatment facility project with Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change. After the reviewal by Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change, they will issue a draft terms of reference for the public to review and comment on.
For more updates on Northern Pulp and to read about the full transformation, check out their new website www.tomorrowsmill.ca.
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Provincial Investment in Ecological Forestry
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The Government of Nova Scotia is investing $5.4 million to support the shift to ecological forestry. The funding includes:
- $2 million for silviculture on private land
- $1 million for roads on private land
- $1 million for silviculture on Crown land
- $400,000 for roads on Crown land
- $1 million to train workers to support the implementation of ecological forestry practices outlined in the Lahey Report
- $330,000 for the Association of Sustainable Forestry to develop and deliver training to certify qualified practitioners in pre-treatment assessment
- $670,000 to the Canadian Woodlands Forum to train harvesting contractors in new methods and prescriptions associated with ecological forestry
For for information on this investment, click here.
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The Province has also released new guidance tools called the Silvicultural Guide for the Ecological Matrix and High Production Forestry final report. These tools are to help support a diverse forestry sector and manage public lands. These guides will come into effect after the department trains forestry professionals so they can better understand and apply the guide. To read the news release, click here.
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A Walk In The Woods
Healthy Lawns
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What to do about bugs and diseases in the yard
Now that summer has arrived in earnest, much attention has already gone into lawns. Many of us followed the No Mow May concept which helps bridge the gap for providing flowering plants for pollinators by not mowing them off during May. Many flowering plants are later than May coming into bloom. When our daughter suggested the idea, I hesitated simply because of old habits and a stereotype image of what a good lawn should look like. Strangely enough, after mowing our hay-high lawn, it seems that the grass is in better shape now than previous years.
An incredible amount of effort, and often expense, is invested into home lawns and gardens. Some of the chemical tools that were used in the past are no longer available for various reasons. For instance, some pesticides are not registered for use in Canada and municipalities.
As we have become more ecologically aware and considerate over the past decade or so, there has been a noticeable increase in people who do not want to use pesticides on their property. On the flip side, people are often concerned about whether they can create and maintain the type of lawn they want without pesticides.
Some past lawn care practices may have produced a lawn that is less tolerant of pest damage and perhaps even encouraged pest infestations. Close mowing, excessive fertilization, frequent use of lawn sprinklers and frequent pesticide use sometimes contribute to a buildup of pest problems, and can continue the cycle of recurrent use of insecticides and fungicides.
By modifying lawn care practices, one can build a healthy, more resilient lawn, and use insecticides and fungicides less frequently, if at all. A well-managed lawn provides less opportunity for insects to thrive, because grass that is growing steadily can outgrow some damage caused by pests or disease.
Soil – foundation
The key to having a healthy lawn over the long term without the need for extra fertilizer, pesticides and even watering, is to have good quality and depth of soil. Poor soil equals poor growing conditions for everything, except for weed species.
Mowing
For the best lawn growth and development, mowing should be frequent but cutting only about one-third of the length of the grass each time to avoid stressing the grass. The cutting height of the mower should ideally be set at 6 to 7.5 cm. Although the grass will not be as dense as closely-mowed grass, it will root deeper and better withstand pest damage and drought stress. Lawns should only be mowed if they are dry. A sharp mower blade cuts grass cleanly, so there is less chance of disease-causing organisms entering the grass blade or drying stress. Keep thatch buildup to a minimum.
Watering lawns
We are familiar with seeing straw-coloured grass resulting from summer drought stress, which due to climate change will likely continue into the future. Entire lawns that may appear dead due to insects or disease may simply be croaking for water. If watering is necessary, ensure that the soil is moistened to the root zone (about 6 to 8 cm). This takes a large amount of water. Watering should be avoided until the top 2 cm (about one inch) of soil has dried out. Diseases are less likely to develop when watering is infrequent. Deep, infrequent watering encourages the growth of a strong deep root system so the grass can withstand some loss of leaf and root area if diseases or insects take hold. Water early in the morning - before the dew is dry - rather than at night. The grass will dry during the day, making the introduction of disease less likely.
Flexibility
Many of us have changed our opinions about what a good lawn looks like. Having a more biodiverse lawn with various other species, such as dandelions, plantain, creeping Charlie, and creeping Jenny still feels good on bare feet but also provides valuable habitat for pollinators and other small critters that make up this biosphere..
Enjoy your yard and the outdoors this summer, but remember to check you, your kids and pets for ticks every day…
-Don Cameron
Registered Professional Forester
June 27, 2021
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This is an image of an old sawmill that was located in Fraserville and owned by Walter Welch.
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A Walk In The Woods
Medicinal Weeds
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Our forests are full of life. Included are the large mammals which we readily picture when we think of wildlife in the woods. There are also the smaller critters that are more difficult to see or are rare in terms of population numbers. Forest plant life is diverse beyond our imagination.
Some of the plants growing in forests have amazing properties. For example, it is well known that unless you are very familiar with the various species of mushrooms, one should never eat them. This should also be the case with any unfamiliar plants. The amount of chemicals contained in each plant within species types can also vary greatly. However, there are many plants, that are sometimes considered weeds by some folks, that contain natural ingredients that can provide medical benefits to people if used properly.
There has been much attention and, as a result, active production of ground hemlock, the smallest member of the yew family. Taxol is produced from the plant which has been shown to help fight some forms of cancer. The root of the ground hemlock was one of the seven special herbs which made up the Mi’kmaq magic healing potion. It was taken both internally, as a tonic, and externally - as a dressing for a variety of conditions.
The twigs and needles of ground hemlock, when steeped, produce a hot beverage rich in Vitamin C. This was used to treat scurvy and the common cold. It is important to note that the plant must be used in a fresh state because wilted foliage is poisonous.
Besides putting nitrogen back into the soil through its roots, speckled alder has other advantageous properties. Maliseets drank alder bark teas to stop cramps and retching, while the Mi’kmaq prescribed the tea to combat diphtheria. Pieces of branches or stems were boiled until the bark came off, chewed and swallowed for relief of hemorrhages of the lungs, and to promote rapid healing from wounds, fractures and dislocations. Poultices of the boiled bark were applied to cuts and bruises. People with severe fever would be wrapped in alder leaves; it was claimed that the sufferer would be cured by the time the leaves withered.
The documented use of willow bark as a pain reliever dates back to the golden age of the Greek Empire - some 2400 years ago. At about the same time, the indigenous people of North America were prescribing willow bark tea for fever and headache. Late in the nineteenth century the active ingredients of willow were isolated and synthesized into acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and marketed under the name 'Aspirin'.
Mi’kmaq steeped witch hazel twigs, soaked the liquid in a cloth, and inhaled the fumes, apparently as an aphrodisiac and, coincidentally, to relieve headache. In the west, witch hazel was used to soothe sore muscles. The Potawatomi steamed the twigs to medicate their sweat baths and the Menomini tribe concocted a liniment by steeping the twigs in boiling water. In the early 1950's, the annual production in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry reached two million litres of witch hazel extract.
There are dozens of hawthorn species. The fruit of many of them has some ability to lower blood pressure. The U.S. Drug Dispensatory at one time listed hawthorn fruit as being astringent and having heart tonic properties. Native Americans steeped the leaves and flowers in boiling water to produce a cough medicine. People of the Meskwaki tribe consumed the unripe fruit to ease bladder problems. The Chippewas drank a tea brewed from the roots to relieve back pain, while the Mi’kmaq steeped the twigs to make a tea for rheumatism.
Choke cherry was likely the most utilized medicinal tree or shrub in North America by indigenous people. Many tribes steeped the inner bark to make a tea used to treat diarrhoea. They also used it as a tea for indigestion, as a tonic during pregnancy, and as a gargle for sore throat.
Despite the fact that modern society has become dependent on drug store prescriptions to treat most things that ail us, there are clearly many native forest plants that can provide many medicinal benefits. In a future column, we will review the health benefits of what many people feel is the forest wonder drug.
-Don Cameron
Registered Professional Forester
July 2, 2021
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Chemists from Saint Mary's University have been collaborating with Port Hawkesbury Paper in hopes of developing N95 masks. Their research has concluded that the industry may have a future in the production of medical-grade pulp for use in personal protective equipment (PPE). The chemists analyzed 13 different pulp samples provided by Port Hawkesbury Paper and has deemed thermomechanical pulp to be the correct fiber for potential use in surgical masks, garments and drapes. The research also explored using thermomechanical pulp to create an all-wood N95 mask. This research showed promise for future N95 mask development but requires further investigation. To read more on this research, click here.
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