MTRI is a non-profit co-operative with a mandate to promote sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity conservation in the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve and beyond through research, education, and the operation of a field station.
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Over the past four centuries, little of Nova Scotia’s forested areas have escaped human influences. The outcome has been a proliferation of relatively young, even-aged, early successional forest types across an increasingly fragmented landscape. Less than 1% of Nova Scotia’s forest cover remains as old forest, which makes it increasingly difficult to maintain ecological connectivity between them. Old forests are a vital component of the forest ecosystem and biodiversity; they are important habitat for wildlife including mosses, lichens, cavity nesting birds and mammals. Most of Nova Scotia’s forest land (70%) is privately owned with almost half in small private holdings. Small private landowners must be included in collaborative work to maintain landscape connectivity, conserve biodiversity and restore old forests in western Nova Scotia. The development of private landowner stewardship requires an understanding of landowner knowledge and values about managing old forests and their active participation in research and management activities.
Accoding to the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) ninth principle, an assessment to determine the presence of the high conservation value forests must be completed. After obtaining the FSC certification in early 2010, the Bowater Mersey Paper Company contracted MTRI to locate and score old growth forests in their Medway District. This information will be used for the purpose of certification, for preserving such conservation value forests, and for use in future management operations in this Medway District.
The Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve includes small amounts of old forests on private and public woodlands. While other projects have investigated old forests on large private woodlands, public crown lands and in protected areas, MTRI has been working with landowners of small private woodlands to achieve the following objectives:
Collect information pertinent to high conservation value forests such as tree species and age, wildlife and rare species.
Gather basic information for sites of other unstudied old growth forests observed on the ground and reported by community members.
Analyze data to determine typical old growth forest attributes for this district.
Check out a video showing some of the techniques
used by our researchers in the field!
Locations of previously examined potential old growth stands in the Medway District were provided by Bowater.
At each site, sample points were selected where tree species, age, hight and coarse woody debris volumes were measured using NSDNR's Old Forest Score sheet.
The NSDNR Old forest score ranks age by measuring three trees per site, or plot, and averaging nine trees per stand. All trees are tallied with a prism sweep, divided into three groups according to diameter size, and the smallest tree among the trees in the largest third was chosen.
All data were analysed using NSDNR's Old forest scoring system to determine a score out of 100 which can be compared to other old forest sites measured using the same protocol.
68 sites were scored representing 22 old forest stands totaling 216 hectares.
71 stands were hemlock dominated, one was black spruce dominated.
Average score for all sites was 81%, the lowest component score being deadwood which averaged 5.75 of a possible 15 for the 22 sites.
Eight sites remain unverified, with approximatly 12 new sites identified for further research.
Ongoing project since 2006
Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute
Private Landowners
Environment Canada EcoAction Program
Sage Environment Fund
Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
Nova Forest Alliance
Bowater Mersey Paper Company
Dalhousie University
Nova Scotia Community College
Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour
Natural Resources Canada
Nova Scotia Nature Trust
Parks Canada
Mountain Equipment Co-op
Esri
Old Growth Forests, Nova Scotia Nature Trust Publication, Spring 2000 - 159 Kb
Old Growth Forests of the Acadian Forest Region, Mosseler et al. (2003) Environmental Reviews, National Research Council of Canada Publication - 6.7 Mb
Old Growth Definitions and Management: A Literature Review (2007) BC Journal of Ecosystem and Management - 228 Kb
Selected Nova Scotia Old Growth Forest: Age, Ecology, Structure, Scoring Stewart et al. (2003), The Forestry Chronicle - 1.7 Mb
The Acadian Forest: Historical Impacts and Human Impacts, Loo & Ives (2003) The Forestry Chronicle - 239 Kb