Responsible Forestry Practices

With their current forest management plan, it seems that the Liberal government is facilitating the degradation of biodiversity of Crown lands in Nova Scotia with poor and outdated practices (source). By allowing forests to be sprayed with herbicides in some areas and clearcut in many others, they have chosen the mills and the biomass plant over other forestry sectors.

Nova Scotia has great diversity in our agricultural and forestry industries. These industries are important to our rural communities and economy. Despite their importance, the government has allowed spraying on lands that kills or limits the growth of anything other than softwood trees (source). They have also allowed clear cutting operations without replanting trees on Crown lands. This leads to soil erosion that further hurts our forests (source).

The Atlantica Party does not believe in picking winners and losers in any industry, and we as Nova Scotians can’t allow the unsustainable practice of destroying biological diversity in our Crown forests to continue (source).

We believe the following would be good stewardship and policy:

  1. Enact legislation to greatly reduce clear-cutting while also promoting selective harvesting on Crown lands, while enforcing the timely replanting of trees in the affected areas. This would help create more jobs in the forestry industry and maintain healthy forests.

  2. Ban the spraying of herbicides in forests so that natural biodiversity can thrive. This would provide opportunities for growth in agricultural industries that are associated with our forests and lands (source).

If you agree that it’s time for responsible change in Nova Scotia, then join us on a common path to common sense. For further information about the Atlantica Party please visit