Forever Forests Project

Nova Scotia’s public forests need your help now, before the legislature opens in the fall. Come here to learn what’s at stake and hear what we’re doing about it.

Nova Scotia is Wasting our Forests

Nova Scotia’s public forests belong to all of us. Yet, they are still managed through a model focused on short-term extraction, despite their ability to support local businesses, recreation, tourism, maple production, wildlife habitat, climate resilience, and healthy communities.

The question isn’t whether forests create value. The question is:

What kind of value should public land create, and who should benefit?

Read a breakdown of Bill 198

The Forever Forests Project is bringing together economic and ecological voices to make the case for something better: public land that delivers the greatest possible benefit to the public, now and for future generations.

Trees Are Worth More Standing

Standing Trees Bring Value Year After Year

A standing forest can support a lot – tourism, recreation, maple production, wildlife habitat, carbon storage, clean water, and community well-being, all at the same time – and continue doing so year after year. By contrast, a forest harvested for timber can only be cut once before decades of regrowth are required.

Healthy Forests, A Strong Local Economy

Standing forests support local businesses, tourism operations, guides, recreation groups, maple producers, and many other industries. Unlike many timber products that leave the province, these industries keep people working locally and the benefits stay in communities, helping grow local, rural economies.

Protected Forests Are More Resilient

Protected areas help safeguard forests, wetlands, and wilderness while protecting water, reducing wildfire risk, and supporting climate resilience. Reaching Nova Scotia’s goal of protecting 20% of its land and water by 2030 is a key step toward securing these benefits for future generations. But we need to pick up the pace.

public land for public good

Generational Planning Protects the Future

Nova Scotia’s public lands belong to everyone. Decisions about these forests should prioritize generational planning for long-term public benefits, not just short-term extraction.

More Voices Means Everyone Benefits

The future of public land should not be decided behind closed doors. Nova Scotians deserve a meaningful role in shaping how public forests are managed and what benefits they provide.

Forever Forests Are Today's Choices

The choices made today will shape how Nova Scotia’s forests are experienced and managed for decades to come. Healthy forests are an investment in future communities, future businesses, and future opportunities.

Imagine if...

We envision a future where protected natural areas span across Nova Scotia, forming a resilient network of healthy ecosystems that support both biodiversity and community wellbeing. In this future, Nova Scotia’s forests, wetlands, and wilderness areas are not fragmented or over-exploited, but cared for as living systems that support clean water, wildlife, climate resilience, and strong rural communities.

Nova Scotia’s exceptional agricultural goods, and world-class wilderness experiences are recognized, celebrated, and desired around the world – becoming a source of pride for all Nova Scotians.

Your voice is the difference

Email Your MLA

Tell your MLA that Nova Scotia’s public lands should be managed for long-term public benefit and that trees are worth more standing. Read our guide.

Stay connected

Get our newsletter to receive campaign updates, action alerts, forest news, and opportunities. Sign up for The Root Report.

What Comes Next?

Over the coming months, the Forever Forests Project will bring together experts, community members, business owners, researchers, nature defenders, and Mi’Kmaw voices to explore how Nova Scotia’s public lands can deliver the greatest long-term benefits to the public.

Together, we’ll build a vision for public lands that works for communities, future generations, and the forests themselves.

Follow Along. Come back soon!

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse