Wabanaki Forest

Restoring the Forest That Once Covered Nova Scotia

The Wabanaki Forest is the original forest of Nova Scotia and much of Atlantic Canada. Named after the Wabanaki Confederacy, this ancient forest is more than a collection of trees, it's a living ecosystem that has supported wildlife, clean water, and Indigenous communities for thousands of years.

Today, less than 1% of old-growth Wabanaki Forest remains.

At Nova Scotia Forests Forever, we believe protecting and restoring the Wabanaki Forest is essential for biodiversity, climate resilience, and future generations.

Why the Wabanaki Forest Matters

Centuries of clearcutting, industrial forestry, agriculture, and development have transformed the original Wabanaki Forest into a landscape of younger, fragmented forests.

Old-growth forests have become increasingly rare, leaving wildlife and ecosystems more vulnerable to climate change, invasive species, and biodiversity loss.

A Forest Like No Other

The Wabanaki Forest is one of North America's most diverse forest ecosystems. It is home to more than 30 native tree species, including red spruce, eastern hemlock, sugar maple, yellow birch, and American beech.

These forests provide habitat for countless plants and animals while storing carbon, protecting clean water, and building resilience to climate change.

A Living Cultural Landscape

The Wabanaki Forest takes its name from the Wabanaki Confederacy – an alliance of the Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, and Abenaki Peoples.

Protecting this forest also means recognizing Indigenous stewardship, respecting traditional knowledge, and supporting a future rooted in both conservation and reconciliation.

Proecting the Wabanaki Forest starts here

The proposed Chain Lakes Wilderness Area is part of the Wabanaki Forest and one of the best remaining opportunities to protect mature forest in western Nova Scotia.

By protecting places like Chain Lakes, we can help restore wildlife habitat, safeguard biodiversity, and preserve this remarkable forest for future generations.

Learn More About The Chain Lakes

What does the name "wabanaki" mean

Wabanaki comes from the Algonquian word Wabanakik, meaning “Dawnland”, and stems from waban (meaning “light” or “white,” referring to the dawn in the east), and aki (“land”).

Using the term Wabanaki Forest is part of a growing effort to:

Reclaim Indigenous place names

Recognize ancestral stewardship of the land

Center Indigenous languages, which encode ecological wisdom, cultural memory, and land-based knowledge

Learn More