Sustainable forestry is not simply about cutting fewer trees, it’s about managing forest landscapes in ways that balance ecological integrity, economic viability, and community well-being. It respects natural regeneration cycles, protects wildlife habitat, supports local jobs, and ensures that forests continue to deliver clean air, clean water, and carbon storage well into the future. 

Sustainable forestry:

• Avoids large-scale clearcutting, especially in ecologically sensitive or old-growth areas

• Encourages mixed-species, uneven-age stands that maintain biodiversity

• Involves communities in decision-making and benefit-sharing

• Promotes low-impact harvesting methods like selective cutting

• Aligns with long-term goals like climate resilience and watershed protect

Community-Based Forestry (CBF) refers to forest management strategies where local communities have active control and responsibility over how forests are used. This approach emphasizes local governance, benefit-sharing, and long-term stewardship.

Ecological Forestry is a science-based approach to forest management that prioritizes the integrity and function of forest ecosystems. Rather than maximizing yield, it aims to maintain biodiversity, carbon storage, and natural processes, even while allowing limited timber or NTFP extraction.

Key Features:

• Minimal Intervention: Harvesting is low-intensity, often with long rotations and uneven-aged management.

• Habitat Retention: Trees important for wildlife (like cavity trees or mast-producing species) are left standing. Deadwood and underbrush are preserved for ecological function.

• Native Species Focus: Logging practices avoid replacing native, diverse forests with monocultures or fast-growing softwoods.

• Climate Resilience: Ecological forestry maintains root systems, soil structure, and canopy cover, all of which help buffer against drought, disease, and extreme weather.

Farm Forestry involves integrating trees into agricultural or mixed-use rural landscapes. In Nova Scotia, the most viable form of farm forestry is maple syrup production, which taps into sugar maple stands without cutting down trees or drastically altering forest structure.

Key Features:

• Non-Destructive Harvest: Maple tapping involves collecting sap without harming the tree. With proper management, a maple can produce sap for 100+ years.

• Low Infrastructure Footprint: Unlike logging, syrup production doesn’t require large roads or heavy equipment. Tubing systems and small collection stations are used instead.

• Economic Resilience: Syrup production creates seasonal, rural jobs and allows farms or forest owners to diversify their income streams.

• Eco-Cultural Synergy: Maple syrup has deep cultural roots in Nova Scotia, including among Indigenous and Acadian communities. Farm forestry of this type supports local heritage and sustainable use.

We stand for a forest economy that puts people and ecosystems first, and that aligns with Nova Scotia’s commitments to biodiversity, climate action, and rural renewal. 

We support:

• Selective harvesting over clearcutting

• Local economic benefit, not corporate extraction

• Protecting ecological corridors and endangered species habitat

• Sustainable maple syrup production

• Co-management frameworks with Mi’kmaq communities