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June 24, 2026
The Hutchinson Acres story is about more than maple syrup. It is about what happens when government policy leaves a homegrown industry behind.
For more than a decade, Chris and Anna Hutchinson built the kind of business Nova Scotia says it wants to support.
From public land in Kings County, Hutchinson Acres helped establish Nova Scotia’s commercial maple syrup industry, creating rural jobs, investing in value-added production, and exporting a local product into international markets.
They built a business around protecting the forest — not cutting it down.
But after years of trying to secure the long-term land access needed to operate, the Hutchinsons were pushed to the edge of losing the very resource their business depended on.
In 2026, the province terminated Hutchinson Acres’ Crown land lease and gave the company 60 days’ notice to vacate.
The Hutchinson's say they spent years trying to work with the government to create a workable path forward. They submitted business plans, provided additional information when requested, and argued that maple farming should be recognized as a legitimate long-term use of public land.
Instead, the government — the system that is supposed to manage public forests — left their business vulnerable.
The Hutchinson Acres story raises a bigger question:
Why did Nova Scotia push aside a small business that created jobs, supported rural communities, and generated economic value while keeping forests standing?
Why did Nova Scotia push aside a small business that created jobs, supported rural communities, and generated economic value while keeping forests standing?
A business built around protecting the forest
A business built around protecting the forest
The Hutchinsons proposed a different vision for approximately 2,500 acres of public land near Lake Paul and Nimchin Page Lake.
Their plan was based on managing the forest as a renewable agricultural resource.
Their proposal outlined a model that would:
Keep mature maple forests intact
Create year-round rural employment
Expand Nova Scotia’s value-added exports
Support wildlife habitat and recreation
Create ongoing economic returns from the same forest year after year
In their proposal to the Department of Natural Resources, Hutchinson Acres wrote:
“We are proposing a new business model for the development of Crown lands into sugar bush that will increase the long-term productivity of both the sugar bush and the forest lands. It will also improve the overall economics for all stakeholders, increase the exportability of value added maple products and secure more long-term employment.”
“We are proposing a new business model for the development of Crown lands into sugar bush that will increase the long-term productivity of both the sugar bush and the forest lands. It will also improve the overall economics for all stakeholders, increase the exportability of value added maple products and secure more long-term employment.”
The Hutchinsons were asking the province to recognize that forests can create value without being removed.
They built the industry. The province failed to support it.
They built the industry. The province failed to support it.
Maple farming requires a different approach than traditional resource extraction.
A sugar bush is not created overnight. Maple trees take approximately 30 to 40 years to mature enough for tapping. Businesses invest in infrastructure, equipment, and forest management practices knowing the returns come over decades.
But Nova Scotia’s Crown land lease system does not reflect that reality. Maple leases operate on 10-year terms and can be terminated with only 60 days’ notice.
A legal review commissioned by Hutchinson Acres found that the lease structure made financing difficult because lenders were reluctant to provide long-term loans when access to the land could disappear before investments were recovered.
The Hutchinson's argued that without a secure lease structure, the province was effectively asking a business to build a decades-long industry on short-term permission.
A small business was left behind by Nova Scotia’s Crown Land priorities
A small business was left behind by Nova Scotia’s Crown Land priorities
The Hutchinson Acres case exposes a larger imbalance in how Nova Scotia manages public forests.
For decades, Crown land has largely been managed around industrial forestry. But businesses that rely on keeping forests standing — like maple producers — have not received the same level of policy support.
The Hutchinsons demonstrated that maple farming could be a viable Nova Scotia industry.
They created products
They created markets
They created jobs
They showed that public forests could produce long-term economic value without being harvested
Yet when they needed a lease system that matched the reality of their business, they were not given one.
Instead, after years of trying to find a solution, they were forced to fight to keep access to the land that built their business. That fight eventually moved beyond negotiations, with Hutchinson Acres taking the province and its government lender, Farm Credit Canada, to court over the dispute.
The province has said it wants the land to continue producing maple syrup and that the area may eventually be offered through a tender process.
But the ultimate question remains: why was the original business that invested years into developing the opportunity not given the stability needed to continue? Why did the government push aside Hutchinson Acres?
The Hutchinsons might hear the answers during their court battle. Until then, some essential flaws remain.
Crown Land Policy Still Favours Extraction
Crown Land Policy Still Favours Extraction
The situation lands as the province continues to focus on forestry as the primary use of public land.
Under Nova Scotia’s ecological forestry model, Crown land is divided into conservation, high-production forestry, and mixed/matrix zones. In practice, that still leaves a large share of public forest open to forestry activity, while only the conservation zone is set aside from harvesting.
At NSFF we believe recent government decisions have reinforced that approach. Bill 198 raised alarms among conservation groups because it proposed changes to conservation easements, Crown land licensing, parks, and forest land taxation, while also expanding ministerial authority around timber and resource licences on public land. At the same time, Nova Scotia remains behind schedule on its commitment to protect 20% of land and water by 2030.
More Than One Maple Farm
More Than One Maple Farm
This story is about more than one family business. It is about whether Nova Scotia is willing to support industries that create value without removing the resource they depend on.
And if public land is meant to serve the public good, then businesses like the Hutchinsons, that create jobs, support rural communities, and keep forests standing deserve a fair chance to succeed.
The question now is whether provincial policy is prepared to support businesses that create that value without cutting down the forest.
As we launch our new Forever Forests Project, we hope the Hutchinson Acres case serves as a reminder that standing forests can support local businesses, rural communities, and long-term economic development – if government policies are designed to support them.
Take Action for Nova Scotia’s Forever Forests
Take Action for Nova Scotia’s Forever Forests
If you believe public land should support local businesses, healthy ecosystems, and long-term community prosperity, click here to find out ways you can help make a change!
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