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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0027_01C7C6D9.34F51BB0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Fragile & endangered=20 Randall Knox is proud that he saved a parcel of his land around Molega = Lake, but he still likes to chop down trees By Bev Ware South Shore Bureau | 6:24 AM July 15, 2007 Halfax Herald Photos are in the website:=20 http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotian CENTURY-OLD stands of hemlock trees provide welcome shade from the 33 C = heat. Rays of sun pass through the treetops, creating a hazy path from = heaven to earth. The needle-covered branches 24.5 metres above shimmer in a gentle breeze = but as we lower our heads and look out across the forest, it is a sea of = brown, not green, that greets the eye. That's because the grey-winged moth has eaten their foliage. "Two or = three years ago, this would be green," says Randall Knox, although he = says the damage hasn't spread to the extent he had feared this time last = year. Mr. Knox donated the entire 14.6 hectares in which we stand to the Nova = Scotia Nature Trust to be protected. The trust's Duncan Bayne tells him = the damage isn't so bad here because this is a relatively healthy = forest. And it's healthy because it's old and untouched. The different types of trees and their varying heights help ward off = pests, Mr. Bayne explains.=20 In newer forests, the trees are pretty much the same species and the = same age, so when a pest such as the grey-winged moth decides to do = damage, it goes right through the forest and kills all the trees in its = path. The variety of species found here on the Knox Conservation Lands on the = shores of Molega Lake in Queens County "make the whole ecosystem so much = more robust and resistant," says Mr. Bayne, who is land procurement = co-ordinator with the provincial nature trust. Mr. Knox, a third-generation forester, is beginning to look at these = trees in a different way - but he isn't entirely a convert. He doesn't = see himself as a naturalist and believes protection efforts must be = balanced against economic benefits. His father gave him this land to harvest. He looks around and with a = glint in his eye says, "I wish I had a chainsaw in my hand. I'm not = lying to you. It would please me no end to come in with a chainsaw and = start cutting." All his life he has seen the forest in an entirely different way from = those working to save it.=20 "The trees on the land, to me, are more important than the ecosystem, = the snakes, the plants that most of you are interested in," Mr. Knox = says, gesturing to the nature trust workers and volunteers here to = monitor what's going on. With patient explanation from Mr. Bayne, he has gradually seen the value = of these trees beyond how much they would fetch at the mill. "It has = changed my perspective, I'll admit that." It took a couple of years of = careful thought before he handed over the land and its endangered = reptiles and flora for protection but now he says: "Maybe this was a = better thing to do than I first realized. It will be a thing that will = last forever." The Knox Conservation Lands are unique because of their forest and = flora. Southwest Nova Scotia is one of only two places in Canada where = you can find Atlantic coastal plain flora; the only other spot is in the = southern part of the Great Lakes, but by far the most are found here. Of the 90 species that exist, 11 are endangered and found only in = southwest Nova Scotia. Five are globally endangered with extinction. "So = we have not just a provincial responsibility, a maritime responsibility = and a national responsibility for the plants, we have a global = responsibility for their protection," says Mr. Bayne. The Molega Lake conservation lands are home to two rare species at risk. = One is a plant and the other is a reptile. The red root plant, one of = Canada's last-seen wildflowers, and the eastern ribbon snake are both = endangered.=20 The red root is found only in the shores of freshwater lakes and bogs in = southwest Nova Scotia and is plentiful here, while the snake is only = found here and in southern Ontario. Not only is the snake rare, it's also hard to find. Mr. Bayne and a = couple of nature trust employees monitoring flora search for one on part = of the shores of Molega Lake.=20 "The chances are not good," Mr. Bayne says as he starts out. "They're so = unpredictable." The snakes are small (46 centimetres at most) and quite thin, and they = freeze and try to blend into their environment or hide under rocks. "We = really have to plan our route of attack, then move incredibly quickly to = catch one." Perhaps it's the heat, but there is not a snake to be found this day. Most endangered species in Nova Scotia are found on private land, which = is why working with private landowners is so important. If not for = people like Mr. Knox, this forest and the species that live here would = be unprotected.=20 "Randall . . . sets a tremendous example for other landowners," Mr. = Bayne says. Less than 0.01 per cent of Nova Scotia forests are old-growth, he says. = "There needs to be areas that are protected so that old-growth species = can survive and live."=20 Most forests in Nova Scotia have been cut three or four times, and the = trees are only 40 or 50 years old. But many of the trees here are more = than 100 years old, some 200 and 300 years old, and the forest includes = different types of trees that make up old-growth forests. In the forest that surrounds us, hemlocks grow with yellow birch, ash, = red spruce, oak and some beech. Old-growth forests aren't determined by = age but by habitat, which can only come with time.=20 There must be an ecological process going on; a cycle that shows the = forest is alive. Trees in an old-growth forest are so ancient and huge they fall down, = opening a spot for the sunlight to beam down and encourage seedlings to = emerge. The old tree on the forest bed decays and creates and supports = new life in the form of mosses, lichens and insects. Even the dead trees = still left standing, called snags, are important because birds nest = there and raptors use their bare branches to search for prey. "This forest is moving definitely toward old-growth, but it's not = old-growth yet," Mr. Bayne says. "In another hundred years it will well = qualify as old-growth. It's an incredible place, it really is."=20 He looks around with excitement at the green living trees and the = decaying, moss-coated trunks lying across our path. Up ahead, the hemlocks thin and the path turns to green grass, opening = up on to maple saplings and cranberries growing along the shores of = Molega Lake.=20 A frog croaks at the disturbance. The only obvious sign of life is a = dragonfly skimming across the edge of the silent water. Mr. Bayne crouches down and takes a tiny white flower gently between his = fingers. This too explains why these lands are so important. He is = touching a lance-leaved violet, one of the rare species of coastal plain = flora. To his right is red root, which looks just like thick blades of = grass. It's hard to see why these little plants wedged between pebbles and = small rocks are important. "They're part of an ecosystem," Mr. Bayne says.=20 "The more species you have, the more robust the habitats are." These = little plants are indicators of the health of the ecosystem in southwest = Nova Scotia. "They tell us about the quality of our natural environment. If you lose = them, you might not immediately notice the impact, but it tells you = something is very, very wrong and if you don't notice, it's going to = come around and hit you in the back of the head." These plants are endangered for two reasons - they are only found here, = and they are being damaged by humans. They grow around the rocks in the relatively barren soil between the low = and high water marks. Every year, the ice comes up, scours the water's = edge and scrapes it back into the lake. There's little competition in = this environment and the coastal-plain flora love it and thrive here, = but they need that constant cycle of scouring to create these = conditions.=20 Not all areas around Molega Lake have this seasonal rhythm. A slight = ripple disturbs the surface of the lake as a welcome breeze picks up. = The lake is peppered with innumerable islands created by rocks left = behind when the glaciers receded.=20 While there are about 200 cottages on its shores, only one can be seen = from here - and you have to look carefully to see it, as it is all but = shielded from sight by the woods. Covenants ensure all cottages are = built 30.5 metres from the shore. Patti Green works with the nature trust to preserve the delicate flora = that grow not far from these cottages. She'll be contacting many of = these cottage owners later in the summer to explain the importance of = the secret life that thrives just metres from their summer homes. "The biggest thing landowners can do to protect this habitat is leave it = in its natural state," she says. Even building little docks can disrupt = life because they alter the water flow and stir up sediment. Mr. Knox had intended to harvest this land; that's why his father gave = it to him. But not anymore. His father certainly wasn't a naturalist, = and Mr. Knox insists he isn't either.=20 As he walks back out of the woods toward his large Toyota truck, he says = he still sees the almighty dollar when he looks around. But today he = thinks he also sees more.=20 Now, he sees the future. ( bware@herald.ca) ------=_NextPart_000_0027_01C7C6D9.34F51BB0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.16481" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Fragile & endangered <BR>Randall Knox is = proud that he=20 saved a parcel of his land around Molega Lake, but he still likes to = chop down=20 trees<BR>By Bev Ware South Shore Bureau | 6:24 AM</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>July 15, 2007</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Halfax Herald</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Photos are in the website: </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial><A=20 href=3D"http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotian">http://www.thechron= icleherald.ca/NovaScotian</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>CENTURY-OLD stands of hemlock trees provide = welcome shade=20 from the 33 C heat. Rays of sun pass through the treetops, creating a = hazy path=20 from heaven to earth.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>The needle-covered branches 24.5 metres above = shimmer in a=20 gentle breeze but as we lower our heads and look out across the forest, = it is a=20 sea of brown, not green, that greets the eye.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>That=92s because the grey-winged moth has eaten = their=20 foliage. "Two or three years ago, this would be green," says Randall = Knox,=20 although he says the damage hasn=92t spread to the extent he had feared = this time=20 last year.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Mr. Knox donated the entire 14.6 hectares in = which we=20 stand to the Nova Scotia Nature Trust to be protected. The trust=92s = Duncan Bayne=20 tells him the damage isn=92t so bad here because this is a relatively = healthy=20 forest. And it=92s healthy because it=92s old and = untouched.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>The different types of trees and their varying = heights=20 help ward off pests, Mr. Bayne explains. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>In newer forests, the trees are pretty much the = same=20 species and the same age, so when a pest such as the grey-winged moth = decides to=20 do damage, it goes right through the forest and kills all the trees in = its=20 path.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>The variety of species found here on the Knox = Conservation=20 Lands on the shores of Molega Lake in Queens County "make the whole = ecosystem so=20 much more robust and resistant," says Mr. Bayne, who is land procurement = co-ordinator with the provincial nature trust.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Mr. Knox, a third-generation forester, is = beginning to=20 look at these trees in a different way =97 but he isn=92t entirely a = convert. He=20 doesn=92t see himself as a naturalist and believes protection efforts = must be=20 balanced against economic benefits.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>His father gave him this land to harvest. He = looks around=20 and with a glint in his eye says, "I wish I had a chainsaw in my hand. = I=92m not=20 lying to you. It would please me no end to come in with a chainsaw and = start=20 cutting."</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>All his life he has seen the forest in an = entirely=20 different way from those working to save it. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>"The trees on the land, to me, are more = important than the=20 ecosystem, the snakes, the plants that most of you are interested in," = Mr. Knox=20 says, gesturing to the nature trust workers and volunteers here to = monitor=20 what=92s going on.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>With patient explanation from Mr. Bayne, he has = gradually=20 seen the value of these trees beyond how much they would fetch at the = mill. "It=20 has changed my perspective, I=92ll admit that." It took a couple of = years of=20 careful thought before he handed over the land and its endangered = reptiles and=20 flora for protection but now he says: "Maybe this was a better thing to = do than=20 I first realized. It will be a thing that will last = forever."</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>The Knox Conservation Lands are unique because = of their=20 forest and flora. Southwest Nova Scotia is one of only two places in = Canada=20 where you can find Atlantic coastal plain flora; the only other spot is = in the=20 southern part of the Great Lakes, but by far the most are found=20 here.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Of the 90 species that exist, 11 are endangered = and found=20 only in southwest Nova Scotia. Five are globally endangered with = extinction. "So=20 we have not just a provincial responsibility, a maritime responsibility = and a=20 national responsibility for the plants, we have a global responsibility = for=20 their protection," says Mr. Bayne.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>The Molega Lake conservation lands are home to = two rare=20 species at risk. One is a plant and the other is a reptile. The red root = plant,=20 one of Canada=92s last-seen wildflowers, and the eastern ribbon snake = are both=20 endangered. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial>The red root is found only in the shores of = freshwater=20 lakes and bogs in southwest Nova Scotia and is plentiful here, while the = snake=20 is only found here and in southern Ontario.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV><FONT face=3DArial> <DIV><BR>Not only is the snake rare, it=92s also hard to find. Mr. Bayne = and a=20 couple of nature trust employees monitoring flora search for one on part = of the=20 shores of Molega Lake. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"The chances are not good," Mr. Bayne says as he starts out. = "They=92re so=20 unpredictable."</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The snakes are small (46 centimetres at most) and quite thin, and = they=20 freeze and try to blend into their environment or hide under rocks. "We = really=20 have to plan our route of attack, then move incredibly quickly to catch=20 one."</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Perhaps it=92s the heat, but there is not a snake to be found this = day.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Most endangered species in Nova Scotia are found on private land, = which is=20 why working with private landowners is so important. If not for people = like Mr.=20 Knox, this forest and the species that live here would be unprotected. = </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"Randall . . . sets a tremendous example for other landowners," Mr. = Bayne=20 says.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Less than 0.01 per cent of Nova Scotia forests are old-growth, he = says.=20 "There needs to be areas that are protected so that old-growth species = can=20 survive and live." </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Most forests in Nova Scotia have been cut three or four times, and = the=20 trees are only 40 or 50 years old. But many of the trees here are more = than 100=20 years old, some 200 and 300 years old, and the forest includes different = types=20 of trees that make up old-growth forests.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In the forest that surrounds us, hemlocks grow with yellow birch, = ash, red=20 spruce, oak and some beech. Old-growth forests aren=92t determined by = age but by=20 habitat, which can only come with time. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>There must be an ecological process going on; a cycle that shows = the forest=20 is alive.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Trees in an old-growth forest are so ancient and huge they fall = down,=20 opening a spot for the sunlight to beam down and encourage seedlings to = emerge.=20 The old tree on the forest bed decays and creates and supports new life = in the=20 form of mosses, lichens and insects. Even the dead trees still left = standing,=20 called snags, are important because birds nest there and raptors use = their bare=20 branches to search for prey.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"This forest is moving definitely toward old-growth, but it=92s not = old-growth yet," Mr. Bayne says. "In another hundred years it will well = qualify=20 as old-growth. It=92s an incredible place, it really is." </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>He looks around with excitement at the green living trees and the = decaying,=20 moss-coated trunks lying across our path.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Up ahead, the hemlocks thin and the path turns to green grass, = opening up=20 on to maple saplings and cranberries growing along the shores of Molega = Lake.=20 </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>A frog croaks at the disturbance. The only obvious sign of life is = a=20 dragonfly skimming across the edge of the silent water.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Mr. Bayne crouches down and takes a tiny white flower gently = between his=20 fingers. This too explains why these lands are so important. He is = touching a=20 lance-leaved violet, one of the rare species of coastal plain flora. To = his=20 right is red root, which looks just like thick blades of grass.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It=92s hard to see why these little plants wedged between pebbles = and small=20 rocks are important.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"They=92re part of an ecosystem," Mr. Bayne says. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"The more species you have, the more robust the habitats are." = These little=20 plants are indicators of the health of the ecosystem in southwest Nova=20 Scotia.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"They tell us about the quality of our natural environment. If you = lose=20 them, you might not immediately notice the impact, but it tells you = something is=20 very, very wrong and if you don=92t notice, it=92s going to come around = and hit you=20 in the back of the head."</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>These plants are endangered for two reasons =97 they are only found = here, and=20 they are being damaged by humans.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>They grow around the rocks in the relatively barren soil between = the low=20 and high water marks. Every year, the ice comes up, scours the water=92s = edge and=20 scrapes it back into the lake. There=92s little competition in this = environment=20 and the coastal-plain flora love it and thrive here, but they need that = constant=20 cycle of scouring to create these conditions. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Not all areas around Molega Lake have this seasonal rhythm. A = slight ripple=20 disturbs the surface of the lake as a welcome breeze picks up. The lake = is=20 peppered with innumerable islands created by rocks left behind when the = glaciers=20 receded. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>While there are about 200 cottages on its shores, only one can be = seen from=20 here =97 and you have to look carefully to see it, as it is all but = shielded from=20 sight by the woods. Covenants ensure all cottages are built 30.5 metres = from the=20 shore.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Patti Green works with the nature trust to preserve the delicate = flora that=20 grow not far from these cottages. She=92ll be contacting many of these = cottage=20 owners later in the summer to explain the importance of the secret life = that=20 thrives just metres from their summer homes.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>"The biggest thing landowners can do to protect this habitat is = leave it in=20 its natural state," she says. Even building little docks can disrupt = life=20 because they alter the water flow and stir up sediment.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Mr. Knox had intended to harvest this land; that=92s why his father = gave it=20 to him. But not anymore. His father certainly wasn=92t a naturalist, and = Mr. Knox=20 insists he isn=92t either. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As he walks back out of the woods toward his large Toyota truck, he = says he=20 still sees the almighty dollar when he looks around. But today he thinks = he also=20 sees more. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now, he sees the future.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>( <A=20 href=3D"mailto:bware@herald.ca">bware@herald.ca</A>)</DIV></FONT></BODY><= /HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0027_01C7C6D9.34F51BB0--
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