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Hi Donna & All,
On the subject of so called invasive plants it is prudent to keep=20
three considerations in mind. 1) They are simply making use of=20
underutilized habitat and 2) the invasion typically is a temporary=20
ripple in the overall fabric of plant composition. A classic example is=20
Epipactis helleborine. In my woodlot it briefly became very abundant and=20
even moved into the Kentville garden (seeds moved by static charge on=20
wool socks probably). It is now very sparse. And 3) invasive plants are=20
favored by disturbed soil so one should avoid generating disturbed soil;=20
especially by pulling invasives out.
One should be wary of worshiping an abstraction, such as "Acadian=20
Forest". Composition will change over time if and as climate changes.=20
And, IMHO, worrying about such change is pointless. And, as you say,=20
Budworm does not change composition in the long run but it can take=20
several decades (>4 ?) for this ripple to settle down. The impact of=20
Budworm no doubt varies with context but Spruce can be subject to 100%=20
kill with the exception of Bog trees which can be unaffected; perhaps=20
because they start growth later.
My most intimate contact with Budworm involved an area of about 10=20
sq. miles in which I hunted deer for many decades. Young Fir went first=20
followed by older Fir and then Spruce; overstocked old field Spruce=20
followed by more widely spaced Spruce. Beaver-unfriendly habitat briefly=20
became Beaver heaven; extensive thickets of deciduous cover gave rise to=20
Beaver dams, ponds....followed by abandoned dams as Fir and Spruce=20
replaced deciduous. Previous stands of 6" DBH Fir became jungle gyms=20
with dead trees cross piled >12' high to be replaced by Fir thickets=20
with trees about 1' apart. When old field Spruce blew down passage=20
became tedious in good light and impossible in darkness.
I don't know what 'bF' is apart from perhaps being a typo. And I am=20
puzzled by the suggestion that by the late 1700s up to 2/3 of NS=20
woodland had been burned from land clearance fires. For example a book,=20
Lost in the Woods, which I recently loaned to a friend so can not=20
include author, details a large number of settlements which grew up=20
around logging camps in NS in the 1800s and early 1900s. The demand for=20
lumber and timber then was great so extensive areas were involved. Fire=20
may have been used on localized barrens for thousands of years to=20
encourage blueberry fruiting [and this may account e.g. for large=20
barrens in Guysborough Co. and Kings], and fires may have been started=20
by accident, but no one with survival skills would have intentionally=20
burned woodland to clear it. Wood was valued then and fire feared for=20
good reasons; plus one can cut 10 live trees in the time it takes to cut=20
one rot-free seasoned dead tree.
Based on family tradition, going back to Planter and Loyalist times,=
=20
when woodland was cut for eventual cultivation the brush was burned, and=20
the area pastured, sometimes after crude tillage with a burnt-land=20
harrow to encourage patches of forage. As stumps rotted and could be=20
removed with reasonable effort the plow took over.
Having addressed passages in your first paragraph I wish to make=20
some background comments. Some decades ago, after the Cod Fishery was=20
shut down, an Economics Prof. at Memorial University explained on a=20
radio interview that all was fine; teaching, health care, highway work,=20
legal and police work would provide ample employment for everyone. And,=20
no-- this was not a comedy skit. Everything he named consumes wealth=20
and, if nothing in an economy generates wealth then everything will=20
eventually grind to a halt. NS has been in a similar mess for=20
decades and Forestry can help to balance the books. And in that arena=20
much is far from perfect but the prevailing anti-forestry attitude on=20
Naturens does nothing to identify and correct the problems which range=20
from consequences of good intentions gone bad, through very unfortunate=20
choices to hopeless tangles of red tape.
To solve any equation one must have a clear understanding of both=20
sides; unclouded by emotion or prejudice. So a necessary precondition is=20
to avoid denigration of the 'enemy'. And balancing the desirable with=20
the realistic in the context of forestry, is a tall order. In a previous=20
similar sermon I came to the conclusion that small is beautiful. But for=20
this to work one must have a context in which it can fit. And=20
generations of youth who can cope with a frugal lifestyle. And best of=20
all some legal dragon slayer who can get rid of or at least untangle the=20
red tape which has handed full power to moneyed interests.
And to finally bring this to an end; most people use some byproduct=
=20
of wood many times a day, kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, paper=20
(printed or blank)... or live in houses with substantial wood content.=20
Those who condemn men who murder trees for a living should perhaps=20
satisfy their personal needs with some substitute for wood and wood=20
products.
Yt, DW, Kentville
------ Original Message ------
From: "Donna Crossland" <dcrossland@eastlink.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Sent: 6/21/2018 8:02:42 PM
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Nova Scotian forest composition
>Budworm mainly knocks out balsam fir, and only for a relatively short=20
>while. Young fir will quickly spring up to replace the overstory=20
>trees. That doesn't really alter the Acadian forest composition, at=20
>least not any more than it did 300-500 years ago and longer, but now we=20
>have more bF composition (according to my historical research) because=20
>we have caused so much disturbance. (In the late 1700s, much (perhaps=20
>two thirds of the province) of NS had burned from land clearance fires.=20
> Balsam fir and other early successional species filled the gap for a=20
>time.)
>
>However, the exotics are hitting our long-lived, late-successional,=20
>characteristic species assemblages that are UNIQUE to the Acadian=20
>forest. That is a sad fact. Furthermore, many of those species were=20
>temperate species, with ranges that extend southward, and they should=20
>have remained well-suited for a warmer climate. Most of them are also=20
>wind-firm, which is useful in windy NS. They should hold up well, but=20
>we humans keep introducing pests that kill them off. And so, a 'horse=20
>of a different colour' than budworm on many levels. I cannot and do=20
>not predict the future, but note that our unique Acadian forest will be=20
>permanently altered, and replaced by other players (I have only some=20
>vague notions of what species they will be- perhaps many of them=20
>originating from the temperate climate of Asia, one of them will likely=20
>be Glossy Buckthorn, and seemingly favored species with David, though=20
>it is reducing biodiversity in fens and other sensitive sites).
>
>I will not likely see a rise in Tennessee warblers in the monitoring=20
>plots that are located in mature hardwood and hemlock forests, but it=20
>will be hard to overlook them elsewhere if their population rise. I=20
>remember seeing/hearing lots of them in NB in 1995. It seems they were=20
>linked to more open and boreal-like situations, so maybe are not so=20
>well-suited to warmer southwestern NS, especially now that subsistence=20
>farmlands are growing up. Perhaps they might invade the hemlock plots=20
>as hemlock dies and early succession commences. It will be interesting=20
>to note the suite of species that takes over for a short while.
>
>All to say that forest disturbance dynamics in the Acadian forest is=20
>extremely complex and there is so little of the natural dynamic left=20
>intact, and it seems we are determined to meddle with it still. Many=20
>of our assumptions come from boreal forest ecology (an amazing, but yet=20
>simpler system to our own), and so not entirely appropriate to NS. =20
>Will the budworm return as it did some 40 years ago? Perhaps not. I=20
>am not quite certain what it would eat in some places. A quick check=20
>of satellite images reveals that we have over-harvested our forests, so=20
>pickings may be meager for the bug this time around. We have far less=20
>forest than 40 years ago, despite what industry/DNR informs us. "Yes",=20
>there is regrowth on former farm lands, but that does not off-set the=20
>forests that have been stripped bare in many areas. Older age classes=20
>have disappeared 'overnight'. And now they are going back to remove=20
>the leave strips around swamps and going into the swamps are far as=20
>machines can go without disappearing. Dreadful, short-sighted,=20
>increasingly desperate greed.
>
>Must leave it here for another early morning survey tomorrow. I am=20
>sleep-deprived from the longest day of the year that commenced at 3:35=20
>hr, and so much of this may not make sense. The bird season is winding=20
>down quickly.
>
>I truly appreciate hearing of bird populations' rises and falls, and=20
>you and others see headed our way. It helps to make me aware of what=20
>to look for up ahead.
>
>Happy solstice!
>
>Donna
>
>
>On 2018-06-20 5:19 PM, Laviolette, Lance wrote:
>>Hi Donna,
>>
>>
>>
>>Budworm is a native insect however it, like non-native insects, will=20
>>change the composition of Nova Scotia forests and that was what my=20
>>original question was all about. As David has now pointed out, climate=20
>>change will also be a major =E2=80=98player=E2=80=99 in what the resultin=
g forest will=20
>>look like in 20 years.
>>
>>
>>
>>Predictions of what things will be in the future are simply an=20
>>exercise in assumptions so will not be interesting to everyone.=20
>>Sticking with facts then, the budworm=E2=80=99s cyclical impact on Mariti=
me=20
>>forests is as important as a non-native insect=E2=80=99s effect is. The i=
mpact=20
>>on bird populations is a well-studied phenomena. You mention that you=20
>>are seeing a few more Bay-breasted Warblers in the forest monitoring=20
>>plots. I can tell you that monitoring on Brier Island has shown that=20
>>the population of both Bay-breasted and Cape May Warblers have been=20
>>rising dramatically over the last 4-5 years. I expect they will=20
>>continue to increase, as they did 40 years ago as long as the Spruce=20
>>Budworm populations remain high in the Maritimes and the Gasp=C3=A9. The=
=20
>>odd thing is that so far the expected rise in Tennessee Warbler=20
>>numbers hasn=E2=80=99t materialized in our observations. Let us know when =
you=20
>>start detecting more of that species on your plots and I=E2=80=99ll do th=
e=20
>>same when numbers increase during migration on Brier Island.
>>
>>
>>
>>All the best,
>>
>>
>>
>>Lance
>>
>>
>>
>>Lance Laviolette
>>
>>Glen Robertson, Ontario
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>From:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca=20
>>[mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Donna Crossland
>>Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 6:21 PM
>>To:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>>Subject: EXTERNAL: Re: [NatureNS] Nova Scotian forest composition
>>
>>
>>
>>It's best to avoid the 'company line' about "spruce budworm left=20
>>unchecked". This is a topic that the forest industry uses to instill=20
>>panic to justify full scale harvesting of spruce and fir, complete=20
>>with a spray program, etc. Budworm is a native pest and should not=20
>>enter the conversations over exotics. It comes 'round every few=20
>>decades, as we know. Bay-breasted, Tennessee and other warbler=20
>>species can increase rapidly. We can sit back and enjoy watching=20
>>natures responses to it. This year I observed a few more Bay-breasted=20
>>warblers in forest monitoring plots than previous years, and am=20
>>questioning if they are from an increased number resulting from the Qc=20
>>population that decided to settle in southwest NS this year instead of=20
>>heading farther north after returning from the tropics.
>>
>>The forest industry and DNR would have us "tinker" with this this=20
>>natural disturbance agent. But balsam fir was never "built to last". =20
>>Titus Smith referred to it as a nursery tree to shelter the growth of=20
>>other late successional tree species. Early entry harvesting in the=20
>>pure fir/spruce stands would mitigate the fear of trees dying all at=20
>>once and wood going to 'waste' (industry thinking, not mine), but in=20
>>actuality industry doesn't want to float in the big machines for =20
>>multiple, early, preemptive partial harvests. The cheapest approach=20
>>is to harvest all at once, so they wait until the budworm hits (it was=20
>>all so predictable), and then cries wolf and harvests all at once. =20
>>But this is the worst scenario for all other ecosystem components=20
>>including soil nutrients then exposed to leaching. The budworm issue=20
>>really hits a nerve.
>>
>>Balsam fir and spruce will regenerate after budworm. No worries=20
>>there. But hemlock will be repeatedly hit by HWA and not successfully=20
>>reestablish. It will be no more. That's the huge difference between=20
>>native pests and exotics. The latter situation leaves a permanent=20
>>void. Forests without hemlock, ash, and beech are likely imminent,=20
>>perhaps in as little as two decades, but who knows. Nature will=20
>>figure something out, but all these rapid changes are occurring=20
>>because of human activities.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
><https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=3Demail&utm_source=3Dlink&utm_=
campaign=3Dsig-email&utm_content=3Demailclient>=20
>Virus-free. www.avast.com=20
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campaign=3Dsig-email&utm_content=3Demailclient>
><#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
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=20
<style id=3D"css_styles" type=3D"text/css"><!--blockquote.cite { margin-l=
eft: 5px; margin-right: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right:0px; border-=
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<body><div id=3D"x024a22fcb12d48d" style=3D"color: #000000"><div><div>Hi=
Donna & All,</div><div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 On the subject of so called invasi=
ve plants it is prudent to keep three considerations in mind. 1) They are s=
imply making use of underutilized habitat and 2) the invasion typically is=
a temporary ripple in the overall fabric of plant composition. A classic ex=
ample is <i>Epipactis helleborine.</i> In my woodlot it briefly became very =
abundant and even moved into the Kentville garden (seeds moved by static c=
harge on wool socks probably). It is now very sparse. And 3) invasive plant=
s are favored by disturbed soil so one should avoid generating disturbed so=
il; especially by pulling invasives out.</div>
<div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 One should be wary of worshiping an abstraction, such as =
"Acadian Forest". Composition will change over time if and as climate chan=
ges. And, IMHO, worrying about such change is pointless. And, as you say, B=
udworm does not change composition in the long run but it can take several=
decades (>4 ?) for this ripple to settle down. The impact of Budworm no=
doubt varies with context but Spruce can be subject to 100% kill with the e=
xception of Bog trees which can be unaffected; perhaps because they start g=
rowth later.=C2=A0</div><div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 My most intimate contact with Bu=
dworm involved an area of about 10 sq. miles in which I hunted deer for man=
y decades. Young Fir went first followed by older Fir and then Spruce; over=
stocked old field Spruce followed by more widely spaced Spruce. Beaver-unfr=
iendly habitat briefly became Beaver heaven; extensive thickets of deciduou=
s cover gave rise to Beaver dams, ponds....followed by abandoned dams as Fi=
r and Spruce replaced deciduous. Previous stands of 6" DBH Fir became jungl=
e gyms with dead trees cross piled >12' high to be replaced by Fir thick=
ets with trees about 1' apart. When old field Spruce blew down passage beca=
me tedious in good light and impossible in darkness.=C2=A0</div><div>=C2=A0 =
=C2=A0 I don't know what 'bF' is apart from perhaps being a typo. And I am =
puzzled by the suggestion that by the late 1700s up to 2/3 of NS woodland=
had been burned from land clearance fires. For example a book, Lost in the=
Woods, which I recently loaned to a friend so can not include author, detai=
ls a large number of settlements which grew up around logging camps in NS i=
n the 1800s and early 1900s. The demand for lumber and timber then was grea=
t so extensive areas were involved. Fire may have been used on localized ba=
rrens for thousands of years to encourage blueberry fruiting [and this may=
account e.g. for large barrens in Guysborough Co. and Kings], and fires may =
have been started by accident, but no one with survival skills would have=
intentionally burned woodland to clear it. Wood was valued then and fire fe=
ared for good reasons; plus one can cut 10 live trees in the time it takes=
to cut one rot-free seasoned dead tree.=C2=A0</div><div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 Based =
on family tradition, going back to Planter and Loyalist times, when woodla=
nd was cut for eventual cultivation the brush was burned, and the area past=
ured, sometimes after crude tillage with a burnt-land harrow to encourage p=
atches of forage. As stumps rotted and could be removed with reasonable eff=
ort the plow took over.=C2=A0</div><div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 Having addressed pass=
ages in your first paragraph I wish to make some background comments. Some=
decades ago, after the Cod Fishery was shut down, an Economics Prof. at Mem=
orial University explained on a radio interview that all was fine; teaching=
, health care, highway work, legal and police work would provide ample empl=
oyment for everyone. And, no-- this was not a comedy skit. Everything he na=
med consumes wealth and, if nothing in an economy generates wealth then eve=
rything will eventually grind to a halt. =C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0NS has bee=
n in a similar mess for decades and Forestry can help to balance the books. =
And in that arena much is far from perfect but the prevailing anti-forestr=
y attitude on Naturens does nothing to identify and correct the problems wh=
ich range from consequences of good intentions gone bad, through very unfor=
tunate choices to hopeless tangles of red tape.=C2=A0</div><div>=C2=A0=C2=
=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0To solve any equation one must have a clear understanding of =
both sides; unclouded by emotion or prejudice. So a necessary precondition =
is to avoid denigration of the 'enemy'. =C2=A0And balancing the desirable=
with the realistic in the context of forestry, is a tall order. In a previo=
us similar sermon I came to the conclusion that small is beautiful. But for =
this to work one must have a context in which it can fit. And generations=
of youth who can cope with a frugal lifestyle. And best of all some legal d=
ragon slayer who can get rid of or at least untangle the red tape which has =
handed full power to moneyed interests.=C2=A0</div><div>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=
=A0And to finally bring this to an end; most people use some byproduct of w=
ood many times a day, kleenex, toilet paper, paper towels, paper (printed o=
r blank)... or live in houses with substantial wood content. Those who cond=
emn men who murder trees for a living should perhaps satisfy their personal =
needs with some substitute for wood and wood products. =C2=A0</div><div>=
=C2=A0 =C2=A0 Yt, DW, Kentville=C2=A0</div><div>=C2=A0</div>
<div>------ Original Message ------</div>
<div>From: "Donna Crossland" <<a href=3D"mailto:dcrossland@eastlink.ca">=
dcrossland@eastlink.ca</a>></div>
<div>To: <a href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=
</a></div>
<div>Sent: 6/21/2018 8:02:42 PM</div>
<div>Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Nova Scotian forest composition</div><div><br=
/></div>
<div id=3D"x024a22fcb12d48d">
<p></p></div></div><blockquote cite=3D"7da01962-cd4f-e5a3-47fb-8246dcda=
2d60@eastlink.ca" type=3D"cite" class=3D"cite2"><p>Budworm mainly knocks ou=
t balsam fir, and only for a relatively
short while.=C2=A0 Young fir will quickly spring up to replace the
overstory trees.=C2=A0 That doesn't really alter the Acadian forest
composition, at least not any more than it did 300-500 years ago
and longer, but now we have more bF composition (according to my
historical research) because we have caused so much disturbance.=C2=
=A0
(In the late 1700s, much (perhaps two thirds of the province) of
NS had burned from land clearance fires.=C2=A0 Balsam fir and other
early successional species filled the gap for a time.) <br />
</p>
<p>However, the exotics are hitting our long-lived,
late-successional, characteristic species assemblages that are
UNIQUE to the Acadian forest.=C2=A0 That is a sad fact.=C2=A0 Further=
more,
many of those species were <u>temperate </u>species, with ranges
that extend southward, and they should have remained well-suited
for a warmer climate.=C2=A0 Most of them are also wind-firm, which is
useful in windy NS.=C2=A0 They should hold up well, but we humans kee=
p
introducing pests that kill them off. =C2=A0 And so, a 'horse of a
different colour' than budworm on many levels.=C2=A0 I cannot and do
not predict the future, but note that our unique Acadian forest
will be permanently altered, and replaced by other players (I have
only some vague notions of what species they will be- perhaps many
of them originating from the temperate climate of Asia, one of
them will likely be Glossy Buckthorn, and seemingly favored
species with David, though it is reducing biodiversity in fens and
other sensitive sites).=C2=A0 <br />
</p>
<p>I will not likely see a rise in Tennessee warblers in the
monitoring plots that are located in mature hardwood and hemlock
forests, but it will be hard to overlook them elsewhere if their
population rise.=C2=A0 I remember seeing/hearing lots of them in NB i=
n
1995.=C2=A0 It seems they were linked to more open and boreal-like
situations, so maybe are not so well-suited to warmer southwestern
NS, especially now that subsistence farmlands are growing up.=C2=A0
Perhaps they might invade the hemlock plots as hemlock dies and
early succession commences.=C2=A0 It will be interesting to note the
suite of species that takes over for a short while.</p>
<p>All to say that forest disturbance dynamics in the Acadian forest
is extremely complex and there is so little of the natural dynamic
left intact, and it seems we are determined to meddle with it
still.=C2=A0 Many of our assumptions come from boreal forest ecology
(an amazing, but yet simpler system to our own), and so not
entirely appropriate to NS.=C2=A0 Will the budworm return as it did
some 40 years ago?=C2=A0 Perhaps not.=C2=A0 I am not quite certain wh=
at it
would eat in some places.=C2=A0 A quick check of satellite images
reveals that we have over-harvested our forests, so pickings may
be meager for the bug this time around.=C2=A0 We have far less forest
than 40 years ago, despite what industry/DNR informs us.=C2=A0 "Yes",
there is regrowth on former farm lands, but that does not off-set
the forests that have been stripped bare in many areas.=C2=A0 Older a=
ge
classes have disappeared 'overnight'.=C2=A0 And now they are going ba=
ck
to remove the leave strips around swamps and going into the swamps
are far as machines can go without disappearing.=C2=A0 Dreadful,
short-sighted, increasingly desperate greed.<br />
</p>
<p>Must leave it here for another early morning survey tomorrow.=C2=A0=
I
am sleep-deprived from the longest day of the year that commenced
at 3:35 hr, and so much of this may not make sense.=C2=A0 The bird
season is winding down quickly.</p>
<p>I truly appreciate hearing of bird populations' rises and falls,
and you and others see headed our way.=C2=A0 It helps to make me awar=
e
of what to look for up ahead.=C2=A0 <br />
</p>
<p>Happy solstice!<br />
</p>
<p>Donna<br />
</p>
<br />
<div class=3D"moz-cite-prefix">On 2018-06-20 5:19 PM, Laviolette,
Lance wrote:<br />
</div>
<blockquote type=3D"cite" cite=3D"mid:990B3EE94E8A61448C998FEBAEAFC0242=
333B458@HCXDSPM2.ca.lmco.com" class=3D"cite">
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<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Hi
Donna,<o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o=
:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=A0</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Bu=
dworm
is a native insect however it, like non-native insects, will
change the composition of Nova Scotia forests and that was
what my original question was all about. As David has now
pointed out, climate change will also be a major =E2=80=98playe=
r=E2=80=99 in
what the resulting forest will look like in 20 years.
<o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o=
:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=A0</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Pr=
edictions
of what things will be in the future are simply an exercise
in assumptions so will not be interesting to everyone.
Sticking with facts then, the budworm=E2=80=99s cyclical impact =
on
Maritime forests is as important as a non-native insect=E2=80=
=99s
effect is. The impact on bird populations is a well-studied
phenomena. You mention that you are seeing a few more
Bay-breasted Warblers in the forest monitoring plots. I can
tell you that monitoring on Brier Island has shown that the
population of both Bay-breasted and Cape May Warblers have
been rising dramatically over the last 4-5 years. I expect
they will continue to increase, as they did 40 years ago as
long as the Spruce Budworm populations remain high in the
Maritimes and the Gasp=C3=A9. The odd thing is that so far the
expected rise in Tennessee Warbler numbers hasn=E2=80=99t
materialized in our observations. Let us know when you start
detecting more of that species on your plots and I=E2=80=99ll d=
o the
same when numbers increase during migration on Brier Island.<o:=
p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o=
:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=A0</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">Al=
l
the best,<o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o=
:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=A0</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US">La=
nce
<o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=
=A0</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Baskerville Old
 Face",serif;color:#1F497D">=
Lance Laviolette<o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Baskerville Old
 Face",serif;color:#1F497D">=
Glen Robertson, Ontario<o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=
=A0</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=
=A0</o:p></span></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:=
"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><o=
:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=A0</o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div style=3D"border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1
 =
1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><b><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-=
family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:windowtext" lang=3D"EN-US">From=
:</span></b><span style=3D"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri"=
,sans-serif;color:windowtext" lang=3D"EN-US"> <a class=3D"moz-txt-link-abbr=
eviated" href=3D"mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens-owner@chebu=
cto.ns.ca</a>
[<a class=3D"moz-txt-link-freetext" href=3D"mailto:naturens=
-owner@chebucto.ns.ca">mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca</a>] <b>On Beha=
lf Of
</b>Donna Crossland<br />
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, June 19, 2018 6:21 PM<br />
<b>To:</b> <a class=3D"moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href=3D"ma=
ilto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a><br />
<b>Subject:</b> EXTERNAL: Re: [NatureNS] Nova Scotian
forest composition<o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></span></=
p>
</div>
</div>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=A0</o:p></p>
<p>It's best to avoid the 'company line' about "spruce budworm
left unchecked".=C2=A0 This is a topic that the forest industry
uses to instill panic to justify full scale harvesting of
spruce and fir, complete with a spray program, etc.=C2=A0 Budworm
is a native pest and should not enter the conversations over
exotics.=C2=A0 It comes 'round every few decades, as we know.=C2=
=A0
Bay-breasted, Tennessee and other warbler species can increase
rapidly.=C2=A0 We can sit back and enjoy watching natures respons=
es
to it. This year I observed a few more Bay-breasted warblers
in forest monitoring plots than previous years, and am
questioning if they are from an increased number resulting
from the Qc population that decided to settle in southwest NS
this year instead of heading farther north=C2=A0 after returning
from the tropics.=C2=A0 <o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></p>
<p>The forest industry and DNR would have us "tinker" with this
this natural disturbance agent.=C2=A0 But balsam fir was never
"built to last".=C2=A0 Titus Smith referred to it as a nursery tr=
ee
to shelter the growth of other late successional tree
species.=C2=A0 Early entry harvesting in the pure fir/spruce stan=
ds
would mitigate the fear of trees dying all at once and wood
going to 'waste' (industry thinking, not mine), but in
actuality industry doesn't want to float in the big machines
for=C2=A0 multiple, early, preemptive partial harvests.=C2=A0 The
cheapest approach is to harvest all at once, so they wait
until the budworm hits (it was all so predictable), and=C2=A0 the=
n
cries wolf and harvests all at once.=C2=A0 But this is the worst
scenario for all other ecosystem components including soil
nutrients then exposed to leaching.=C2=A0 The budworm issue reall=
y
hits a nerve.=C2=A0 <o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></p>
<p>Balsam fir and spruce will regenerate after budworm.=C2=A0 No
worries there.=C2=A0 But hemlock will be repeatedly hit by HWA an=
d
not successfully reestablish.=C2=A0 It will be no more.=C2=A0 Tha=
t's the
huge difference between native pests and exotics.=C2=A0 The latte=
r
situation leaves a permanent void.=C2=A0 Forests without hemlock,
ash, and beech are likely imminent, perhaps in as little as
two decades, but who knows.=C2=A0 Nature will figure something ou=
t,
but all these rapid changes are occurring because of human
activities. =C2=A0
<span style=3D"color:#1F497D"><o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown"></o:p></s=
pan></p>
<p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p xmlns:o=3D"#unknown">=C2=A0</o:p></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
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