Today is National Tree Day, an opportunity to reflect on our beautiful Acadian Forest, home to woodland critters like the snowshoe hare, little brown bat and the nocturnal northern flying squirrel!
But while today is an occasion to celebrate, it’s also a chance for us to reflect on the changes many of us notice happening in the woods around our homes and communities: the clearcutting of our natural mixedwood Acadian Forest in favour of uniform plantations of black spruce and jack pine.
In her report on the province’s silviculture program, New Brunswick’s Auditor General Kim MacPherson recommended the government reduce the amount of clearcutting allowed in public forests. Her report also determined that 80 per cent of all wood harvested in public forests over the last decade has been cut by clearcut, despite multiple reports and recommendations calling for a reversal of the trend.
Learn more about the auditor general’s findings in the latest edition of our membership magazine, EcoAlert, or here on our website, where you’ll also find a factsheet about the current forest management strategy for NB and information about herbicide use in our public forest.
