North Nova Forest Owners Co-op Ltd - north.nova@northnovaforestry.com

North Nova Forest Owners Co-op Ltd

We are a private woodlot forest management Co-op operating in Cumberland and Colchester Counties. We offer private landowners services ranging from harvesting (including selection managed and commercial thinning) to various silviculture treatments such as; pre commercial thinning and planting. Our Co-op is landowner owned and directed.

Company Details

Number of years in business36
Number of employees2
Number of Services19
Certifications or Qualifications8
LocationCumberland, Nova Scotia
Website
Payment OptionsCash,Cheque

Services

Boundary Line Work

Knowing where your boundaries are is an important step in woodlot management. Contractors will often mark woodlot boundaries by using flagging tape or painting blazes on trees along the boundary lines and removing brush from the lines to promote line visibility.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres, under 5 acres

Commercial Harvest

A commercial harvest is completed with the goal of harvesting and selling the final timber product (saw logs, etc.). It is the final stage in commercial forest management, taking place several years after precommercial thinning and commercial thinning treatments.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, 5 to 10 acres, over 10 acres

Crop Tree Release

This treatment is used to promote the growth of desirable crop trees. The trees around selected crop trees are thinned out to allow the more desirable trees more space and nutrients, which in turn can increase the health and future value of the stand.

Counties: Colchester, Pictou, Cumberland
Lot Sizes: 5 to 10 acres, under 5 acres, over 10 acres

Commercial Thinning

Ideal for middle-aged stands, commercial thinning removes some of the more mature trees to allow room for others to grow, and to open up the canopy for regeneration. The trees removed are often those that are: damaged or diseased; growing too close to desirable trees; or less desirable species.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, 5 to 10 acres, over 10 acres

Planting

In stands where natural regeneration is lacking, it is often advantageous to plant seedlings. This can be done after both even-aged management treatments (like clearcutting) and uneven-aged management treatments (like selective cutting). Desirable species are planted at specified intervals to fill in the gaps in forest vegetation and provide a continuous forest cover. Both softwood and hardwood species can be planted.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres

Lot Clearing

Characterized by removing the forest cover from an area where a land use change is desired by the owner, such as conversion to agricultural, commercial, or residential land. This can include removal of all forest vegetation, stumps, debris, and sometimes top soil.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres

Logging Contractor

Specializing in managing for, harvesting, and trucking mature logs to sell to sawmills. This can include pulp and stud wood as well.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres

Management Planning

Having a woodlot management plan is an important tool for effective forest management and is a requirement for most forest certification schemes. Management plans include: the goals and objectives of the landowner, a detailed description and inventory of the woodlot (including a map), and a plan for carrying out silvicultural treatments to accomplish the landowner’s goals. The plan should be reviewed and updated every 5 to 10 years to remain relevant and to stay in line with the landowner’s wishes and needs. While it is very useful to have a registered professional forester create the management plan, it is important that the landowner be involved in the process as well to ensure that it conforms to their own unique needs and values.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres, under 5 acres

Hardwood Management

In forest stands primarily made up of hardwood species, many owners/operators manage for harvesting firewood commercially or for private use.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres

Forest Certification

Forest Certification is a tool that was developed to promote sustainable and ecologically responsible forest management, and has gained considerable popularity over the past several decades. Though certification schemes differ, most require adhering to a set of forest management principles, having a detailed management plan, submitting regular updates to the certifying body, and agreeing to periodic site audits by a third party. The most common schemes used in Canada, and Nova Scotia in particular, are governed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). For small private woodlots in the province, the relevant certification schemes are FSC SLIMF and CSA Z804, and there exist several certifying bodies through which a woodlot owner could certify his/her woodland.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres

Watercourse Crossing

Due to the ecological sensitivity of the riparian habitat along watercourses, it is very important that proper care be taken when planning and constructing watercourse crossings in a woodlot. Construction of these crossings should only be done by certified contractors, and needs to be approved by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres

Timber Appraisal

A timber appraisal is meant to give woodlot owners an idea of what volume and kind of timber they have on their woodlot and how much it is worth. Factors considered in calculating this are tree density, species, and timber quality. Timber appraisals are useful for woodlot owners planning to sell or purchase woodland, or for those just trying to get a sense of what they have on a woodlot. It is generally necessary to hire a professional forester to complete a timber appraisal.

Counties: Colchester, Pictou, Cumberland
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, 5 to 10 acres, over 10 acres

Silviculture Contractor

Silvicultural contractors provide a variety of woodlot management services, not just harvesting. These can include selection harvesting, thinning, road building, wildlife management, management planning, boundary line work, and many others.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: 5 to 10 acres, under 5 acres, over 10 acres

Selection Harvesting

Selection harvesting is a treatment used in uneven-aged forest management in which either single trees or small groups of trees are harvested at a time. The goal is to maintain the canopy of a forest stand while still being able to continually harvest timber. This is done by diversifying tree age classes, encouraging regeneration, and leaving some of the best trees as seed trees.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: 5 to 10 acres, under 5 acres, over 10 acres

Road Building

Roads are useful when doing silvicultural harvesting and other treatments, as well as for recreational and other purposes. Often, woodlots will have old roads that need to be maintained or will require the construction of new ones. This can include lot clearing and chipping (harvesting poorer quality wood for biomass energy).

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres, under 5 acres

Precommercial Thinning

Precommercial thinning (PCT) is done in overstocked stands of younger trees to free up space and resources for selected trees and improve overall stand quality. PCT treatments are done in both natural stands and plantations. The goal is to remove less desirable trees (like non-crop species, or damaged and diseased trees) as well as create appropriate spacing in the stand for healthy, higher quality trees to grow. PCT work is generally done manually with clearing or thinning saws.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: 5 to 10 acres, under 5 acres, over 10 acres

Woodlot Mapping

Having a woodlot map makes planning silvicultural treatments easier and gives you a better idea of what you have in your woodlot. Woodlot mapping is often done by a registered professional forester when developing a woodlot management plan, though it can be created on its own. A woodlot map shows where your boundary lines are and generally displays the different stands existing on your woodlot. Aerial photos can be useful to include with woodlot maps.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres

Wildlife Habitat Management

Woodlot owners who value wildlife and consider wildlife when planning silviculture and harvesting treatments should think about incorporating wildlife habitat management into their woodlot management plan. One can focus on managing for one or two species, or managing for several. Wildlife habitat management can include maintaining wildlife corridors, modifying silvicultural activities to decrease negative impacts on wildlife, leaving snags as nesting trees and downed woody debris for habitat, and putting up nesting boxes.

Counties: Pictou, Cumberland, Colchester
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, over 10 acres, 5 to 10 acres

Weeding

Weeding refers to the trimming or removal of small, herbaceous plants in a stand, as well as non-crop tree species, which are competing with desirable tree species. Plants like raspberry bushes can out-compete seedlings and limit their access to nutrients, sunlight, and other necessary factors for growth.

Counties: Cumberland, Colchester, Pictou
Lot Sizes: under 5 acres, 5 to 10 acres, over 10 acres

Qualifications

    Other Qualifications
    Registered with WCB
    Registered with the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia.
    Clearing Saw
    Certification for clearing saw use, safety, and maintenance.
    Chain Saw
    Certification for chain saw use, safety, and maintenance.
    Watercourse Alteration
    Have completed a Watercourse Alteration Certification course recognized in Nova Scotia.
    FSSNS Core Program
    Have completed the Core Program of the Forestry Safety Society of Nova Scotia.
    BMP Training
    Have completed Best Management Practices training relevant to the Acadian Forest Region.
    Liability Insurance
    Has current Liability Insurance.

This service provider prefers contact by email, please use the link below.
north.nova@northnovaforestry.com

Contact Details

Company NameNorth Nova Forest Owners Co-op Ltd
Contact NameJoAnne Craib
Phone(902) 548-2400
Emailnorth.nova@northnovaforestry.com
Street11986 Hwy #4
TownWentworth
CountyCumberland
ProvinceNova Scotia
Postal CodeB0M 1Z0

Map

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