Minister Receives Independent Report on Forest Practices

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NOTE: The following is a statement from Iain Rankin, Minister of Lands and Forestry, following today’s release of Prof. Bill Lahey’s report on Nova Scotia’s forest practices.

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Today, Aug. 21, I received Prof. Bill Lahey’s report on Nova Scotia’s forest practices. He has completed a substantial report and I thank him for his invaluable work in leading this review.

I also thank the many Nova Scotians and the team of experts who shared their knowledge with Prof. Lahey. This report reflects the latest research and knowledge on managing our forests, as well as perspectives from many individuals and groups who participated in the process.

Now the work begins for my department to thoroughly review and analyze the report and its recommendations.

Our work begins immediately and I am excited to be leading the way.

About three quarters of Nova Scotia is forested, and every day, people from all over our province make decisions that impact our forests and biodiversity. Because of this I encourage all Nova Scotians with an interest in our forests to read Prof. Lahey’s report.

I am committed to finding the right balance for the long-term environmental, economic and social interests of our forests.

I will report back to Nova Scotians on our response to Prof. Lahey’s recommendations as soon as possible, and keep stakeholders and the public informed and involved as we move ahead.

The report is available at https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/Forest_Review/ .

Source: Release