New Science Advisory Committee to Focus on Forestry

NOTE: A list of Forest Biodiversity Science Advisory Committee members follows this release.
The Department of Natural Resources has created a Forest Biodiversity Science Advisory Committee to enhance the management of Nova Scotia’s Crown-owned woodlands.

The committee includes experts on forest science, biodiversity, ecological planning and spatial modelling.

“I’d like to thank all the members of this committee for agreeing to take on this important work,” said Natural Resources Minister Lloyd Hines. “I know their contributions will add tremendous value as we move forward in improving forest management in Nova Scotia.”

During quarterly meetings, the members share knowledge and guidance as Nova Scotia moves to landscape scale management of Crown-owned lands. Only 35 per cent of all land in Nova Scotia is owned by the province. The rest is owned by private citizens, meaning most forest lands in the province are privately owned and managed.

“The members of the new committee have very extensive and broad experience of biodiversity science,” said Sherman Boates, chair of the committee. “Their independent advice will improve government’s capacity to address complex biodiversity conservation and resource-use issues.”

Establishing the committee was a recommendation of the South Panuke forest harvest review.

An update on the department’s progress on the Panuke Lake recommendations is available at http://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/Panuke .

Source: Release