NSCC funding helps protect Nova Scotia's working woodlands

Nova Scotia’s first Working Woodlands Trust builds tools and capacity to support landowners

Across Nova Scotia, family woodlands have been quietly stewarded by generations of landowners and stewards. These lands are a cornerstone of rural communities. They provide income, biodiversity, climate resilience and a deep connection to place.

Yet, with development pressures rising and ecological threats like invasive pests and climate change accelerating, many landowners face a difficult question: How can I ensure my woodland stays protected, productive and ecologically healthy into the future?

To help navigate these challenges, the Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust (NSWWT) is pioneering a new model of private land conservation, one that protects forests and keeps them carefully stewarded and productive for generations to come. As the first legal entity eligible to hold Working Forest Community Easements under Nova Scotia’s Community Easements Act, NSWWT exists to help landowners permanently protect their forests while continuing to manage them responsibly.

These easements, developed by NSWWT staff in collaboration with landowners, ensure that forest management supports both ecological and economic goals over the long term. Building this kind of program from the ground up takes more than passion; it requires tools, training and capacity.

Laying the foundation for conservation

NSWWT reached a major milestone in late 2023 when it became an eligible body under the province’s Community Easements Act. This unlocked the ability to officially hold Community Easements to preserve working forests and paved the way for staff to commence outreach, landowner onboarding and fieldwork.

The field team provides each land steward who joins the Trust with a Baseline Documentation Report, which provides a highly detailed snapshot of what’s on the woodland at the time they join. NSWWT woodland stewards also receive a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified Stewardship (Management) Plan, which is renewed every 10 years. To produce these documents, it takes NSWWT’s field team between 20 and 30 hours, split between on-the-ground field work and spatial analysis at their desk.

NSCC’s Forest Innovation Voucher Program (FIVP) has made a big difference, as NSWWT was able to purchase essential field equipment and partially cover the staff time needed to conduct baseline assessments and develop tailored forest management plans for landowners.

Investing in tools and talent

With support from FIVP, NSWWT staff completed baseline assessments on over 365 acres, which is well beyond their original goal of 250 acres. These assessments gather multiple vital ecological data points that become part of the Baseline Documentation Report—a key tool for monitoring and verifying each easement over time.

Management Plans were also developed for more than 210 acres, and these include strategies for improved forest management and carbon sequestration. These plans allow woodlands to qualify for entry into an aggregated carbon pool that NSWWT will manage on behalf of landowners.

“The ability to invest in professional-grade measurement tools and safety equipment allowed us to increase both the quality and efficiency of our fieldwork,” explains Shayla Nickerson, NSWWT’s Stewardship Lead. “And the training opportunities supported through FIVP meant our team could deepen their expertise in forest carbon and tree marking skills that are already proving valuable in the field.”

Through FIVP, two staff members completed the Canadian Forest Inventory (CFI) Carbon Inventory Training, two took the University of British Columbia’s Forest Carbon Accounting course, and one completed NSCC’s Tree Marking course in June 2024.

“The Tree Marking course offered through NSCC was a great example of how hands-on training can directly impact our fieldwork,” says Shayla. “We’d love to see more connections like that, especially as we continue to grow.”

In 2024, NSWWT began onboarding six landowners into its easement program. This is an important step toward creating a network of protected, stewarded forests across the province. Trained staff, strong processes and high-quality management plans have been key to gaining landowner trust and support. And with support from NSCC’s FIVP, NSWWT is prepared to keep protecting the ecological, economic and cultural values of Nova Scotia’s private woodlands.