Star Panel Reviews NS Forest Practices
Bill Lahey, University of King’s College president and leader of Nova Scotia’s Independent Review of Forest Practices, has assembled a team of experts to help review forest harvest practices and the overall role of Crown wood supply throughout Nova Scotia.
The team is:
• Peter Duinker, professor at Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies with 30 years of experience in his field. He will assist with research and advisory services
• Al Gorley, former assistant deputy minister with the British Columbia Forest Service and chair of British Columbia’s independent Forest Practices Board. He will advise on governance and policy aspects
• Malcolm Hunter, professor at University of Maine, is a conservation biologist who focuses on forest ecosystems and the maintenance of their biological diversity. He is the co-author of a leading text on forest wildlife and forestry
• Robert Seymour, professor at University of Maine, is an expert on forest management practices. His expertise includes ecologically based tree-cultivation systems. He is active in forest certification processes
• Laird Van Damme, adjunct professor at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ont., and managing partner at KBM Resources, a forestry consulting firm. He will advise on forest practices
• Christopher Wedeles, with the consulting firm Arborvitae Environmental Services Ltd., to advise primarily on biodiversity, including wildlife issues
• Jeremy Williams, with the consulting firm Arborvitae Environmental Services Ltd., to advise on forestry economics.
In addition, Prof. Lahey has also asked for advice from the Forest Biodiversity Science Advisory Committee of the Department of Natural Resources. The committee members are Prof. Duinker, Tom Herman (Acadia University), Thom Erdle (University of New Brunswick) and Graham Forbes (University of New Brunswick). Professors Sherman Boates (Acadia University) and Peter Bush (Dalhousie University) are with the department.
Professor Lahey has begun meeting with a cross section of groups, organizations and individuals. Others who wish to speak with him are encouraged to email him to arrange a meeting at forestryreview@novascotia.ca.
He will provide a final report to Natural Resources Minister Margaret Miller by the end of February 2018.
For information and updates on the Independent Review of Forest Practices review, visit https://novascotia.ca/natr/forestry/Forest_Review/.