Oldest Tree In The Maritimes

It has recently been discovered  that an Eastern hemlock is the oldest known tree in Nova Scotia and the Maritimes.

The tree, located in a stand not far from the South Panuke Wilderness Area, northwest of Hubbards, was measured to be 532 years old. 

That is a respectable age for a tree in the Eastern Forest. With the tiny amount of old growth left in the Maritimes, it is a wonder that any trees this old continue to exist.

The land the tree is on used to be owned by the Bowater Mersey Paper Company. The province bought the parcel, along with many others, in 2012.

Are there older trees in Nova Scotia? 

Undoubtably. 

Do they, and all old growth, deserve protection?

Absolutely. 

They are a global wonder and treasure, and are worth more standing.

Nova Scotia Big Tree Site

Our remaining old growth forests are worth more standing,
 and have a right to exist in their natural state.

With the state of old growth forests anywhere in Canada, it is good to see people that are striving to save what is left. The Nova Scotia Big Tree site reflects this important pursuit.

This site was "created to help preserve our old trees and forests in Nova Scotia", a goal that I support 100%, and wish that more people did. 

Once these places are gone, they are unlikely to be seen again, unless a zombi apocalypse finally halts the greed and mismanagement of one of our most valuable assets - original, pristine forests.

The NSBT site states that they would like to help preserve old trees and forests "by displaying information about big trees naturalists have found and measured. 

They hope "admiration of these giants hopefully will develop an appreciation for our forested landscape."

At the site one can go to the "Big Tree List" which highlights big trees that have been measured. Images of these beautiful trees are included.

Site administrators "encourage everyone to look for and identify other big trees of any species and in all the counties of Nova Scotia.  Measure and take pictures of the tree and submit the results to this site."

There is a challenge for you! 

Are there any Nova Scotian big tree hunters out there? If so, this is a great project to support, in support of the trees and forests we love. 

I can think of a few giant trees in the woods behind my home that I would like to measure, including some impressive Eastern Hemlock, and old growth maples.  

Visit the Nova Scotia Big Tree site by clicking here. 

Time For Maple Tapping In The Acadian Forest

After a cold winter, the weather in Nova Scotia's Acadian Forest is becoming perfect for tapping sugar maples. It won't be long before maple syrup is ready for selling at stands along the road to my home.

Sugar maple tree tapping occurs when days are just above freezing, and nights are just below freezing. Too cold and the sap stops, while temperatures too warm cause trees to begin leafing out, which affects the composition and taste of the sap.

Sugar maple sap contains about 2% sugar. Maple syrup, on the other hand, has about 67% sugar content.

Many people in my neighbourhood tap sugar maples and sell syrup, but the most extensive operation I have seen is in the Acacia Brook valley. 

Down there one finds a lovely stand of sugar maples, some of which are very large and old. Trees are not usually tapped until they are 20 30 years old.

Largely gone are the days that tappers hung metal buckets under taps on the trunks of trees. Today more efficient, but less visually pleasing methods are used.

In the bottom of this picture you can see the green and black tubing that transports the sugar maple sap to centralized collection points.

Plastic tubing connects the trees to central collection points. These points are ideally lower down on slopes where the groves of maples grow. They are also close to the sugar shack, where the sap is boiled down to concentrate the sugar content (and taste).

While the province of Quebec is the major maple syrup producer in Canada, and the world, Nova Scotia is the fourth largest, and has between 150 - 200 producers in operations of all sizes.

Get those pancakes and waffles ready. And remember, when you are pouring the syrup, to thank the trees. What a gift!

Goodbye Pacific Rainforest, Hello Acadian Forest

Large Douglas fir tree near my previous home on southern Vancouver Island.

In 2014 I moved from the coastal rainforest of southeast Vancouver Island to the Acadian forest of southwest Nova Scotia. It was sad to be leaving the Pacific giants, but exciting to get to experience a totally new forest on the east coast.

For 9 years I enjoyed exploring the wet, mossy forests of the Pacific coast. During that time I created a blog, Vancouver Island Big Trees, and published over three hundred posts sharing my big tree experiences.

Since arriving in the Acadian forest I have been learning about this unique and stunning ecosystem. 

Initially we had to adjust to the size difference between Pacific and Atlantic forests. The forest in Nova Scotia seemed so... small.

After a while my eyes adjusted, and I could see that what my new forest lacked in sheer size, it easily made up for in diversity and beauty.

There was also an age adjustment to be made. The oldest trees on the west coast can be over 1000 years, while an ancient on the east coast might get "only" get to  see 400.

While I look forward to having many more experiences in the Acadian forest, I already have seen enough to know that this is one of the most incredible forests I have ever had the pleasure of exploring. 

What I like, is that this is not like the boreal forest to the west, nor is it like the northeastern coastal forest to the south. It is a small patch of something unique and wonderful.

Acadian Forest Big Trees will share some of the beauty I see, and the things I learn while out and about in the forest around my home. It is my hope that the posts in this blog will demonstrate why the Acadian forest is worth saving and protecting.

Big tree in the Acadian Forest near my new home in southwest Nova Scotia.

Lament For My Forest Refuge

"Machinery in the middle of the forest can only mean one thing: clearcutting."

The following sad letter is reprinted from The Chronicle Hearld, November 18, 2017.

LETTER OF THE WEEK: Lament for my forest refuge

It’s 12:48 a.m. I lie awake.

My brother said he heard machinery near the old hunting camp located up the Ohio Road, past Indian Fields on Black Lake, Shelburne County. Machinery in the middle of the forest can only mean one thing: clearcutting.

I go on Google Timelapse, zoom in to the camp and stare at my computer screen that flashes aerial images from 1984 to 2016. First, I see green forest. Then it turns into degraded patches of brown. The word that comes to mind as my stomach turns sick is “leech” — just sucking the life force out of the land and scarring it. It is the death of an Acadian Forest.

When I was a child, I’d escape to the forest at the back of the camp. The huge trees were magical and nothing like I’d ever seen before, reaching towards the sky. My little arms would embrace their trunks; I was never able to grasp around and lock my fingers. I’d lay my cheek on their bark listening to my heart beat.

The thick moss comforted me and I’d drift asleep while seeing the dancing branches and clouds way up above me. This was my sanctuary.

The camp is leased from the province and is located on Crown land. It’s a small plot that, to me, was at the edge of the Earth.

Machinery has changed. As a child, I remember thinking that this place would be left untouched. At age 49, I lie here awake, thinking about those trees that gave me life and peace. They will crash towards the earth en masse. Not selectively. Not in a sustainable way. But in a way that saves companies money.

My throat tightens. Tears fall down my cheeks. I grieve.

Shelly Hipson, Atlantic,

Shelburne County