POINT TUPPER: Since first signing the Forest Utilization License Agreement with the Province of Nova Scotia, Port Hawkesbury Paper LP (PHP) has continued to demonstrate environmentally sustainable and socially responsible forestry.
Now in their fifth year of operation, the company is enjoying some of their best third-party forest certification audit results to date. PHP is the only industrial company in the Maritimes that is independently certified to the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) and Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) Forest Management Standards.
“We are pleased with our progress and the forest management we carry out,” PHP Woodlands Manager Derek Geldart comments. “The woodlands staff and more than 400 others are directly involved with implementing our forest management plans to supply our and other mills. Ensuring the long term sustainability of the forest we manage in eastern Nova Scotia is important to us and we have significantly reduced our reliance on clearcutting, with more than 40 per cent of our harvests being non-clearcut. We continue to implement an ecosystem classification system to support forest management decisions which ensures this continues.”
As part of the company’s FSC certification, a High Conservation Value Forest Assessment report has been completed and is important to PHP’s sustainable forest management, which includes protection on 36 per cent of their managed lands. A total of 60 values were identified for special management or protection which includes, to name a few, species at risk, large intact forest landscapes, municipal water supply areas, watersheds, protected areas, steep slopes, viewscapes, and culturally significant sites for indigenous people.
Port Hawkesbury Paper continues to invest in training and technology to support its woodlands operations.
“The harvesting machines working on the lands we manage are equipped with GPS navigation and tracking systems,” according to Geldart. “With our contractors, we are able to better plan our forestry operations and monitor the results. Professional trainers are actively working with operators to fully utilize the technology and to improve productivity.”
Successfully managing for a range of values would not be possible without highly-skilled, well trained and efficient forestry contractors. The long standing relationship with contractors has supported the many changes over the years, and all of PHP’s forestry contractors are trained and receive continuing education through the SFI Qualified Logging Professional program.
“This goes beyond proper harvesting techniques,” states Andrew Fedora, PHP Leader in Sustainability and Outreach. “It teaches contractors the importance of environmentally responsible forestry; they learn what to do, how to do it and why it is vital.”
To learn more about Port Hawkesbury Paper LP’s forest certification programs and other sustainable forest management initiatives, send an e-mail to: woodlands@porthawkesburypaper.com, or call 1-866-875-1869.