The Clearcut
You drive through Nova Scotia. The forest looks fine from the road. Step 50 metres in and there's nothing. Just stumps and slash as far as you can see.
The System
Less than 1% of Nova Scotia's forest is old growth. In New Brunswick, J.D. Irving manages 2.6 million acres of Crown land — public land — and clearcutting is the default method. The boreal forest holds 300 billion tonnes of carbon. Clearcutting releases it. The accounting says otherwise.
Carbon stored in boreal forest
Unreported forestry emissions/yr
NS forest that is old growth
Less than 1%. That's how much of Nova Scotia's forest is old growth. The Lahey Report in 2018 recommended ecological forestry. Three years later, the National Observer found 'logging as usual.'
2.6 million acres. That's how much New Brunswick Crown land J.D. Irving manages. 80% clearcut. Their allowable patch size doubled from 100 to 200 hectares. Public land. Private profit. Industrial scale.
Let's hear the other side
...and see if it holds water
Managed forests DO regrow. Wood products store carbon for decades — a wooden building stores carbon that steel and concr...
The Promise
The Lahey Report told Nova Scotia to shift from industrial forestry to ecological forestry. BC deferred 2.4 million hectares of old-growth from logging after 2021. Promises on paper. The chainsaws kept running.
2.4 million hectares of BC old-growth deferred from logging since 2021. 'Deferred' is not 'protected.' The deferrals can be reversed. And they don't cover everything that matters.
The Reality
Canada's official carbon inventory says forests are a 5 million tonne carbon sink. Independent research says actual forestry emissions are 91 million tonnes CO2e per year. That's a 96 million tonne gap. Clearcutting alone releases roughly 26 million tonnes per year. The books are cooked.
J.D. Irving manages 2.6 million acres of New Brunswick Crown land under a 25-year agreement. 80% of all wood cut from NB Crown forests is by clearcut. The allowable clearcut patch size doubled from 100 to 200 hectares. Irving controls the land, the mills, and the political access.
96 million tonnes. That's the gap between Canada's official forest carbon accounting (5 million tonne sink) and independent estimates (91 million tonnes CO2e emitted per year). Clearcutting releases approximately 26 million tonnes CO2 annually.
300 billion tonnes of carbon stored in the boreal forest. That's equivalent to 36 years of global emissions. Clearcutting turns a carbon bank into a carbon source.
What Works
Fairy Creek was the largest civil disobedience action in Canadian history. People physically blocked logging roads to protect old-growth. It worked — temporarily. Public pressure forced BC to defer millions of hectares. Direct action changes the math when lobbying doesn't.
Fairy Creek. The largest civil disobedience action in Canadian history. Over 1,000 arrests. It forced BC to defer 2.4 million hectares of old-growth. Community action made that happen. Not industry goodwill.
What You Can Do
Demand independent forest carbon accounting. Support old-growth protection groups. In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, ask why public Crown land is managed for private profit. Demand the Lahey Report recommendations be implemented.
Ask your provincial government to commission independent forest carbon audits. In Nova Scotia, demand implementation of the Lahey Report. In New Brunswick, question Irving's Crown land management. Support the Ecology Action Centre and Wilderness Committee.