The Nesslin Lake Forest Advocates want to preserve the natural forest for its economic and ecological value. (submitted photo/Nesslin Lake Forest Advocates)

By Dawson Thompson

Alternative Measures

Advocacy group calls for protection of Nesslin Lake Forest

Dec 16, 2020 | 2:00 PM

A group that organized in the summer of 2019, the Nesslin Lake Forest Advocates are campaigning to put a temporary stop to clear-cut logging in the Nesslin forest, and are asking the government to take a step back and reconsider future plans.

Tyson Johnston, spokesperson for the advocacy group and member of the board of directors told paNOW parts of the forest have been protected for about 30 years.

“Of the 11,000 acres about 20 per cent of it is old growth soft wood like pine, and spruce. The rest is hardwood spread out across the forest, and some of that has been harvested in the past,” Johnston said. “It’s ready to harvest again so they definitely want in there, but that one chunk down in the southeast corner is old growth that has been protected successfully since 1992.”

Johnston added the reason they are advocating for the protection of the area is not to preserve only the trees, but also the lakes, and the water quality of the rivers, and creeks that flow through the forest.

“It’s not just a nice flat, perfectly harvestable forest, it’s the bush,” Johnston said. “It is a ton of water, a ton of life, and a ton of opportunity to be utilized for recreational purposes, which it does.”

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“They’re great fishing lakes, and they’re great for their sheer beauty while hiking, or cross-country skiing,” Johnston added.

The spokesperson for the advocacy group explained the area is also populated by travelers from across the province, in all seasons.

“People from south Saskatchewan don’t come up to Big River for the Prairies,” Johnston said. “They come for the trees, and the lakes. We’re trying to keep the trees standing around the lakes so people can continue to enjoy them.”

The advocacy group from Nesslin Lake is wanting to work with the Ministry of Environment on alternative logging methods such as traditional land-based learning.

“We just don’t want it to be clear-cut,” Johnston said. “We don’t want standard logging procedures to happen. We are open to selective harvesting, and other alternative measures. Logging is a part of our industry, and we’re not advocating for a stop to logging, we’re just saying areas like this are not prime for clear-cut plans.”

Earlier this year the Nesslin Forest Advocacy Group started an online petition calling for a moratorium on the logging. The petition has over 29,000 signatures. They recently announced a newly-formed non-profit GoFundMe campaign.

The Ministry of Environment

The area forester in Prince Albert, Bill Thibeault explained on behalf of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment the plan is to regenerate the forest, and maintain the long-term health of the forest.

“The ecosystem is driven by disturbance, which primarily in Saskatchewan has been wildfires that result in a disturbance to the forest, and the regeneration,” Thibeault said. “The logging methods we are doing is trying to emulate that type of natural disturbance by removing old timber, and regenerating the forest.

“We’re going to re-forest the site,” Thibeault said. “Forest harvesting is not de-forestation. De-forestation is the permanent removal of forest cover.”

Thibeault added generally the trees at Nesslin Lake are 80 to 100 years old, and getting to a mature or over-mature age class and are becoming more susceptible to wildfires.

He also explained about 95 per cent of forest harvest areas in Saskatchewan are now regenerated. According to the Prince Albert forester, a lot of the forests in Saskatchewan have been harvested in the past.

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dawson.thompson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: dawsonthompson8