Ten Years

by Helga Guderley

About 10 years ago, a large area across the inlet from my house was clear cut, despite a massive letter writing campaign, a petition signed by a couple thousand citizens and a strong response from the tourism industry.  In response to the public outcry, small changes were made to the cut blocks, including not using the rail trail as a route for removing the wood.  Above and below are two photos taken directly after the logging. 

A much larger area was cut north of the ridge, towards Highway 103.  The massive road (along which the logs are piled) is now unusable, as it is cut off from other roads by the access road to exit 5a.   ​

Ten years later (Jan 2025), the area has begun to heal, but regrowth is limited: some alders and birches, maple shoots, fir and spruce seedlings.  The proximity of older trees downhill from the cut areas may have helped the regeneration, but the high coastal winds have blown down much of the ridge of high trees that was essentially a beauty strip to hide the far larger clear cut further north.  DNR scientists say regrowth is very fast in this coastal area.  I wouldn’t want to see slower growth.  ​

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Helga Guderley is a retired professor of Biology, having worked at Université Laval for 30 years.  She has served as an adjunct at Dalhousie for 14 years. She is a founding member of the Healthy Forest Coalition, and has taken the health of Nova Scotia's natural environment, in particular its biodiversity and forests, to heart since retiring here in 2010.