Wildlife and Woodlands - What You Can Do

This booklet provides information on how to restore healthy, productive forest communities and avoid potentially harmful practices. Information has been gleaned from writings by qualified foresters, research scientists, naturalists and woodlot owners. Until government and industry devote more resources to ecological forestry, most research will continue to be done on our own woodlots. Private landowners control 93% of forests in this province and our tax dollars fund government programs. It is up to individual woodlot owners to manage their woodlots well.

• Index / Preface
• Introduction
• A look at the Past
• An Introduction to Ecosystem Management
• Why We Need a Healthy Wildlife Community
• Maintaining Variety
• Our Fragmented Forests
• The Importance of Wildlife Trees
• Healthy Soil in a Healthy Ecosystems
• Trees Along Streamsides
• The Bigger Picture
• Resources
• Glossary

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Public Forested Lands Management
On December 13, 2005, Minister of Environment, Energy and Forestry, Jamie Ballem announced today that the Province has reached an agreement with the Environmental Coalition of Prince Edward Island to manage 800 hectares of public land in southeastern PEI. Under the 10-year lease agreement, the Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project in Orwell will use the lands to demonstrate sustainable forest management and restoration of our native Acadian woodlands.

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Native Tree and Shrub Nursery
In order to assist with forest restoration efforts, the Macphail Woods staff operate a large native nursery on the homestead grounds. The sale of trees and shrubs help support our restoration and educational efforts and shows you support our Island environment. Whether it be for your woodlot or a backyard, we have something for everyone. Here are some related resources from the Nursery section.

Nursery Pricelist How to Build a Community Nursery Why Plant Native Shrubs ? Planning a Productive Acre Guide to Native Shrubs of PEI Guide to Native Trees of PEI The Acadian Forest

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PEI Forest History
In 1806, John Stewart wrote an excellent description of Forest Trees and Other Vegetable Productions on PEI at that time.

Having gone through the catalogue of forest trees, I think it proper to observe, that the timber of the Island, is allowed to be much better than the like species on the neighbouring parts of the Continent, being of a finer, and closer grain and texture, not so subject to shakes and defects, the pines, black birch, beech, and maple, are also larger than they are generally found on the adjacent parts of the Continent.

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Wildlife Enhancement Sheets
ECO-PEI - Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project a member of the Island Sustainable Forest Partnership Cooperative with assistance from Natural Resources Canada - Canadian Forest Service and the Model Forest Program have put together a series of Wildlife Enhancement Sheets on Prince Edward Island.

Island Hedgerows Dead Trees Brush and Rock Piles

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Articles

There is a number of articles with by Gary and others concerning ecological forestry on Prince Edward Island.

• We Need to Value Our Woodlands
• Provincial Forest Policy Review - Backgrounder
• Presentation to the PEI Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Fall 2003
• Presentation to the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Environment
• Islanders need to make ecological forestry a priority
• Clearcuts and biq plantations - so what else is new?

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Provincial Forest Reports
Please note: The following links will take you to the provincial government website, where the documents are located. You will require a PDF viewer such as Adobe Reader to view them.

Cultivating Island Solutions - Round Table on Resource Land Use and Stewardship - September 1997 State of the Forest Report - Planning for the Future. December 2002 Forest Policy Discussion Paper - Creating a Vision for the Future November 2004 Woodlands hold the Island Together - PEI Public Forest Council. A report to the Minister of the Environment, Energy and Forestry May 2005. 2006 Forest Policy - Moving to Restore a Balance in Island Forests. Prince Edward Island Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry

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Other Resources:

• The Standing Tall Campaign for Environmentally Responsible Forestry - NS Ecology Action Centre’s Standing Tall Campaign.
• Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - Acadian Forest Campaign. Nova Scotia Chapter.
• What is the Acadian Forest Region? Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens
• New England - Acadian forests World Wildlife Fund
• Clearcutting in Nova Scotia
• Low Impact Forestry
• Acadian Forest Action:Save The Acadian Forest Conservation Council of New Brunswick
• Greater Fundy Ecosystem Project
• Atlantic Maritime Ecozone - Environment Canada
• PEI Public Forest Council
• Virtual Forest Learning Centre PEI Dept of Environment, Energy, and Forestry
• PEI Model Forest Network Partnership