• Home
  • Stories
    • News >
      • 2022 Local Government Elections
    • Learning & Literacy
    • Food, Farming & Fishing >
      • Recipe Collection
    • Culture & Heritage
    • Wellness
    • Environment
    • Opinions, letters and reflections
  • About Us
    • Donate
  • Jobs
    • Job Posting Submission Form
    • Job Postings
  • E-magazine
  • Calendar
  • Albert County
    • Community Directory
    • Churches
    • Living in Albert County
    • Our Villages
    • Attractions
  • Ads
  • Trails
Connecting Albert County

environment

Herbicide spraying in NB

23/8/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
Text and photos by Deborah Carr

Every year roughly 13-15,000 hectares of New Brunswick’s Crown lands are sprayed with herbicides.  Spraying takes place in clear-cuts that have been replanted with the softwood seedlings desired by the forestry industry. The purpose is to kill hardwood saplings—maples, birch, beech pin-cherry and poplar—and other grasses and weeds that compete with new plantings. Reducing the competition allows the plantation trees to grow faster.

PictureHerbicides kill the broadleaf trees and plants that give us the fall colour we love. Photo D. Carr
Spraying usually takes place in August and September, and it lasts about 40 days. Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide—favoured by commercial agriculture—and is the key ingredient in Roundup, the most commonly used weed killer in the world. It can be toxic to fish, frogs, and other aquatic animals. Glyphosate products are most commonly sprayed by air, but in some cases are applied using trucks on the ground. Wind drift is a concern for aerial spraying; it's difficult to control how far the application may spread on currents, or what water sources it may enter.

Glyphosate kills all broadleaf plants it comes in contact with, including rare orchids, wildflowers, berries and other valuable vegetation that are food  for many types of insects and wildlife. Diversity is essential for maintaining a healthy forest ecosystem.

New Brunswick uses more glyphosate than any other province except Ontario, and 30% of all Canadian forests sprayed with herbicide are in our province. The practice is destroying our valuable Acadian Forest, which is a unique ecosystem listed as one of six endangered forests in North America.


PictureClear-cuts frame a river along the Bay of Fundy Coast. Photo D. Carr
New Brunswick taxpayers fund this program at a cost of roughly $1,000 per hectare.

According to a 2015 report by the Auditor General, Kim MacPherson, New Brunswick has lost about $7-$10 million dollars annually on its Crown forest resource between 2009 and 2014, largely due to this silviculture program. She also noted there is no evidence of any return or value to New Brunswickers as a result of this spending.

New Brunswick is the only province with a publicly-funded chemical spray program in its public forest. Nova Scotia no longer funds herbicide spraying and has stopped its use on crown lands; P.E.I. is pursuing Forest Stewardship Council certification for its public forest, which discourages herbicide spraying. Quebec banned herbicide spraying over a decade ago in 2001, citing potential health issues, habitat destruction and the job creation benefits of mechanical thinning.


Picture
Health Concerns
In 2015, the International Centre for Research on Cancer, a branch of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic. This year, California added glyphosate to its list of potentially cancer-causing chemicals.

Camp/cottage owners in spray areas have reported being advised to stay away from their properties on the day of application. Areas that are to be, or have been, sprayed are typically posted with signage that sometimes warn not to eat the berries, however, there are no such warnings for animals and birds that frequent the regions, nor can they be flushed from the site prior to spraying. A concerned citizen in the Miramichi area recently photographed a moose browsing on a plantation that had just been sprayed earlier in the day.

While Health Canada considers glyphosate safe if used in accordance with label instructions, a growing body of scientific research is raising serious concerns.

An article in the National Observer notes, “Studies done in France, the US, Brazil and Argentina have also linked the herbicide (glyphosate) to cancer, birth defects in frogs, and damage to human embryo and rat testicles.” A former research scientist with Agriculture Canada is quoted in the article as saying, “This fantasy that it does not affect animals, it's completely contradicted.”

Recent studies showed that 99.6% of the German population has glyphosate in their system. Swedish scientists have found that exposure to glyphosate is a risk factor for the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Glyphosate, which is toxic to many beneficial micro- and macro-organisms including earthworms, also harms a wide range of microbes responsible for mineral uptake in soil. Glyphosate is retained and can be transported in soils, and in regions with long winters, this can have cumulative effects on the health and biology of the soil.

PictureYoung deer browsing on plants. Photo D. Carr

Herbicides and deer populations

After a long and often hard winter, deer search out the tender new shoots of young saplings, their main summer food source. NB’s annual herbicide spray program removes enough of these saplings to feed approximately 26,000 deer per year. Some biologists believe this reduction in food and habitat has impacted the deer population, which is crashing; deer harvests dropped from 31,205 in 1985 to 4,378 in 2015. Meanwhile in Quebec, where the herbicide is banned, deer harvest tripled from 15,316 in 1985 to 47,629 in 2015.  While the deer population is very visible, there has been little research on the impacts on other wildlife.

PictureSites to be sprayed within protected Turtle Creek watershed (indicated by white shading) in 2017. (Click image for larger viewing)
Citizen Concerns
Citizens are very concerned, particularly those in rural areas where the spraying takes place. In the previous ten years, four petitions have been submitted to the Province of NB to ban spraying in our forests.  Number Five was delivered on May 18, 2016, with over 13,000 names of New Brunswickers who want the province to stop spraying public forests with glyphosate. To date, over 27,000 have signed the ongoing petition.

They are calling on the government to invoke the Precautionary Principle, which implies governments have a social responsibility to protect the public or environment from exposure to harm when science shows plausible risk. It states that when the health of humans and the environment are at stake, it isn’t necessary to wait for scientific certainty to take protective action, and so residents are asking for a moratorium on spraying herbicides, such as glyphosate, until an independent commission is able to determine its safety.

Meanwhile, the City of Moncton has expressed concerns over the plans of JDI Woodlands to spray sites within the Turtle Creek Watershed.

PLEASE NOTE:  There will be a public meeting about proposed herbicide spraying in New Horton on Tues, Aug. 29th at 6:30pm at New Horton Baptist Church, 1006 Rte 915. For details, call Betty Weston 882-2719.

 What you can do
Get informed: 
  • Check the map showing the locations of proposed areas to be sprayed with herbicides in 2017 to see if areas near you will be sprayed this summer: http://geonb.snb.ca/herbicide/ 
  • Visit Conservation Council of NB website for information and fact sheets: http://www.conservationcouncil.ca/en/our-programs/forest-conservation/ban-herbicides-now/
  • Conduct your own research  or visit the SSNB site for references: http://www.stopsprayingnb.ca/ref.html
 
Join the Movement:
Join the Stop Spraying New Brunswick Facebook page, which has almost 15,000 members. SSNB is a non-profit organization formed to unite citizens who are concerned about spraying in our province, and to share information on spray sites in the province.
  • Facebook Site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/StopSprayinginNB/
  • Website: http://www.stopsprayingnb.ca/

Use your Voice:
Write to your MLA and the Minister of Natural Resources to ensure your voice is heard. Never underestimate the power of individual letters. Every voice helps and your citizen complaint is never wasted.  New Brunswick Environmental Network provides a tip sheet with research and facts vs myths that will help you write your letter:  http://bit.ly/2vXr1JS  
(Please note that the addresses in this document have changed. Access current names/addresses here: http://www1.gnb.ca/legis/bios/58/index-e.asp)

 

2 Comments
Norman Doucette
27/8/2017 11:09:10 am

Very sad situation.Whenever you see deer or pther wild animals when you are driving ,they are seen because they have no places left to hide
Shame shame to the fotest slaughter industry.

Reply
Brad Bossack
26/9/2017 10:12:39 am

Excellent article, detailing the current state of our forests management crisis with regard to the poisons put upon them (and in many ways - us), with good links to learn more and join in opposition.
Thanks and congratulations to the author.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Environment

    ​Connecting Albert County would like to thank the following supporters & advertisers:

    Platinum supporters
    - Bennett and Albert County Health Care (BACH) Foundation  
    ​- Albert County Pharmacy
    ​​- Hon. Rob Moore, MP for Fundy Royal


    Gold supporters
    - CBDC Westmorland Albert 
    - ​Albert County Funeral Home​​


    Silver supporters
    - 
    Albert County Chamber of Commerce 
    ​ - Foods of the Fundy Valley​
    - Hon. Mike Holland, Minister, MLA-Albert 

     - Fundy Highlands Motel and Chalets

    Bronze supporters
    - ​Chipoudy Communities Revitalization Committee (CCRC)

    - Jeff MacDougall, SouthEastern Mutual Insurance ​
    ​

    If you would like to support Connecting Albert County, visit our Advertising page or Donation page. With your support, we can continue to share the news of rural Albert County.

    Comments
    We welcome comments to our blog postings. Please provide your email address and name with your comment, and respect our content guidelines.

    Archives

    January 2023
    August 2022
    July 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Categories

    All
    Acadian Forest
    Aerial View
    Albert County
    Alma
    Alma Beach
    Alma Wharf
    Amazing Places
    Anemone
    Apps
    Atlantic Salmon
    Autumn
    Bay Of Fundy
    Bee Bash
    Bee Wise Beekeeping
    Biodiversity
    Bird
    Birds
    Birdwatching
    Black-capped Chickadee
    Blue Carbon
    Blue Jay
    Boardwalk
    Boating
    Broadleaf Ranch
    Cabins
    Caledonia Gorge
    Camping
    Cape Enrage
    Carbon
    Cecropia Moth
    Chickadee
    Christmas Bird Count
    Clean Up
    Clear Cut
    Clear-cut
    Clearcutting
    Climate Change
    Community
    Community Activism
    Connecting Albert County Newsletter
    Conservation
    Conserved Area
    Crooked Creek
    Destruction
    Dykelands
    ECO360
    Eco Friendly
    Eco-Friendly
    Ecoregion
    Elephant Rock
    Elgin Eco-Association
    Endangered Species
    Environment
    Erosion
    Fall Prevention
    Fat Bikes
    Fat Biking
    Fiddleheads
    Fireflies
    Flashbacks
    Flowerpot Rocks
    Flowers
    Foods Of The Fundy Valley
    Forest
    Friends Of Fundy
    Friends Of Fundy/Fundy Guild Inc.
    Fundy
    Fundy Biosphere
    Fundy Biosphere Reserve
    Fundy Farms
    Fundy Guild
    Fundy National Park
    Fundy Park
    Fundy Parkway
    Fundy Pollinator Trail
    Fundy Salmon Recovery
    Fundy's Cape Enrage
    Fundy Trail
    Fundy Trail Parkway
    Gardening
    Gardens
    Glamping
    Glass
    Glass Recycling
    GNB Nature Legacy
    Greys Island
    Grindstone Island
    Groups
    Guided Tour
    Hanging Baskets
    Hazardous Household Waste
    Hiking
    Hiking Trails
    Hillsborough
    Hopewell Rocks
    IBoF
    Insects
    International Space Station
    Invasive Species
    Kayak
    Kayaking
    Lady Beetles
    Ladybugs
    Landmarks
    Local Food
    Low Tide Ecosystem
    Luna Moth
    Map
    Maritime Detours
    Mary Majka
    Mary Majka Scholarship
    Meadowhawk
    Mobile Ecodepot
    Molly Kool
    Monopoly
    Music
    Naturalist
    Nature
    Nature Conservancy Of Canada
    Nature Legacy
    Nature NB
    Nature Trust NB
    NB
    New Brunswick
    Old-growth Forest
    Organizations
    Outside Explorations With Children
    Photos
    Plaex
    Plastic Waste
    Pollinators
    Protected Areas
    Protected Land
    Recycling
    Resource
    Riverside Albert
    Riverside-Albert
    Roads
    Rock Formations
    Rosy Maple Moth
    Rte 114
    Safety
    Salmon
    Salt Marsh
    Science
    Shepody Ba
    Shepody River
    Shoreline
    Skits
    Spring
    Stage Production
    St. Martins
    Student
    Sustainability
    Teacher
    Theatre
    The Narwhal
    Tide
    Tide Table
    Tourism
    Trails
    Trail Use
    Travel
    Upper Bay Of Fundy
    Volunteer
    Walking
    Walking On Ice
    Waste Collection
    Water Exploration
    Waterfalls
    Water Supply
    Wetlands
    White Rock
    Wilderness
    Wildlife
    Winter
    Winter Activities
    Winter Hiking
    Winter Wildlife
    Women Of The Wilderness
    WOW
    Yurt

    RSS Feed

CONTACT
ADVERTISING
CALENDAR
PUBLICATION

SiteLock
Copyright © Connecting Albert County, 2021 | Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada
  • Home
  • Stories
    • News >
      • 2022 Local Government Elections
    • Learning & Literacy
    • Food, Farming & Fishing >
      • Recipe Collection
    • Culture & Heritage
    • Wellness
    • Environment
    • Opinions, letters and reflections
  • About Us
    • Donate
  • Jobs
    • Job Posting Submission Form
    • Job Postings
  • E-magazine
  • Calendar
  • Albert County
    • Community Directory
    • Churches
    • Living in Albert County
    • Our Villages
    • Attractions
  • Ads
  • Trails