• Home
  • Stories
    • News
    • Fundy Albert Newsletter
    • Learning & Literacy
    • Ghost Stories
    • Food, Farming & Fishing >
      • Recipe Collection
    • Culture & Heritage
    • Health & 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
  • Footloose In Fundy Albert
Connecting Albert County

opinions, Letters, ​​and
​reflections
​

OPINION ~ Our Forests: No Harm Done, Loss and Love

23/8/2021

1 Comment

 
By Moranda van Geest

New Brunswick is beautiful. Stunningly beautiful. We are so lucky to live in such natural beauty. 

​We all know the forest is abundant with wildlife because that's where they find food. Forests are abundant with wildflowers and plants that provide ground cover. People can forage in the woods for edible plants and berries. Roaming in the forest is a great way for you, your children and grandchildren to learn about nature and what it offers to all living creatures.
Picture
Regions differ in the types of forest. Much of New Brunswick was blanketed with a mix of hardwood and softwood trees. This is called the Acadian forest. If you have walked in it, you will never forget its unsurpassed beauty, the diversity of species attracted by the many types of trees, and the blazing mixtures of fall colours. A true gift of mother earth.

Who would think that the total eradication of thou-sands of acres of forest by clearcutting would be considered a benefit? Likewise, why replant with only a single species of trees, or feel the need to spray it with a poison just to kill new plants that dare grow among the newly planted trees? Herbicides kill not only the undergrowth but also many other species that once called the forest their home.  

The new forest is now uninhabitable for most forest-dwelling animals. Their food is destroyed. Some of the forest-dwelling creatures that lost their habitat try to find food in adjacent uncut woodlots (which are often owned by private individuals).


The sudden influx of homeless creatures can quickly destroy adjacent woodlots. Porcupines will eat the last of the pine trees. If a woodlot had been surrounded by forest and is suddenly standing stark naked and exposed to the elements, a good storm will soon blow it down.

Trees hold water and keep the forest floor cool. Research has shown that clearcutting results in a significant drop in the water table during the summer and an increased water temperature compared to an uncut forest. No person in their right mind would willingly destroy their own home. We humans are part of the home called Earth. By destroying it, we also destroy ourselves.

The poisons so liberally sprayed from planes are said to be harmless. Who is the beneficiary of this practice? A few corporations? And what are these so-called benefits? When will these benefits become obvious? How are these benefits measured? Where can the public obtain this information?

It seems the harm done to our environment and the cost of this mistaken notion of continued riches will be far higher in the future. A direct hazard to humans might not be obvious. The indirect harm at a later stage will be enormous.


Rachel Carson in Silent Spring says it well, "As crude a weapon as the caveman's club, the chemical barrage has been hurled against the fabric of life."

Knowing that we, as tax-paying citizens, are directly responsible for this carnage on the land, makes this even more tragic. Taxpayer money is used by governments to buy the poison, spray the forest for the companies that harvest the wood.

The power and the act of the office of elected government officials is in the service of the people that elected them. Why are they reeling against the wishes of the people? Stop spraying, stop clear-cutting!  

When we complain, we are told we are against the economy. Some are afraid to speak up. Others are muzzled. Newspapers in New Brunswick are owned by one of the forest industry giants. Hence the news of this devastation is limited. As a matter of fact, it is being hailed as an accomplishment in forest management.


We all have to stand up together against the destruction and poisoning of the land that impacts all living creatures on our planet. We have invented a cure for a problem that doesn't even exist.

Fifty years ago the question was: when will the public become sufficiently aware of the facts to demand action?

Now the question is: when will the government become aware that the public demands action?

This is an edited version of the speech Moranda gave to the Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Stewardship on June 25, 2021
. Image of the Acadian Forest in New Ireland by Janet Wallace.

1 Comment
Shelley Rodgers
8/4/2022 08:07:05 am

Much appreciate this.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Views from Albert County

    Thanks to our Advertisers! 
    ​

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

    Platinum 
    - Bennett and Albert County Health Care (BACH) Foundation  
    ​- Horizon Health Network Resiliency Committee
    ​​- Hon. Rob Moore, MP for Fundy Royal
    ​- Village of Fundy Albert


    Gold
    - CBDC Westmorland Albert 

    Silver 
    - Albert County Funeral Home 
     - Friends of Fundy

    Bronze supporters
    - ​Albert County Pharmacy
    - Crooked Creek Convenience 
    - Jeff MacDougall, SouthEastern Mutual Insurance
    - McCarthy Construction 
    - NBSCF


    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

    May 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    September 2024
    November 2023
    November 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    November 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    ACOA
    Albert County
    Albert County Chamber Of Commerce
    Albert County NB
    Albert County Tourism Association
    Alma
    Alma Celebration Days
    Bay Of Fundy
    Buy Local
    CAC
    CCRC
    Chair
    Chamber Of Commerce
    Childcare
    Childhood
    Children
    Chipoudy Communities Revitalization Committee
    Christmas
    Christmas Shopping
    Collage
    Community
    Community Collaboration
    Community Events
    Community Involvement
    Congratulations
    Connecting Albert County
    Construction
    Contribute
    Couchsurfing
    Crooked Creek
    Day Care
    Daycare
    Demoiselle Creek
    DocuPet
    Drivers
    East Coast Kids
    Economy
    Ecosystem
    Education
    Educators
    Elections NB
    Electoral Reform
    Environment
    Espresso Yourself Coffee Break
    Farmers Market
    Frontline Workers
    Fundy
    Fundy Albert Mayor
    Fundy Park
    Fundy Shoreline
    Government
    Harvest
    Hillsborough
    History
    Home-made Candles
    Home-made Gifts
    Honourable Mike Holland
    Hopewell Rocks
    Hospitality
    Ideas
    Introduction
    Learning
    Letter
    Local Service Districts
    Logging
    LSDs
    Marshes
    Memoir
    MLA
    Moranda Van Geest
    Mystery
    NB
    New Brunswick
    New Coordinator
    Newsletter
    Nominations
    Nuts
    Open Letter
    Opinion
    Poetry
    Protected Area
    Public Library
    Rediscover Main Streets
    Response
    Riverside-Albert
    Riverview Lions Club
    Road
    Road Construction
    Rural Rides
    Salt Marsh
    Save Our Seed
    Seed Campaign
    Share
    Shepody
    Shepody Food Bank
    Shepody Mountain
    Single Member-Proportional Vote
    Southeast Regional Service Commission
    Spring
    Stories
    Submissions
    Summer Students
    Thank You
    The Old Church Farmers Market
    The Order Of New Brunswick
    Tourism
    Update
    Urban Drivers
    Vendors
    Volunteer
    Volunteers
    Warm Showers
    Waterside
    Welcome Committee
    Woodlots

    RSS Feed

CONTACT
ADVERTISING
CALENDAR
PUBLICATION

SiteLock
Copyright © Connecting Albert County, 2025 | Albert County, New Brunswick, Canada
  • Home
  • Stories
    • News
    • Fundy Albert Newsletter
    • Learning & Literacy
    • Ghost Stories
    • Food, Farming & Fishing >
      • Recipe Collection
    • Culture & Heritage
    • Health & 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
  • Footloose In Fundy Albert