NSWoods.ca
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    • Brian Archibald's Woodlot
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    • Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest
    • T. Ernst Forest Products Inc.
    • Tom Miller's Woodlot
    • Rex Veinot's Woodlot
    • Rose Briar Farm
  • Resources
    • Goals Assessment Tool
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Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest

Woodlot Owner: Province of Nova Scotia
County: Halifax
Phone: 1-855-NS-WOODS (NSWOOA's toll-free line)
Email: [email protected]

Located in Mooseland, NS and operated as a division of NSWOOA, the Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest (OPDF) is a place for all Nova Scotians to learn about forest ecology and the sustainable management of our native Acadian Forest. OPDF is a living laboratory that shows how timber production can be compatible with the protection of the full range of other forest values and services. It provides opportunities for woodlot owners, elementary and high school groups, university students and researchers, non-profit organizations, and individuals to visit an outstanding example of working forestland.

Otter Ponds demonstrates the philosophy, science, and practice of uneven-aged management in the Acadian Forest. It produces timber for market using the best forest practices presently known, while protecting wildlife habitat and the Tangier River watershed, respecting the ecosystem services provided by the parcel, and enhancing the social and cultural value of the forest.

Management practices are certified to the Forest Stewardship Council’s Maritime Standard. OPDF is managed by a unique partnership that includes four non-governmental organizations, a forestry company and the province. The partners jointly manage a 500-hectare (1,200-acre) Crown parcel near Mooseland, within the Halifax Regional Municipality.

School groups, woodlot owners, and individuals or organizations that are interested in sustainable forest management are invited to visit Otter Ponds.

For more information, contact Andy Kekacs, the project manager, at 1-855-NS-WOODS or [email protected]. Visit our website at ottersponds.ca.


Management Goals and Objectives
  • Demonstrate ecologically, economically and socially sustainable Acadian Forest management
  • Education and awareness
  • Recreation
  • Revenue generation
  • Wetland and watercourse protection
  • Wildlife

Management Tools
  • Woodlot Management Plan
  • Forest Stewardship Council Certification​
  • Forest Ecosystem Classification Report
  • Deadwood Policy

Harvest Systems Used
  • Selection management (Category 7)

Silviculture Treatments
  • Pre-commercial thinning
  • Commercial thinning

Equipment Used for Woodlot Management
  • Chainsaws
  • Tractors
  • Harvesters
  • Portable mill

Revenue Sources
  • ​Pulp wood
  • Saw logs
  • Workshops and events



NSWOOA
PO Box 823
Truro, NS
B2N 5G6

Picture
Site created and maintained by the Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners and Operators Association

Website:
nswooa.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/NSWOOA
Toll free: 1-855-NS-WOODS (1-855-679-6637)
Email: [email protected]



  • Home
    • About
  • Family Forest Network
  • Events
    • 2025 Woodland Conferences >
      • 2025 Western Woodland Conference
      • 2025 Eastern Woodland Conference
      • 2025 Central Woodland Conference
  • Network of Stewardship Woodlots
    • Brian Archibald's Woodlot
    • Ernie Kelly's Woodland
    • Otter Ponds Demonstration Forest
    • T. Ernst Forest Products Inc.
    • Tom Miller's Woodlot
    • Rex Veinot's Woodlot
    • Rose Briar Farm
  • Resources
    • Goals Assessment Tool
    • Acadian Forest Management
    • Woodland Conference Presentations
    • 2021 Forest Professionals Webinar Series
  • Contact