About Nova Scotia Private Forest Certification
Private land forest certification programs have been available to Nova Scotia’s small private woodlot owners and community forests since 2006. These programs had evolved separately from the efforts of three independent, non-profit woodlot owner groups that administer the certification and related forest management services.
The Nova Scotia Association for Woodland Certification (NSAWC) is the result of unifying those previous certificates of the Nova Scotia Landowners and Forest Fibre Producers Association (NSLFFPA), the Federation of Nova Scotia Woodland Owners (FNSWO), and their partner Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI) under a single province-wide forest management certificate. These groups are now joined by regional service providers the Cape Breton Privateland Partnership (CBPP) and the Western Woodlot Services Coop (WWSC). By sharing their expertise and resources, these organizations have standardized delivery of certification services and increased program productivity and efficiency, while substantially reducing administration and third-party audit costs. Each organization will maintain its independence through vision, membership, and region while operating under a shared certificate. Regional service focus under a shared certificate is intended to better direct landowner guidance, sustainable forest management, woodlot services and private land representation.
While NSAWC holds the overarching certificate, the direct services continue from the existing organizations and new regional service providers as they arise. Click here for a full list of service providers associated with the NSAWC certificate.