As Northern Pulp closure nears, woodlot operators scramble to ship final loads - Action News
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Nova Scotia

As Northern Pulp closure nears, woodlot operators scramble to ship final loads

Forestry workers are rushing to cut and ship their final loads of wood to Northern Pulp before the Pictou County, N.S., mill stops accepting deliveries on Friday.

'There is literally not enough trucks to move the wood up there in time,' says David Meister

David Meister is shown with his skidder for silviculture cutting. (Submitted by David Meister)

Forestry workers are rushing to cut and ship their final loads of wood to Northern Pulp before the Pictou County, N.S., mill stops accepting deliveries on Friday.

"I love to cut wood, but under these circumstances,there's not a lot of Christmas spirit in it. Let's put it that way," said David Meister.Heworks on a woodlot his family has harvested for generations near New Ross, N.S.

One week ago, Premier Stephen McNeil announced he was keeping his promise to the Pictou Landing First Nationandwould not allow Northern Pulp's effluent treatment facility to operate beyond the Jan. 31, 2020, deadline.

Meister, who also raises cattle on his land, saidit's the end of the line for most of his forestry business.

"The majority of our revenue, about 80 per cent, was pulpwood sales and log sales," Meister said.

The Northern Pulp mill in Abercrombie Point, N.S., is viewed from the causeway to Pictou, N.S., Friday, on Dec. 13, 2019. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

For the first time,Meister saidhe cut wood on Christmas Day and Boxing day.

But there's no guarantee he'll be able to deliver the wood he's cut.

"There is literally not enough trucks to move the wood up there in time," Meister said.

Meister saidhis potential losses pale in comparison to larger operators.

Northern Pulp employs 350 workers and supports more than 2,000 forestry-sector jobs.

Foresters protested at Province House on Dec. 19, 2019, and urged the province to extend the Northern Pulp closure deadline. (Kassandra Nadeau-Lamarche/Radio-Canada)

Chris Hughes runs two forestry companies in New Ross.

He saidhis delivery trucks can make the trip to Northern Pulp and back in roughly six hours.

But even with all his trucks making two trips a day, wood will still be left behind.

A load of studwood is hauled at night. (Submitted by David Meister)

"Just in our immediate circle, there's probably 40 or 50 loads," he said."We'll probably get half of that in. And the rest of it, unless something remarkable happens, or there's a change of heart, the rest of it's just a total loss."

Hughes believes the only hope for his industry is a groundswell of support from Nova Scotians to reopen Northern Pulp until the environmental cleanup of Boat Harbour can begin.

"If the average person out there that's sitting down with their family ... gives two thoughts of where 90 per cent of these families will be in this industry ... I'm sure that their hearts are a lot bigger than what's being shown. I'm sure of it," he said.