he New Brunswick Community Land Trust (NBCLT) will be hosting a series of information sessions concerning conservation tools available to farmers and woodlot owners interested in keeping their land in sustainable, healthy production for future generations.  These working lands conservation easements allow landowners to maintain ownership and production of their land while protecting all or part of their land from certain development and/or activities (ie: subdivision, clearcutting, ect…). These voluntary agreements are developed jointly by the land owner and NBCLT and are specific to each individual and their situation. The NBCLT is the only group in N.B. to offer this kind of working land conservation tool and we want to get the word out to farmers and woodlot owners who may be interested in learning more about the specifics of working land conservation easements.

Please join us at any of the following community information sessions:

Share this page

Planting Trees, Growing Communities

Community Forest International to speak at NSAC

Representatives from Community Forest International will be speaking at Nova Scotia Agricultural College as part of International Development Week activities on Wednesday, February 8th beginning at noon.

“NSAC International wants to connect NSAC and our community with global issues and believe we have a responsibility to contribute to environmental stewardship through our work,” said Anna Haanstra, project officer, NSAC International. “Bringing the vibrant energy of Community Forest International to NSAC campus is one way of achieving this.”

Community Forests International is a volunteer-driven organization, working to connect people and their communities to the forests that sustain them.

Building on the belief that a few strong-willed individuals can motivate for positive environmental change, Community Forests International fosters environmental stewardship internationally by establishing community forests, promoting sustainable forestry techniques and initiating environmental education.

Daimen Hardie, program director,is a longtime tree-planter and graduate of Mount Allison University. Before co-founding Community Forests International he worked as an arborist and homesteaded on his family woodlot in New Brunswick.  Daimen now leads the organization’s projects at home and abroad.

Dale Prest, ecosystem service specialist, works to value the ecosystems services provided through good forestry. He has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from Dalhousie University and is finishing up an M.Sc. at St. Francis Xavier University where he is investigating the long-term impact of clearcut harvesting on forest soil carbon storage in the Acadian Forest. Dale comes from Mooseland, NS, where he grew up logging in family owned woodlots.

Both will be speaking in Cox Institute room 24, Wednesday, February 8th beginning at noon.  For a complete schedule of international development week activities please visit http://nsac.ca/international/

Share this page

CFP/CFI Getting ready to go to Kokota

Today the Community Forests Pemba team and I returned to Kokota Islet. We’ve been cooking up a way to provide this village with both water and an adequate school facility.

The school so far...

Over the past few years, the community has been trying to build a school with the few resources that they have and have managed to raise a few walls in a field near the village’s main cluster of houses. We’ve decided to help them finish the walls and put a roof on the structure. Once the roof is in place, we’ll work with Kokotans to build a huge 300,000 liter water tank behind the school, which will collect rain water from the school’s new roof. Two birds and one stone – water and education.

Future Kokotan Scholars beside soon-to-be obselete water buckets

Tree planting will come, but for now we want to make sure that these kids no longer have to help their parents travel to the island of Pemba for water. The dream is that they can instead spend their time learning under a roof that will do the water collection for them. Keep posted as updates will be sure to follow – the rainy season is 2-months a way, so we’re going to be busy.

-Jeff Schnurr

A final view of Kokota village

Share this page

Susan Tyler and Clark Phillips of Whaelghinbran Farm

Here’s what we think of the folks at Community Forests International:

They are young and full of positive energy.
They know how to work and they work hard.
They use their minds, their hearts and they use the rest of their muscles too.
They are intelligent and committed.
They do what they say they want to do.
They are joyful learners and teachers
And they inspire hope.

-Susan

For more information about the save the farm campaign please follow this link to the save the farm page. Over $100,000 has been raised to date.

Share this page

Photo by Zach Melanson

I will never forget Susan planting a whole field of lettuce this summer, after deciding how much to grow just for them. Clark was in and out of the hospital and farming was next to impossible. But once Sue started planting she couldn’t stop. And when Clark was home he worked at plowing more field. They farmed anyway. I feel like I have learned so much about farming from Clark and Sue.

Photo by Zach Melanson

Farming isn’t easy and neither is cutting wood. They say to do it well there are no shortcuts. At Whaelghinbran every leaf of lettuce is twice washed. Every stand of forest deeply considered. I am inspired by Clark and Susan and the living they have made. They have done it so thoughtfully and so well. They have worked so hard for so long at something they believe in, and it shows on the land at Whaelghinbran.

I’m honored that CFI is a part of their work now. It is our responsibility to carry it forward, to save the farm, save the woods. I am confident because Clark and Sue are here to guide us, and because I have always felt that what sets CFI apart too is how hard we work.

It’s the people that have me believing in Whaelghinbran Farm. Susan Tyler and Clark Phillips, George Fullerton and the NB Community Land Trust, all of our mentors and supporters. And Estelle, Zach, Dale, and Jeff. Whaelghinbran is an exceptional farm and forest, but it’s people involved that have me believing in it.

Please help us make a stand for future generations. For more information about how you can get involved please visit our save the farm campaign page.

Photo by Jason Verschoor

Share this page

CFI Founders Zach, Daimen and Jeff Spot a Downy Woodpecker at Whaelghinbran Farm

Having worked as a tree planter for many years, I’ve spent a lot of time in clear cuts and what I’ve experienced has deeply affected me and changed my life. I have seen how greed has dictated management, with little trickle-down to rural communities. I have seen delicate forest ecosystems destroyed for short term profit, and I’ve seen it across the world. Sometimes it’s hard to watch unfold, for this is not the only way. Alternative forestry methods exist that allow people to cut trees and generate profit respectfully, without sacrificing the resources that will be available for future generations.

These are the future generations we seem to have forgotten, but there is a silver lining. Places like Whaelghinbran exist, where individuals like Clark and Sue want to share their knowledge and inspire people like me to learn a healthier more sustainable way of living. I have learned from my mentors that one can operate in partnership with the forest, rather than in opposition to it. I have also learned that the forest is far more productive when it is healthy and alive, and that respectful harvesting retains the values that are so intrinsic to our overall happiness and prosperity. I work to save Whaelghinbran Farms because I believe that it could come to be the place where traditional knowledge, innovative new ideas and scientific information come together to change how we do forestry in the Maritimes.

Whaelghinbran Farm is caught between two vastly different fates. The first sees the farm and forest as a hands-on learning centre for sustainable forestry and organic agricultural practices in the Maritime; a place where you and I can learn from those who have come before us; a place to build on our heritage and improve our relationship with food, the forest, and one another. The second outcome, is much more upsetting- where the land is sold to the highest bidder and laid to waste to make quick money. This has already taken place on portions of what was once the Whaelghinbran Farm property, and it is the most likely scenario if we are not able to raise the funds necessary to save the farm.

Please help us make a stand for future generations. For more information about how you can get involved please visit our save the farm campaign page.

Zach Melanson

The Valley Slope at Whaelghinbran Farm

Share this page

A Restored Field at Whaelghinbran Farm

Whaelghinbran Farm is about more than the 581 acres that it is composed of. It is about more than the uncounted fisher, deer, moose, birds, raptors and beaver that inhabit its forest. Whaelghinbran is about more than just the ecological integrity of this valley that feeds into the Kennebecasis River, into the Saint John River, the Bay of Fundy, Gulf of Maine and into the waters of the North Atlantic that go on to circulate the globe.

Whaelghinbran Farm is about our ability to live in consonance with the rest of the natural world. Cleared of its native forest to the extent that around 85% of the land was used for field or pasture by 1890, Whaelghinbran Farm has been slowly but surely, as is nature’s way, doing what land in this part of the world does best: grow forest and thrive. Upon Clark and Sue’s arrival, this process was vulnerable, but entrenched. At any point, as has happened more often than not in the Acadian Forest Region, the restoration of the forests could have been reversed by cutting ‘overmature’ or ‘decaying’ trees and ‘silvicultural jungles:’ justifications given every day to rationalize forestry practices we all see too often.

However, Clark and Sue would have none of it. Careful, thoughtful interventions with a chainsaw- the silvicultural equivalent of a scalpel – created conditions that mimicked and expedited the natural process that was restoring the Acadian Forest at Whaelghinbran Farm. To say they worked hard to walk their talk would be an understatement; just ask Sue how much 4 foot pulp wood she has piled by hand over the years. Even when fire took their home and barns they refused to liquidate the timber assets of Whaelghinbran Farm, and stayed true to their philosophy. The fruits of their sacrifice are blatantly obvious upon arrival at the farm.

In an age of green washing and propaganda, the story of Whaelghinbran Farm shows that we can live harmoniously with nature. Whaelghinbran Farm shows that we can restore our native Acadian Forest, and prosper along with it. Clark and Sue stewarded Whaelghinbran Farm through its most vulnerable period. CFI hopes to pick up here by helping Whaelghinbran through its next phase of realizing its full potential as a healthy, working Acadian Forest. For more information about how you can get involved please visit our save the farm campaign page.

Endangered Forests – Saving Whaelghinbran Farm from Community Forests International on Vimeo.

Every dollar donated up until December 25th will be matched by an Anonymous donor!

Share this page

CFI's Zach Melanson Took this Photo while Hiking at Whaelghinbran Farm

After launching the Pemba trees project with Mbarouk in Tanzania I came back to Canada and founded Community Forests International with Daimen, Zach and Estelle. At first we worked day and night to support the project in Pemba and our efforts were focused solely on helping the rural Tanzanians we’d come to care so much about. Although our work in Pemba was important, we realized that the change needed to be realized through Tanzanians and our first priority there was to assist Pembans in making their own change. Community Forests Pemba was born.

We wanted to do something positive in Canada. We knew we’d never give up our efforts in Pemba but we longed for a CFI project in the region that sparked our love for the forest in the first place – Atlantic Canada’s Acadian Forest. If Pembans could work to heal a degraded landscape and make a living through sustainable fruit and timber harvest why couldn’t Canadians make a sustainable living too? The more we talked with our mentors in the region, the more our ideas took form. Couldn’t we live and work in harmony with nature’s course? Couldn’t we function as responsible parts of a greater environment? Isn’t there a way for our time on this planet to improve rather then harm? We keep hearing it again and again – you’ve got to go talk to Clark and Sue at Whaelghinbran Farm.

Clark and Sue have been living in harmony with their woodlot and farm in Kings County, New Brunswick since the early 70’s.  Since then fields have been restored to forests and towering white pines and red spruce mark the landscape. Their farm is nestled in a valley and a sense of wonder fills you once you turn off the highway onto Cedar Camp Road. To go to Whaelghinbran Farm is to time travel. To go to Whaelghinbran Farm is to go back to a time when people moved a little slower, with a little more thought then we do in our internet charged and consumer driven age. To go to Whaelghinbran Farm is to go to a place where people care about their impact on the world and work to make the world a better place. Clark and Sue originally settled as organic farmers in the region and everything they touch bears the mark of master gardeners – even their woods. Clark and Sue weed out low value trees in order to let more valuable and majestic trees grow. They’ve managed to garden a landscape. I remember walking through their woods and watching as an owl flew from tree to tree in the canopy above.

Clark Leading a CFI Workshop out of Whaelghinbran Forest

Since then I’ve come to know Clark and Sue and they’ve become more than mentors for me and CFI. They’re like Grandma and Grandpa Sustainability. Clark and Sue have played a very important role in the organic agriculture movement and I’m sure more than a few people though their approach was “crazy” over the years. They were ahead of their time and struggled financially as “buy local” and “organic” markets were yet to develop. In the 80’s Clark and Sue watched as their house and barn burned to the ground and haven’t been on solid financial footing since.

Clark and Sue have been working with a local land trust in order to conserve their property and have asked the CFI team if we could carry their torch and continue their legacy. We are honoured that they thought us up to the task and have been working for over a year to make succession a reality. Now Clark and Sue are depending on CFI to help them retire and ensure their lifetime of work serves to teach other Canadians the importance of sustainability.

Sitting Across the Table From Clark

We’re all excited by the opportunity but have been faced with the challenge of a lifetime. In April of 2011, while I was in Tanzania I received word that Clark was in the hospital and I realized how real the need was. I felt helpless and lacked financial resources – their was nothing I could do. Luckily Clark recovered but health complications have made future farming for the couple out of the question. In order to make ends meet approximately 350 acres have already been divided and sold and it’s been heartbreaking. We need to work to make sure that we can work together to save the remaining 580 acres. To date we’ve raised over $50,000, which is more than our organization’s entire 2010 annual budget but we’ve got a long road ahead. Thanks to the support of a generous anonymous donor, all donations made up until December 25th will be matched. I urge you to make a contribution in order to conserve this property. I believe in Whaelghinbran Farm and I hope we can save this place so you can come to believe in Whaelghinbran too. For more information about how you can get involved please visit our save the farm campaign page.

- Jeff Schnurr, Executive Director for Community Forests International

Endangered Forests – Saving Whaelghinbran Farm from Community Forests International on Vimeo.

Every dollar donated up until December 25th will be matched by an Anonymous donor!

Share this page

The answer to “what can we do?” – seems to be restore restore restore. But how do we restore our forests while still receiving economic benefit?

The answer is found by looking at Whaelghinbran Farm. As it was forested and farmed sustainably for over 30 years, we see restoration in action. We see timber harvesting actually benefiting forest health. We see the long-term benefits of sustainable harvest – which means a healthy WORKING forest for future generations.

We cannot let forests, like the one at Whaelghinbran Farm, be lost or perhaps even destroyed. We need to show others that we can increase the productivity of our forests by promoting sustainable land use. The easiest way we can do this is to support Whaelghinbran Farm – to allow others to see what a healthy working forest can look like: to allow others to join us in our journey: to provide a model of forestry that supports the beauty and resilience of the natural world.

Lungwort Lichen at Whaelghinbran Farm

Please click here to help us save our forests by supporting Whaelghinbran Farm. Each dollar donated in December will be matched by an anonymous donor. Thank-you for your support  – Estelle Drisdelle, Project and Education Coordinator for Community Forests International

Forest a Whaelghinbran Farm

Share this page

Pemba Trees Greeting Cards

1$ = 5 Trees

Don’t cut a tree this holiday season – give a Pemba Tree! Make a holiday donation to CFI and we’ll plant trees on your behalf. We’ll also send a holiday card quantifying your gift in terms of trees planted to a recipient of your choice. A great way to both give a gift and support environmental sustainability.

An example of a Pemba Trees Card, both front and back

Share this page