WOODLANDS TRUST ACQUIRES 500-ACRES AT PLEASANT RIVER

The Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust (NSWWT) has completed a purchase of 500 acres of ecologically significant forest in Pleasant River, Queens County, strengthening habitat connectivity for species at risk while advancing the
province’s largest private woodland carbon offset program.
Completed December 19, 2025, the acquisition is NSWWT’s first property purchase, representing nearly 12.5% of the Trust’s goal to protect 4,000 acres by Spring 2026. The forest is adjacent to the Pu’tlaqne’katik Wilderness Area and lands protected by the Nova
Scotia Nature Trust, strengthening an important conservation corridor surrounding Kejimkujik National Park.

This acquisition was completed in partnership with the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute (MTRI) and made possible by funding contributions from Parks Canada and the Southwest Nova Biosphere Region, contributing to a broader collaborative effort to connect protected
areas surrounding Kejimkujik National Park. The North Queens region provides critical habitat for several species at risk and supports diverse forests characteristic of the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest region.
The Pleasant River property will be integrated into NSWWT’s growing Carbon Program, which uses the voluntary carbon offset market to fund the lifetime stewardship and monitoring of privately-owned woodlands across Nova Scotia. Through this program, private landowners can permanently protect their forests through Working Forest Community Easements while receiving professional forest management and ongoing care funded by carbon revenues.

“This acquisition marks a significant step forward for NSWWT, expanding our network of ecologically managed woodlands while permanently removing this property from the conventional clearcut cycle,” said Mary Jane Rodger, Executive Director of NSWWT. “We’re excited to be able to purchase our first property in North Queens – a community that has
supported our organization since its inception.”  

“Protecting and restoring forests in the North Queens region is essential to maintaining the ecological connectivity that species at risk depend on,” said Abby Lewis, Forest Stewardship Coordinator at Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute. “This partnership demonstrates how collaborative conservation can create lasting benefits for both wildlife and local
communities.” NSWWT will steward this property as a demonstration forest to support applied learning through biodiversity monitoring and restorative forestry treatments. Having undergone intensive harvesting several decades ago, the woodland is now at a pivotal moment for
restoration. Beginning in Spring 2026, stewardship efforts will focus on restoring ecological diversity, enhancing wildlife habitat, increasing long-term carbon storage, and fostering resilient, productive forests under continuous canopy cover.”