Department of Natural Resources staff member Mark Shaw works to put out fires in the Upper Tantallon area on May 30, 2023. (Province of Nova Scotia / File)

UPDATED TUES., AUG. 5 at 5:20 p.m.

With drought conditions affecting most of Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston announced Tuesday that the province is banning all activities in the woods and on trails, with few exceptions.

“We’re hearing from rural fire departments that are worried about low water levels in the ponds and lakes that they use and really about their overall ability to respond to emergencies,” Houston said at an early afternoon news conference.

“As tinder-dry conditions continue to persist from one end of the province to the other, the risk of wildfires increases and the risk is very, very high right now.

“Effective 4 p.m. today, we’re telling Nova Scotians stay out of the woods. We are restricting travel and activities that really aren’t necessary for most of us. Hiking, camping, fishing and the use of vehicles in the woods are not permitted. Trail systems through woods are off limits. Camping is allowed but only in official campgrounds.”

Houston said the fine for violating the new restrictions is the same as flouting the burn ban — $25,000. So far this year, seven people have been fined. Officials didn’t disclose where those fines were levied.

The province implemented a provincewide ban on open fires on July 30. Hot, dry conditions are expected to last in Nova Scotia for at least two weeks. 

“I know it’s inconvenient and I know it’s the height of summer vacation … but we have to stay out of the woods. It’s a small price to pay right now to avoid the kind of devastation we saw from the wildfires in 2023. And nobody wants that.

“We need all Nova scotians to help keep our firefighters safe along wih everyone else by following the measures we’ve put in place. I’m counting on you to do the right thing. Don’t light a campfire, stay out of the woods and stay safe.”

Commercial activities in the woods will also be restricted. Forestry, mining and any other work must be approved by a local Department of Natural Resources office.

Beaches and parks are still open, but any fires are banned. Private landowners may use their own properties but can’t allow others to use their wooded areas.

Fireworks are also part of the ban. In response to a reporter’s question about whether the penalty for setting off fireworks during a burn ban should also be increased to $25,000, the premier said “that sounds like a good idea to me. (It) should be.” It was unclear whether the fine would be increased.

Houston said the move to restrict activities in the woods was made based on advice from Natural Resources officials.

Minister Tory Rushton said Nova Scotia has already had about 100 wildfires so far this year. He said they were extinguished quickly, but the kind of blaze that officials have battled is different.

“The fires we’re seeing right now are burning deeper into the root system and going deep underground and that kind of fire takes a long time to put out which is exhausting our resources,” Rushton said.

“The aim is to limit unnecessary travel in the woods and activities.”

Dave White, president of the Queens County ATV Association, told QCCR on Tuesday that he supports the province’s decision.

“I think that the premier and Minister Rushton are absolutely making the right call and relying on the right people to give them good information,” White said. 

“As much as I want everybody to have recreational opportunities, now is not the time.”

White said his group and others are meeting with provincial officials on Wednesday to find out what the new restrictions mean for major ongoing work on trail maintenance.

“Those are commercial practices, but I suspect that those will be suspended until conditions improve. Obviously, our priority is to protect our woods and that leads to our community, and our friends, family and our firefighters. That’s the No. 1 thing that we’re looking at right now.”

His group and the Queens Rails to Trails Association have posted on their Facebook pages that all trails are closed.

“It’s important that people follow this. The opportunity to use our trails will come again,” White said.

“Our standard line is we’re not just building rails, we’re also building community, and that means working together to keep everybody safe and happy and healthy.”

Parks Canada issued an advisory late Tuesday afternoon (read that here) detailing these closures in Queens County:

• All trails in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site
• Backcountry camping at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site
• All trails at Kejimkujik National Park Seaside

Front-country camping, beaches, and day-use areas (including Jakes Landing equipment rentals) at Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site are still open.

The Region of Queens issued its own news release late Tuesday afternoon with details about which parks and trails are closed in the county. (Read the full news release here.)

The following municipal trails are closed:

• Pine Grove Park, including Anniversary Trail which connects Pine Grove
  Park to the Trestle Trail
• Trestle Trail, including the extension that begins at White Point Road and
  George Street and continues running parallel to George Street to connect
  to the Trestle Trail, ending on Bristol Avenue
• Meadow Pond Trail
• Queens Place Trail

People who use the Trestle Trail or other wooded trails to get to other parts of Liverpool or Queens County should use Queens County Transit or a taxi service while the restrictions are in place, the region says in the release.

Path Lake Park and Scout Camp Park are also closed. Other non-wooded municipal parks throughout Queens such as
Tupper Park, Centennial Park, Privateer Park, Port Medway Lighthouse Park, sports fields and playgrounds remain open.

The covered picnic areas at Beach Meadows Beach Municipal Park are off limits, because they’re surrounded by wooded areas, but the beach is still open.

The municipal leaf and yard waste site in Western Head is also closed immediately. The region will be posting closure notices in those areas affected, the release said.

White pointed out that Queens County has many options for exercise, including beaches, parks, the walking track at Queens Place Emera Centre and the new all-weather outdoor track at Liverpool Regional High School.

“We still have lots of options for recreation,” White said.

Thousands of hectares and many homes were destroyed and thousands of people evacuated in wildfires in May and June 2023 in Shelburne County and Tantallon. 

The restrictions announced last week and Tuesday will stay in place until Oct. 15, or until conditions improve with several days of steady rain.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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A fire official looks at area affected by fire. Photo Communications Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia Government has banned all activity in wooded areas across the province.

Premier Tim Houston announced the measures which include all recreational and commercial activity during an update on Tuesday.

Houston said some commercial exceptions may be issued, but permission must be granted by the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.

The province has already issued a full burn ban across Nova Scotia until June 25 and Halifax had banned all off-highway vehicles from their trails.

Houston said six illegal fires were reported Monday night and people need to follow the ban, for everyone’s safety.

“Six illegal burns reported just last night is just mind-boggling. So, no burning. For God’s sake, stop burning, stop flicking your cigarette butts out your car window, just stop it. Our resources are stretched incredibly thin right now fighting existing fires,” said Houston.

Manager of Forest Protection with the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables Scott Tingley confirmed the fires raging across the province are beyond the department’s capacity.

“These fires are beyond our resource capacity and that’s why we’re prioritizing resources and that’s why they remain out of control. That’s why we continue to ask for help and bring in additional resources,” said Tingley. “This is unfortunately, the nature of emergency response.”

Tingley says the province has already had 195 fires burning 13,000 hectares this year.

There are currently 13 active wildfires, eight of those started Monday and three are out of control.

The forest fires in Tantallon and Shelburne are having an impact on Queens.

As of Tuesday, the fire in neighbouring Shelburne County is still out of control, burning over 10,000 hectares.

Department of Natural Resources and Renewables has dispatched 50 DNRR firefighters and three helicopters to the fire, joined by 40 local volunteer firefighters and two water bombers from Newfoundland and Labrador.

Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman says the municipality will be offering the use of the South Shore Regional Airport to the DNRR helicopters.

Norman says that would save the helicopters from making the almost 400km round trip to Debert where they currently refuel.

A fuel tanker will need to be brought to the site as the fuel used by South Shore Flying Club members isn’t compatible with the water bombing helicopters.

DNRR is already using the airport to support and refuel the smaller fire watch prop planes.

Norman says while Queens has been unaffected by fires so far, she is still concerned.

“Rivers are at end of August levels,” said Norman. “Lakes are low, woods are dry; exceptionally, exceptionally dry, dry terrain.”

Norman says she’s been getting calls from people requesting the Region close all municipal parks as a precaution.

Those are included under the provincial ban and are now off limits.

Norman says she agrees with those measures and asks Queens residents to refrain from taking any chances.

“The least spark. The hot exhaust. There’s so much that can trigger a fire with this dryness. I ask that people who smoke, I don’t believe any cars come with ashtrays in them anymore. So perhaps, just keep a bottle of water with a cap on it in your car to put your cigarette butts in,” said Norman.

Provincial officials are warning the smoke from the fires can seriously affect the air quality in surrounding areas.

Residents are being told to close windows and doors, especially at night when the cooler air and clear skies allow the smoke to travel further.

While not as serious as an out-of-control fire, several businesses and organizations reported losing their internet connection on Monday, affecting point of sale payments, access to online business software and the ability to communicate to clients through e-mail and social media.

The South Shore Regional Centre for Education is also reporting issues with tracking absences through their Powerschool software that could result in a false notification of a student absence.

Installation of a new self-registration system at Queens General Hospital also had to be postponed.

The internet connection appears to have been restored by later in the day.

The province has also established a text line to help people cope with the stress of the fires.

Nova Scotians can text HOPENS to 393939 to receive supportive text messages that are aimed at helping develop healthy personal coping skills and resiliency.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

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NS Burn Ban Map from novascotia/burnsafe website

It appears a burn ban in place across Nova Scotia will remain in effect for the near future.

According to a spokesperson from the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, drought-like conditions over the past two weeks have left the forest floor extremely dry.

Wildfire Prevention Officer Kara McCurdy says due to a combination of high temperatures and wind and low humidity the smallest spark could set off a forest fire.

“Don’t have any fires period, whether it be campfire or brush burning. Being careful where you place anything hot. Like, if you’re welding, don’t weld in dry vegetation. If you’re running an all-terrain vehicle that you make sure to clear the exhaust off frequently because stuff accumulates around that and can get hot and drop,” said McCurdy. “Even camping, if you’re walking in the woods don’t discard any cigarettes, don’t play with matches or lighters.”

Environment Canada has issued an extreme heat warning for Nova Scotia and is forecasting temperatures into the high 20s until next week.

There is a chance of showers over that time, however, McCurdy says they likely won’t be enough to lower the fire hazard.

“But it’s not enough to really impact wetting the fuels down in the forest,” We’ll probably leave the ban in place until we get significant rain, which is a continued amount of rain of 20mm plus.

McCurdy says a few days of steady rain is key to preventing forest fires.

“A lot of the rain that comes from thunder cells will just quickly run off,” said McCurdy. “The ground is so hard now from being dry for so long that it’s just going to drain off really quick.”

McCurdy says there have been seven new forest fires of varying sizes across Nova Scotia over the past week.

Several of those are the result of campfires being left unattended or from people clearing their properties by burning the brush.

Crews are working to get a 1-hectare fire in Cumberland County under control.

She says people need to pay attention to the burn ban to safeguard the forests, their property, fire crews and themselves against fire.

Burn restrictions are updated on the novascotia.ca/burnsafe web page everyday at 2:00pm.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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