Wildfire Recovery in Nova Scotia: Honouring Complexity, People, and Place
This reflection is dedicated to the memory of Harold Alexander, whose wisdom and gentle stewardship of the woods impacted many people's understanding of 'forestry'.
Today, wildfire is no longer just a theoretical risk but an emergency rewriting the rules for rural living across our province. Once, Nova Scotia’s forests were so abundant and vital they powered a global shipbuilding industry. Generations later, decades of neglected silviculture on highly fragmented forest lands have turned much of our landscape into a tinderbox, sparking new questions about ownership, stewardship, and our responsibilities to land and community.
The human impacts of wildfires go far beyond damaged property. For many families, losing an intergenerational home or farmstead means the erasure of identity, history, and memory. In rural Nova Scotia, many houses are uninsured or uninsurable due to age and isolation, leaving families with no compensation when disaster strikes. For those with insurance, compensation can be painfully slow and incomplete. With the forests go livelihoods, local economies, and the stability of hillside, soil, and water sources. Economic hardship and trauma reverberate for years as people rebuild not just their houses, but their sense of place and belonging.
Wildfires also devastate the non-human world. The immediate loss of above-ground habitat forces wildlife to flee or perish, while the heat can sterilize topsoil, wiping out intricate networks of microscopic bacteria and fungi that are essential for healthy forests. Waterways become choked with ash and eroded soil, threatening agriculture and natural ecosystems. The question becomes: after the flames, how can life return to the soil? Which trees and plants should we reintroduce, mindful of climate change and shifting local conditions? How can we stabilize slopes, save water resources, and prepare the land for regeneration rather than repetition of tragedy?
Wildfire recovery in Nova Scotia calls us to move from a mindset of ownership to one of stewardship - a shift explored in previous blogs, and essential if we are to reconcile not only with each other but also with the land itself. True planning requires “two-eyed seeing”: integrating Mi’kmaq and Western knowledge to shape forests that can withstand uncertainty and nourish generations ahead. Let us honour all those - like Harold Alexander - who inspire us to care deeply for our woods, our communities, and the living connections that must be protected and renewed with every new season.
