HALIFAX – The weather is still warm, but some Nova Scotians are already finding it a challenge to buy firewood.
At Barrett Firewood in Beaverbank, it’s been so busy lately the workers can hardly keep up.
“The truth is there is a shortage now, for the people who waited until the last minute,” said Robin Barrett, the owner of the business.
MORE INFO: Government factsheet on firewood
The shortage is not due strictly to a lack of available firewood in the province — it’s an issue that arises before the wood makes it to the lot.
“About half the firewood in the province is growing old, dying and falling down. It’s not being harvested,” Barrett said.
There are now half as many contractors harvesting firewood in Nova Scotia as 10 years ago.
Combined with increased competition for the firewood that is being harvested, the result is higher prices.
It’s a problem Barrett noticed a year ago, and he says he warned the province about it.
“The scale is so big, I don’t think the government could have prevented it,” he said. “A little consumer education May, June, July so that they could have gotten wood in and not got caught in the crunch…would have been nice.”
The province says it is aware there aren’t enough people cutting wood in Nova Scotia.
Stephen McNeil’s Liberal government opened up crown lands to attract contractors, but says there has been little interest so far.
“We really need the conditions to improve themselves in the marketplace,” said Zach Churchill, the minister of natural resources. “All we can do as a government is to make our land available.”
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