We’re proud to announce that we have protected 47 acres near Cedar Lake in Yarmouth County, where some of Nova Scotia’s last remaining cedar swamp and old-growth stands will now be protected forever.

Eastern White Cedar, or Qasgusi in Mi’kmaw, is a coniferous evergreen tree native to Nova Scotia. Many birds use cedar during the summer, including several warblers, White-throated Sparrows, and Kinglets. Pileated Woodpeckers often use mature cedar for cavity nests.

The Mi’kmaq often use Qasgusi during smudging ceremonies, for medicinal purposes, such as treating headaches and dressing burns, and when constructing canoes and arrow shafts.

Eastern White Cedar is a species at risk, listed as Vulnerable under the Nova Scotia Endangered Species Act. Only 34 natural stands (specific groupings of trees) in five counties have been identified, concentrated in western Nova Scotia. Almost all remaining cedar in the province is located on private land, with deforestation remaining the biggest threat to the survival of this important species.

Protecting these 47 acres is an important win. The property sits within our growing Hectanooga focus area; it is directly adjacent to the provincially protected Cedar Lake Nature Reserve and complements the provincially protected Hectanooga Cedar Swamp Nature Reserve and additional Nature Trust protected lands located 8 kilometres to the northeast. This area supports exceptionally high‐value cedar swamp stands. By linking directly into this network of protected swamp habitat, the newly protected Cedar Lake property will bolster functional connectivity for Eastern White Cedar across the western portion of Nova Scotia, enhancing opportunities for dispersal and reducing the effects of population fragmentation.

Prior to the Nature Trust’s initial assessment, records from a 2018 survey by Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre documented approximately 180 mature cedar trees on the property. During our site visit this May, however, it became evident that cedar stands extend significantly farther into the eastern sections than previously recorded. Along our survey route, we estimated an additional 150 – 200 mature cedar trees in areas beyond the general location of the 2018 ACCDC records. A systematic baseline survey will undoubtedly reveal an even greater number of individual trees on the property. Given the species’ sparse distribution across Nova Scotia, the high density of cedars on this land is a hugely significant win for the conservation of this species.

Apart from the cedar observations, there are two records of lichen species of conservation concern: Powdered Ruffle Lichen and Appalachian Speckleback Lichen. The amount of intact habitat on the property suggests that further surveys may reveal additional rare lichens.

Beyond its significance in conserving extremely valuable cedar stands, Cedar Lake sits roughly 7 kilometres southwest of the Lake Annis Nature Reserve, a protected area known for its significant stands of old‐growth hardwood forest. Together, these reserves and the Cedar Lake property strengthen the connectivity of protected areas with important old-growth forest.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the federal Department of Environment and Climate Change’s Priority Places for Species at Risk Program.

Nova Scotia’s remaining Eastern White Cedar and other at-risk species can be found in the increasingly rare mature Wabanaki-Acadian forests of the province’s Southwest region. We are so grateful for the generous support of all of our Nature Trust donors, without whom our work to protect these and other vulnerable species would not be possible.

We invite you to join these Nature Trust supporters in helping with the protection and stewardship of this new Conservation Land by making a donation.