Thank you for participating in our public acceptance
surveys
We are conducting surveys to understand how much Nova Scotians know and how you feel about modern bioheat, district energy and forest management to better address concerns and priorities as community-based projects move forward.
SELECT A TOPIC BELOW TO BEGIN
Modern Bioheat
Forest Management
District Energy
About the surveys
The surveys are part of a research study being conducted by Dr. Jean Blair, a Postdoctoral Researcher at Dalhousie University, supported by Mitacs and TorchLight Bioresources.
The purpose of this research is to better understand:
- The perceptions of Nova Scotians around how forests are managed in the province
- The issues impacting social acceptance of community-based biomass heating projects and how acceptance could be improved
- The understanding of Nova Scotians of district energy systems and perceptions around the possibility of district energy for their community.
We also would like to understand if informational videos are an effective tool for increasing awareness and acceptance of the three topics addressed in the surveys. Each survey includes a video with before and after questions.
About the Researcher
Jean is a Mitacs Industrial Accelerate Postdoctoral Researcher at Dalhousie University, with TorchLight Bioresources as her industrial partner. She lives in the small town of Newburgh, Ontario with her husband, young son, Belgian Malinois and Siberian Forest Cat. Forests have always been an important part of her life. Growing up, free time with her family was spent in the woods or on a lake – hiking, camping, canoe tripping and cross country skiing. Now, forests are central to her academic and professional career.
Jean has spent the last decade plus learning about forests, the forest sector and all the awesome things that can be done with wood. The core theme of her work has been to understand how forests can best be managed and used to contribute to climate change goals, while also supporting the forest sector, strong communities and healthy and diverse forest ecosystems. Through this work, Jean has also developed a deep understanding of the energy sector and the intricacies of forest carbon accounting. Combined, this has led to her focus on the use of forest biomass for community-scale thermal energy as this is the lowest cost and most equitable way for communities to reduce emissions that, when done right, will also support healthy forests and a strong forest sector.
Having spent years learning, researching and writing reports, Jean has now turned her focus to developing projects that will benefit communities, industry and forests. There is an incredible opportunity for community bioenergy (done right) in Nova Scotia due to a combination of factors – lack of natural gas, high energy costs, high carbon electricity and a need/desire for improved forest management. She understands that for projects to move forward, a social license must be granted – community projects will not be developed without the enthusiastic support of communities! This research project is a first step toward understanding the concerns, priorities and uncertainties of Nova Scotians so they can be addressed as we work on moving community biomass district heating projects forward.
Survey Results
Check back for results and reports on the survey, they will be posted here when available (earliest Fall 2022).
This project was made possible with funding
from the Government of Canada
Additional funding provided by Mitacs, through the Industrial Accelerate Postdoctoral Program. In partnership with TorchLight Bioresources (TorchLight) and the Federation of Nova Scotia Woodlot Owners (FNSWO). All partners have an interest in seeing biomass community district energy systems developed in Nova Scotia and understand that enhancing local knowledge and acceptance is critical to successful implementation. As such, these surveys and videos are designed to help project partners better understand the current state of knowledge, perceptions and concerns around the topics, as well as how concerns can be addressed.
