Nova Scotia Approves Glyphosate Spraying: What’s Really Going On?

 Written and researched by OpenAi because the emotion of learning this made me want to go back to bed.

Nova Scotia has quietly approved the aerial spraying of glyphosate-based herbicides over more than 3,500 acres of forest. On the surface, it’s framed as “forestry management.” In reality, it raises serious concerns about health, fire risk, and ecological integrity.

What We Know

• The scope: 3,577 acres of drought-stricken, fire-prone forest are set to be sprayed.

• The secrecy: The province has released few details about exact locations, risk assessments, or alternatives considered.

• The timing: This decision comes in one of the driest summers on record, when Nova Scotians are already on edge about fire.

The Problems

1. It increases fire danger
   Glyphosate kills hardwoods and underbrush, leaving behind dead, flammable material. Far from protecting us, it creates tinderboxes waiting for a spark.

2. It endangers health
   The World Health Organization’s cancer agency classifies glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. Spraying it from the air makes exposure widespread and hard to avoid.

3. It damages ecosystems
   Spraying prevents natural forest regeneration, replacing diverse ecosystems with softwood monocultures. Biodiversity, soil health, and wildlife habitat all take the hit.

4. It erodes trust
   Approving mass chemical spraying without open consultation undermines public confidence. Citizens have the right to know what’s being done to their land, their water, and their air.

Voices From the Ground

Locals aren’t buying the official line. Comments online sum it up bluntly:

“Stay out of the woods we’re destroying with chemicals, please.”
“Won’t it be more fire prone after spraying it with Roundup? Bizarre.”
“It's a known carcinogen. What are the odds of it getting into our water?”

These aren’t fringe fears—they’re common sense questions.

The Better Way

If the goal is fire risk reduction or forest management, safer alternatives exist:

• Mechanical thinning

• Controlled burns

• Selective logging

• Indigenous land stewardship practices

All of these protect forests and communities without dousing ecosystems in chemicals.

Where Do We Go From Here?

If you care about this issue, you’re not powerless. You can:

• Ask Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change to release the full details of these spraying permits.

• Contact your MLA and demand accountability.

• Support grassroots groups like Don’t Spray Nova Scotia Forests and independent watchdogs like The Dirt Gang who are tracking the issue closely.

Final Thought

This isn’t just about trees. It’s about the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the safety of our communities. Spraying glyphosate in a province already reeling from drought and fire risk is reckless.

We deserve forests that are healthy, resilient, and life-sustaining—not industrial tree farms managed with chemicals.

It’s time to say no to spraying.