Nova Scotia. Department of Lands and Forests

In 1926 the Commissioner of Crown Lands and the Commissioner of Forests and Game were combined in the Department of Lands and Forests, of which the Attorney General became minister. The department was responsible for managing, leasing, selling or otherwise disposing of crown lands; conserving and protecting all forests and timberlands, whether publicly or privately owned; and protecting, preserving and encouraging the natural increase of game and game fish. The attorney general remained minister of lands and forests until 1947, when the department received its own minister. In 1987 a new Crown Lands Act was passed and department made responsible for the acquisition, registration, survey and sale or disposition of crown lands as well as their administration, utilization, protection and management, including access to and travel on them, habitats for the maintenance and protection of wildlife, harvesting and renewal of timber resources and forest recreation. In 1991 the Departments of Lands and Forests and Mines and Energy merged to form the Department of Natural Resources.

Notes: Authority record based on Wilfred Creighton, Forest-keeping: A History of the Department of Lands and Forests in Nova Scotia, 1926-1960 (Halifax: Nova Scotia Dept. of Government Services, 1988); Statutes of Nova Scotia: 1926 c. 4, 1935 c. 4, 1948 c. 14, 1987 c. 5, 1992 c. 14; Order in Council 91-971 (20 Aug. 1991).

see also Department of Natural Resources (1991- )