Latest news with #ChrisWatson
Global News
24-06-2025
- General
- Global News
Saint John warned against paving old-growth forest and putting up industrial park
A spruce tree in Saint John, N.B., likely dating back to around the time of famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain, is part of a forested area at risk of being paved over to make room for a new kind of habitat: an industrial park expansion west of the port city. Saint John city council recently approved the plans for the Spruce Lake Industrial Park, described on the business hub's website as a 'diverse ecosystem' of companies. Scientists, meanwhile, say the red spruce — likely about 400 years old — is among the oldest trees in the province, and the old-growth forest in which it stands is a piece of history the city should protect from the axe. 'When Samuel de Champlain sailed up the Bay of Fundy and into what is now the Saint John Harbour back in the early 1600s — that was around the same time this tree started growing,' said Chris Watson, a research scientist at University of New Brunswick's physics department. It was Watson, a resident of Lorneville, the small coastal community of 800 people where the industrial park is to be expanded, who collected a wood sample from the tree to determine its age. Story continues below advertisement Last week the City of Saint John voted 10-0 to expand the industrial park. Mayor Donna Reardon told the meeting that while council had heard residents' concerns, it needed to cater to the 'fastest-growing port in North America.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Growth isn't easy,' she said. 'It's always difficult — it's because we're not used to it in Saint John. So we've got to move forward.' An environmental impact assessment by a consulting company told the city the expansion site was of 'relatively low value, economically and ecologically.' Dillon Consulting did not return a request for comment. Ben Phillips, a scientist at Mount Allison University's Acadian forest dendrochronology lab, disagrees with Dillon's assessment that the area is of low ecological value. In a letter to Saint John city council, he said the forest 'contains old-growth trees that rival the oldest in New Brunswick.' 'At a minimum of 388 years old, the oldest red spruce from the proposed Spruce Lake industrial area is now confirmed among a small group of the oldest spruce trees in New Brunswick,' he wrote. 'This tree likely sprouted up as a sapling in 1625 and took 10 to 20 years to grow to the height where the increment core sample was extracted. That makes this tree approximately 400 years of actual age. Possibly only three to four previously sampled trees from New Brunswick may exceed this age. … Many of these trees were growing on this site when settlers arrived and began forestry operations in the late 1700s.' Story continues below advertisement A nearly 15-metre-wide area has been cleared in the wooded site for a new road — construction that Phillips said could have resulted in the cutting down of several very old trees. Other trees measured in the same area, he noted, 'were also of exceptional age.' 'It is surprising that this forest has survived the axe and then the chainsaw.' No projects have so far been announced for the new site. The final authority of environmental impact assessments rests with the province, Reardon said in an email. Neither the Environment Department nor the regional development authority returned requests for comment. At the forest in Lorneville, Watson rested his hand on the nearly 400-year-old red spruce and looked up. The tree's crown is twisted, knotted and gnarly, its branches draped with light-green lichen. 'That's called the old man's beard,' he said with a laugh. 'It's magical. It's spectacular. It's so unique,' Watson said, looking around at the forest floor covered with moss, lichens, various grasses and nearly metre-long ferns. 'And just the knowledge that some of these areas have been untouched for hundreds of years — it's amazing to be able to walk in these woods.' The industrial park expansion should not go ahead, he said, adding that he's not against economic growth — he thinks there are other areas that can be developed without destroying a unique ecosystem. Story continues below advertisement 'Leave it alone …. It's very rare to see, especially on Crown land, forests that are even just 100 years old. So, yeah. It should be absolutely left alone.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.
National Observer
24-06-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Saint John is warned against paving old-growth forest and putting up industrial park
A spruce tree in Saint John, N.B., likely dating back to around the time of famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain, is part of a forested area at risk of being paved over to make room for a new kind of habitat: an industrial park expansion west of the port city. Saint John city council recently approved the plans for the Spruce Lake Industrial Park, described on the business hub's website as a "diverse ecosystem" of companies. Scientists, meanwhile, say the red spruce — likely about 400 years old — is among the oldest trees in the province, and the old-growth forest in which it stands is a piece of history the city should protect from the axe. "When Samuel de Champlain sailed up the Bay of Fundy and into what is now the Saint John Harbour back in the early 1600s — that was around the same time this tree started growing," said Chris Watson, a research scientist at University of New Brunswick's physics department. It was Watson, a resident of Lorneville, the small coastal community of 800 people where the industrial park is to be expanded, who collected a wood sample from the tree to determine its age. Last week the City of Saint John voted 10-0 to expand the industrial park. Mayor Donna Reardon told the meeting that while council had heard residents' concerns, it needed to cater to the "fastest-growing port in North America." "Growth isn't easy," she said. "It's always difficult — it's because we're not used to it in Saint John. So we've got to move forward." An environmental impact assessment by a consulting company told the city the expansion site was of "relatively low value, economically and ecologically." Dillon Consulting did not return a request for comment. Ben Phillips, a scientist at Mount Allison University's Acadian forest dendrochronology lab, disagrees with Dillon's assessment that the area is of low ecological value. In a letter to Saint John city council, he said the forest "contains old-growth trees that rival the oldest in New Brunswick." "At a minimum of 388 years old, the oldest red spruce from the proposed Spruce Lake industrial area is now confirmed among a small group of the oldest spruce trees in New Brunswick," he wrote. "This tree likely sprouted up as a sapling in 1625 and took 10 to 20 years to grow to the height where the increment core sample was extracted. That makes this tree approximately 400 years of actual age. Possibly only three to four previously sampled trees from New Brunswick may exceed this age. ... Many of these trees were growing on this site when settlers arrived and began forestry operations in the late 1700s." A nearly 15-metre-wide area has been cleared in the wooded site for a new road — construction that Phillips said could have resulted in the cutting down of several very old trees. Other trees measured in the same area, he noted, "were also of exceptional age." "It is surprising that this forest has survived the axe and then the chainsaw." No projects have so far been announced for the new site. The final authority of environmental impact assessments rests with the province, Reardon said in an email. Neither the Environment Department nor the regional development authority returned requests for comment. At the forest in Lorneville, Watson rested his hand on the nearly 400-year-old red spruce and looked up. The tree's crown is twisted, knotted and gnarly, its branches draped with light-green lichen. "That's called the old man's beard," he said with a laugh. "It's magical. It's spectacular. It's so unique," Watson said, looking around at the forest floor covered with moss, lichens, various grasses and nearly metre-long ferns. "And just the knowledge that some of these areas have been untouched for hundreds of years — it's amazing to be able to walk in these woods." The industrial park expansion should not go ahead, he said, adding that he's not against economic growth — he thinks there are other areas that can be developed without destroying a unique ecosystem. "Leave it alone .... It's very rare to see, especially on Crown land, forests that are even just 100 years old. So, yeah. It should be absolutely left alone."
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Science
- CTV News
Saint John warned against paving old-growth forest and putting up industrial park
Chris Watson, a resident of Lorneville and a research scientist at the University of New Brunswick's physics department, is shown on Thursday June 19, 2025. Watson found a nearly 400-year-old tree in an area that is the site of proposed industrial expansion. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Hina Alam A spruce tree in Saint John, N.B., likely dating back to around the time of famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain, is part of a forested area at risk of being paved over to make room for a new kind of habitat: an industrial park expansion west of the port city. Saint John city council recently approved the plans for the Spruce Lake Industrial Park, described on the business hub's website as a 'diverse ecosystem' of companies. Scientists, meanwhile, say the red spruce — likely about 400 years old — is among the oldest trees in the province, and the old-growth forest in which it stands is a piece of history the city should protect from the axe. 'When Samuel de Champlain sailed up the Bay of Fundy and into what is now the Saint John Harbour back in the early 1600s — that was around the same time this tree started growing,' said Chris Watson, a research scientist at University of New Brunswick's physics department. It was Watson, a resident of Lorneville, the small coastal community of 800 people where the industrial park is to be expanded, who collected a wood sample from the tree to determine its age. Last week the City of Saint John voted 10-0 to expand the industrial park. Mayor Donna Reardon told the meeting that while council had heard residents' concerns, it needed to cater to the 'fastest-growing port in North America.' 'Growth isn't easy,' she said. 'It's always difficult — it's because we're not used to it in Saint John. So we've got to move forward.' An environmental impact assessment by a consulting company told the city the expansion site was of 'relatively low value, economically and ecologically.' Dillon Consulting did not return a request for comment. Ben Phillips, a scientist at Mount Allison University's Acadian forest dendrochronology lab, disagrees with Dillon's assessment that the area is of low ecological value. In a letter to Saint John city council, he said the forest 'contains old-growth trees that rival the oldest in New Brunswick.' 'At a minimum of 388 years old, the oldest red spruce from the proposed Spruce Lake industrial area is now confirmed among a small group of the oldest spruce trees in New Brunswick,' he wrote. 'This tree likely sprouted up as a sapling in 1625 and took 10 to 20 years to grow to the height where the increment core sample was extracted. That makes this tree approximately 400 years of actual age. Possibly only three to four previously sampled trees from New Brunswick may exceed this age. ... Many of these trees were growing on this site when settlers arrived and began forestry operations in the late 1700s.' A nearly 15-metre-wide area has been cleared in the wooded site for a new road — construction that Phillips said could have resulted in the cutting down of several very old trees. Other trees measured in the same area, he noted, 'were also of exceptional age.' 'It is surprising that this forest has survived the axe and then the chainsaw.' No projects have so far been announced for the new site. The final authority of environmental impact assessments rests with the province, Reardon said in an email. Neither the Environment Department nor the regional development authority returned requests for comment. At the forest in Lorneville, Watson rested his hand on the nearly 400-year-old red spruce and looked up. The tree's crown is twisted, knotted and gnarly, its branches draped with light-green lichen. 'That's called the old man's beard,' he said with a laugh. 'It's magical. It's spectacular. It's so unique,' Watson said, looking around at the forest floor covered with moss, lichens, various grasses and nearly metre-long ferns. 'And just the knowledge that some of these areas have been untouched for hundreds of years — it's amazing to be able to walk in these woods.' The industrial park expansion should not go ahead, he said, adding that he's not against economic growth — he thinks there are other areas that can be developed without destroying a unique ecosystem. 'Leave it alone .... It's very rare to see, especially on Crown land, forests that are even just 100 years old. So, yeah. It should be absolutely left alone.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
24-06-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Saint John warned against paving old-growth forest and putting up industrial park
LORNEVILLE – A spruce tree in Saint John, N.B., likely dating back to around the time of famed French explorer Samuel de Champlain, is part of a forested area at risk of being paved over to make room for a new kind of habitat: an industrial park expansion west of the port city. Saint John city council recently approved the plans for the Spruce Lake Industrial Park, described on the business hub's website as a 'diverse ecosystem' of companies. Scientists, meanwhile, say the red spruce — likely about 400 years old — is among the oldest trees in the province, and the old-growth forest in which it stands is a piece of history the city should protect from the axe. 'When Samuel de Champlain sailed up the Bay of Fundy and into what is now the Saint John Harbour back in the early 1600s — that was around the same time this tree started growing,' said Chris Watson, a research scientist at University of New Brunswick's physics department. It was Watson, a resident of Lorneville, the small coastal community of 800 people where the industrial park is to be expanded, who collected a wood sample from the tree to determine its age. Last week the City of Saint John voted 10-0 to expand the industrial park. Mayor Donna Reardon told the meeting that while council had heard residents' concerns, it needed to cater to the 'fastest-growing port in North America.' 'Growth isn't easy,' she said. 'It's always difficult — it's because we're not used to it in Saint John. So we've got to move forward.' An environmental impact assessment by a consulting company told the city the expansion site was of 'relatively low value, economically and ecologically.' Dillon Consulting did not return a request for comment. Ben Phillips, a scientist at Mount Allison University's Acadian forest dendrochronology lab, disagrees with Dillon's assessment that the area is of low ecological value. In a letter to Saint John city council, he said the forest 'contains old-growth trees that rival the oldest in New Brunswick.' 'At a minimum of 388 years old, the oldest red spruce from the proposed Spruce Lake industrial area is now confirmed among a small group of the oldest spruce trees in New Brunswick,' he wrote. 'This tree likely sprouted up as a sapling in 1625 and took 10 to 20 years to grow to the height where the increment core sample was extracted. That makes this tree approximately 400 years of actual age. Possibly only three to four previously sampled trees from New Brunswick may exceed this age. … Many of these trees were growing on this site when settlers arrived and began forestry operations in the late 1700s.' A nearly 15-metre-wide area has been cleared in the wooded site for a new road — construction that Phillips said could have resulted in the cutting down of several very old trees. Other trees measured in the same area, he noted, 'were also of exceptional age.' 'It is surprising that this forest has survived the axe and then the chainsaw.' No projects have so far been announced for the new site. The final authority of environmental impact assessments rests with the province, Reardon said in an email. Neither the Environment Department nor the regional development authority returned requests for comment. Wednesdays Columnist Jen Zoratti looks at what's next in arts, life and pop culture. At the forest in Lorneville, Watson rested his hand on the nearly 400-year-old red spruce and looked up. The tree's crown is twisted, knotted and gnarly, its branches draped with light-green lichen. 'That's called the old man's beard,' he said with a laugh. 'It's magical. It's spectacular. It's so unique,' Watson said, looking around at the forest floor covered with moss, lichens, various grasses and nearly metre-long ferns. 'And just the knowledge that some of these areas have been untouched for hundreds of years — it's amazing to be able to walk in these woods.' The industrial park expansion should not go ahead, he said, adding that he's not against economic growth — he thinks there are other areas that can be developed without destroying a unique ecosystem. 'Leave it alone …. It's very rare to see, especially on Crown land, forests that are even just 100 years old. So, yeah. It should be absolutely left alone.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Emma Watson looks casually chic in a brown leather jacket and baggy jeans as she enjoys low key outing in Paris
Emma Watson looked effortlessly chic as she enjoyed a low key outing in Paris on Sunday. The actress, 35, showed off her sense of style in a brown leather jacket and baggy jeans as she stepped out. She added a cap and scarf and had on a pair of headphones while getting some fresh air in the French capital. Emma wore a pair of giant dark shades and added a preppy edge to her look with a white jumper. She pulled her brunette tresses back and opted for minimal makeup to highlight her natural beauty. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Emma's outing comes after her dad warned the parents of the new Harry, Ron and Hermione of the 'impact of fame on children' as filming for the HBO Harry Potter TV series begins. The latest leading trio were finally announced this week after months of speculation - with Dominic McLaughlin landing the title role, while Arabella Stanton is set to play Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout will portray Ron Weasley. Emma played Hermione for ten years in the Harry Potter film series, and now her dad Chris has told of how he worked hard to keep her 'grounded.' He told Times Radio: 'As a parent, you have to be scared... This can be a very difficult thing for a parent and child to handle, or not. 'It certainly helped that I don't actually watch movies, it's not a big thing in the house, and so it was easier for us to keep her feet on the ground.' He added: 'Normal life continued as far as possible: her homework would go back to school on motorbikes, admittedly, but she had to do her homework and check in.' Filming for the new HBO series started this week in France with cast and crew setting up on the Île de Sein off the coast of Brittany where they are thought to be re-creating the famous moment that Hagrid said, 'You're a wizard Harry!' JK Rowling gave her approval to the trio cast as the new child stars of the multi-million-pound TV adaptation - after previously giving short shrift to racists complaining about producers' picks. There has been some online backlash against what has been branded ' woke ' reinterpreting of the wizarding franchise based on the seven bestselling books by Rowling, 59, which prompted eight movie versions. But the multi-millionaire author yesterday gave her first public response to the new Harry Potter television casting announcement, with showbusiness insiders suggesting she would have a key role in the new productions. One fan took to X, formerly known as Twitter, asking the bestselling author to inform the new recruits the wizarding franchise's creator felt about their casting. And Rowling responded by declaring: 'All three are wonderful. I couldn't be happier.' The writer was replying to a tweet which said: '@jk_rowling @streamonmax @harrypotter Please tell Dominic, Arabella and Alistair that they are already loved by the fandom and we can't wait to see the show! We wish them all the best and that they have a magic time.' The new adaptation will be spread across seven seasons, equal to the number of books - although there were eight films with the final Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows split into two parts. The HBO TV show is said to be costing £75million per episode - and the three child actors taking the lead roles have been tipped to land themselves even bigger fortunes than the original stars. Producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod praised the 'wonderful' talent of the three newcomers when making Tuesday's casting announcement. They said: 'After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron. 'The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. 'We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It's been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.' Rowling released the first Harry Potter novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997, followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets the following year. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released in 1999, followed by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2000. Three years later Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was published and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2005. The final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released in 2007. The first movie was released in 2001 and the final one came out in 2011. They played their roles for a decade.
