Forest products to be added to N.S. Loyal program that encourages buying local

An employee works in the lumber yard at Ledwidge Lumber Co. in Halifax on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese (Darren Calabrese/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Forest products that are grown, harvested, crafted or manufactured in Nova Scotia will soon be marketed through the Nova Scotia Loyal program.

The program, which launched last July, gives Nova Scotians more points on their existing loyalty rewards program for buying local goods.

The Nova Scotia government says forest product producers can enrol in the program and will be automatically approved.

“We want to make buying local easy and clear when it comes to our forest products,” said Minister of Natural Resources Tory Rushton in a news release Wednesday.

“That’s why we’re adding Nova Scotia Loyal branding, so consumers can choose local lumber and other forest products.”

Products under the Nova Scotia Loyal program are labelled with stickers or tags in retail stores to help consumers easily identify them.

“Nova Scotia’s forestry sector produces high-quality products that people use every day. Nova Scotia Loyal is a great opportunity to showcase these wonderful products and help people support our businesses across the province,” said Todd Burgess, executive director with Forest Nova Scotia.

Lumber, wooden mouldings and wood pellets are examples of Nova Scotia forestry products that are sold in retail stores and could be included in the program.

Nova Scotia’s forestry sector generates about $1.8 billion in economic activity each year and supports more than 6,000 jobs in the province.

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