I realized how dry the woods are in Nova Scotia when I stopped my car by the side of the road the other day and briefly stood on the gravel shoulder. The woods smelled dry, almost smoky, like they wanted to be on fire.
It’s not how this typically soggy peninsula normally smells. But we have had less than half the normal seasonal amount of rain this summer. The last substantial rain fell on June 7. Wells are drying up. The whole province is in a state of extreme fire risk.
So when Premier Tim Houston announced on Tuesday that he was ordering the woods closed, I was glad.
