Old-growth forests are rare and unique ecosystems across much of the world. Policies aimed at protecting, enhancing, and expanding these forests vary widely across nations and sub-national jurisdictions. Nova Scotia has had a policy for conserving old-growth forests on public lands since 1999. The second version of this policy, introduced in 2012, was recently replaced by a revised policy in 2022 This paper highlights the improvements made in the 2022 policy and the role of scientific research and student contributions in its development. Key policy enhancements include: (a) more nuanced operational definitions; (b) a commitment to protect all old-growth forests on public lands, whether currently identified or not; (c) robust replacement provisions in the rare event that provincially significant infrastructure is permitted on public land containing old-growth forest; and (d) a renewed commitment to collaborating with private landowners to support their efforts in conserving old-growth forest.