Four British Columbians, who run small, community-based forestry operations, have been recognized by Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson with awards for innovation and excellence in woodlot management.
“Woodlots generate $200 million of economic activity for the province every year. That’s a lot of money and jobs going into small communities across B.C. Individually, woodlots might be relatively small tenures but collectively, they have a huge impact. Congratulations to all the award recipients; we appreciate your industry leadership and value your long-term commitment to the woodlot program,” Thomson said.
The recipients are:
- Wolfram Wollenheit and Sibylle Walkemeyer of Campbell River, who received the $2,500 award for the Coast region, along with a separate $2,500 provincial award in recognition of their commitment to long-term forest stewardship.
- Clayton Foster of Vanderhoof, who received the $2,500 award for the North region, in recognition of his commitment to stewardship and innovative marketing practices.
- Fred and Jane Marshall of Boundary, who received the $2,500 award for the South region, for their leadership in the field and their long-time advocacy of the woodlot licensing program.
Thomson made the presentation at the Federation of B.C. Woodlot Associations Annual Conference, in Golden. The awards are funded by the province and administered by the Province and the Federation of BC Woodlot Associations. Each year, the awards recognize a woodlot licensee representing each of the Coast, South and North regions, along with an overall top performer.
President Federation of BC Woodlot Associations Mark Clark said, “The Federation is very pleased to join with Minister Thomson in recognizing these exceptional woodlot licensees. From the quality of forest management they practice to the contributions they make to BC’s Woodlot Licence program as a whole, they are well-deserving of this recognitions.!”
Quick Facts:
- Woodlot licences are small, area-based tenures managed by individuals, groups or First Nations.
- B.C. has over 860 active woodlots. Each woodlot generates jobs in planning, harvesting, road construction and maintenance, reforestation, silviculture and small-scale timber processing.