VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is recognizing three woodlot licensees for innovation and excellence in woodlot management.
Craig and Leanna Mann, managers of Woodlot 1595; R. & K. Woodlot Ltd., managed by Keith Granbois and Ridley Wilson; and the Omineca Ski Club, managed by Sean Broadworth, RPF; have each been presented with the Minister’s Award for Innovation and Excellence in Woodlot Management for the south, coast and north areas, respectively. The Manns were also presented with a second award ― the provincial Minister’s Award for Innovation and Excellence in Woodlot Management.
Since obtaining their woodlot in 1997, the Manns have set a high standard for silviculture, ensuring all sites in the woodlot are planted with Class A seed and fertilized.
The Manns are active in all aspects of woodlot management. Craig writes the planning documents and carries out all of the road and block layout, road construction and site prep, as well as most of the logging and manual brushing. Leanna has her scaling licence and conducts the waste surveys. In addition, the couple have an authorized scale site. They sell some firewood and sell deciduous timber for oriented strand board.
“British Columbia’s woodlots create employment and promote long-term stewardship of our forests,” said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. “This year’s award recipients have all demonstrated innovation and excellence in woodlot management. Their high standards encourage all of us to look for innovative and effective ways to manage our forests.”
In addition to the award recognition, the recipients take home $2,500 each for their area awards, with an additional $2,500 going to the Manns for also being named the top performer provincially.
The recipients were presented their awards at the annual general meetings of the Federation of B.C. Woodlot Associations and the Woodlot Product Development Council.
The awards are funded by the Province of British Columbia and administered by the Federation of B.C. Woodlot Associations.
Mark Clark, president, Federation of B.C. Woodlot Associations, commented: “I am pleased to join the minister in recognizing this year’s exceptional woodlot licensees. Their commitment to excellence in forest stewardship and strong support of community involvement makes them deserving of special recognition. On behalf of the Federation of B.C. Woodlot Associations ― and all its members ― congratulations.”
Woodlot licences in B.C. are small, area-based tenures managed by individuals, groups or First Nations. British Columbia has over 860 active woodlots. Each woodlot generates jobs in planning, harvesting, road construction and maintenance, reforestation, silviculture and small-scale timber processing.