News release

1999 Woodlot Owner of the Year

Natural Resources (to July 2018)

An Annapolis County man has been chosen as the 1999 Woodlot Owner of the Year. Harold Hearn of Princedale was selected from among six regional winners by a three-member judging panel from the Department of Natural Resources.

The award will be presented to Mr. Hearn at his woodlot in Virginia East, near Princedale, during a field day Saturday, Sept. 18.

Other woodlot owners and the public are invited to the field day to meet Mr. Hearn and see his woodlot. Tours will be held at 10 a.m., 11:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. They will highlight his work, including softwood and hardwood thinnings, wildlife cavity trees and a fire pond stocked with speckled trout. There will also be demonstrations with oxen, a portable sawmill and other equipment. Lunch will be served at his camp on Little Grand Lake.

In selecting Mr. Hearn as the winner, the awards panel felt he was doing an outstanding job of managing his woodlot. Tim Whynot, a member of the panel said: "Mr. Hearn takes great care in everything he does on his woodlot. He pays attention to detail and does everything well. He is in tune with his woodlot and observes wildlife as well as the trees".

Steve Brown, another member of the panel, said it was easy to tell that Mr. Hearn is extremely proud of his woodlot and is committed to a high level of management. "It was evident that from the first time we met Harold at his woodlot that he was anxious to point out his accomplishments and share it with others."

Mr. Hearn said the success of the woodlot is due to a number of factors, but good advice at just the right time has been a huge factor.

"If I ever found myself at a crossroads I would turn to John Stacey from the Department of Natural Resources for his input and usually he had the right answer," said Mr. Hearn. "It's fun to work with others on a project like this as well. I enjoy discussing my work with others and the input is valuable because I know they have my best interests in mind."

To get to the Hearn woodlot from Highway 101, take Exit 22 to Route 8 toward Annapolis Royal. Turn left onto the Princedale Road, go under the Highway 101 overpass and then turn left onto Princedale Branch Road until you reach the stop sign. The woodlot is on the left side of the road. Signs will be posted for the field day.

This is the 10th year for the prestigious award, which recognizes outstanding achievements in woodlot management. Woodlot owners are evaluated by three employees of the Department of Natural Resources on their effort and commitment to setting and meeting sustainable goals for their land, improving their knowledge or understanding of their forest land or the forest in general, improving the condition, access, and health of their woodland, integrated resource management with an emphasis on wood production while considering other values such as wildlife habitat, and woodlot management in general.

Any resident who owns between 20 hectares (50 acres) and 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of woodland in Nova Scotia is eligible for the award. Nominations are accepted at Department of Natural Resources offices until Jan. 31 of each year. Six regional winners are selected prior to choosing the provincial winner.