News release

2001 Woodlot Owner of the Year Chosen

Natural Resources (to July 2018)

A couple from Upper Kennetcook, East Hants Co., will receive the 2001 Woodlot Owner of the Year award from the Department of Natural Resources.

Don and Katy Moore were chosen as the Central Nova Scotia regional winner in May and were recently selected as the provincial winner over other outstanding woodlot owners from Western and Eastern Nova Scotia.

The Department of Natural Resources received a number of nominations for provincial winner in January. All nominations were evaluated by regional Natural Resources staff over the past month as weather conditions improved.

The Moores were chosen as the provincial winner for their keen and innovative approach to running their woodlot. Don and Katy are among the first landowners in the province to ensure that the person they contract to harvest on their woodlot comes back and regenerates the harvested area with young seedlings.

The Moores are also open to sharing information about their woodlot with interested groups.

“We love to have children come visit our lot and learn about forestry,” said Katy. “We are in the process of developing trails throughout our woodlot so visiting groups can easily walk through and see what we have done.”

“Don is both a thinker and a doer,” said Tim Whynot, a member of the judging committee. “He puts a lot of thought into his plans and follows through with action. You really get a sense of the effort and commitment that he and Katy put into the woodlot when you spend some time with them on the property.”

Norman Doucet, a forestry technician with Natural Resources, has worked closely with the Moores over the past few years.

“The Moores are very active landowners who are willing to reinvest their own money in the woodlot,” said Mr. Doucet. “They also receive funding from industry to help them put sustainable forest management practices into place. Mr. Moore just retired in May, so he will now have even more time to devote to managing his 126-hectare lot.”

The 2001 Woodlot Owner of the Year Award will be officially presented to the Moores at a field tour to be held on their woodlot in late September or early October. An exact date for the tour will be announced in early September.

Other regional winners recognized in May were Esther Ernst Pike and Rodger Pike of Blockhouse, Lunenburg Co., who won for the Western region. Tom Long of Guysborough won for the Eastern region.

This is the 12th year for this award which recognizes outstanding achievements in woodlot management. Woodlot owners are evaluated on their effort and commitment to setting and meeting sustainable goals for their land; improving their knowledge or understanding of the 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; and considering values such as wildlife habitat and woodlot management.

Nova Scotia residents who own between 20 to 400 hectares -- 50 to 1,000 acres -- of woodland in the province are eligible. Nominations are accepted at Department of Natural Resources offices until Jan. 31 of each year.