Woodlot licensee Grant Hayden is one of four recipients of the inaugural Minister's Award of Excellence for Woodlot Management, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson announced.

Hayden has managed a woodlot on Quadra Island since 1998, and is known for his community involvement, volunteering his time and equipment to assist with the building and maintenance of trails and other island projects. Hayden's innovations include a special rake for excavators that helps remove brush and creates plantable spots. Hayden has also managed to protect new western red cedar and Douglas fir seedlings from deer.

Hayden's dedication to his woodlot goes above and beyond the regular duties of a licensee.

The Minister's Awards of Excellence for Woodlot Management were first announced in 2010, with $8,500 being distributed across three forest regions. Hayden was the award recipient for the Coast forest region and receives $2,500. The winners for the Southern Interior and Northern Interior forest regions will be announced in the near future.

Finalists were evaluated by a team with representation from the Federation of BC Woodlot Associations and the ministry.

Quick Facts:

• Woodlot licences are small, area-based tenures that combine private land with up to 800 hectares of Crown land on the Coast and 1,200 hectares in the Interior, and are managed by individuals, groups or First Nations.
• Woodlots are replaceable tenures, usually awarded for an initial term of 20 years.
• British Columbia has about 860 active woodlots. Each woodlot generates jobs in planning, harvesting, road construction and maintenance, reforestation, silviculture and small-scale timber processing.

Learn More:

Visit the Federation of B.C. Woodlot Associations at: www.woodlot.bc.ca

Contact:

Cheekwan Ho
Public Affairs Officer
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
250 356-5261