Jim and Donna Webber were chosen as winners of the “Woodlot Owners of the Year Award” (WOYA) for the eastern Region of Nova Scotia, and went on from there to be selected as provincial WOYA winners. They are the first provincial winners from the Antigonish area since Mary Van den Heuval in 1995.
The WOYA program has been in place for approximately 20 years. It is intended to acknowledge the commitment and good works of landowners like Jim and Donna who sustainably manage their land and who have clear goals of what they want to achieve through their management activities. It is hoped that WOYA winners can be looked to as examples of how to do things right and who will share their experience with others. Jim and Donna certainly fit that bill.
The award is not about an attractive woodlot. It is about what the landowner does with what he and/or she has that counts. When you visit the Webber woodlot, you will see a working lot that has yielded income on an annual basis, either from low bush blueberries, christmas trees or commercial harvets for fibre.
Jim has spent much time on the executive of the North Eastern Christmas Tree Association and is currently president of the Christmas Tree Council of Nova Scotia. The many hours commited to helping other woodlot owners is another key reason why someone is chosen Woodlot Owner of the Year.
For more information on the award and this years winners, you can visit the Dept. of Natural Resources web site at www.gov.ns.ca/natr/woodlot/woya/.
On Saturday, Oct. 2nd from 9 am to 3pm there will be a field day at the Webber woodlot at 1850 Hwy #7 in North Lochaber.