PEOPLE & FORESTS NOVA SCOTIA HALL OF FAME
Below are the names of the individuals who have been voted into the RPFANS Hall of Fame. Please click on their names to get more details about the extraordinary work they have each participated in throughout their respective careers.
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Ross began his forestry career with the NS Dept. of Lands & Forests in 1949. Inn1954, he left the department and went to work for Hollingsworth & Whitney,,later Scott Paper, where as purchase wood superintendent he was instrumentallin promoting the harvesting of pulp wood from private land. He retired frommScott Paper in 1986. Since then, Ross has been an active volunteer in forestry anddcommunity organizations including Forest Products Assoc. of NS; Chairmannof the Forest Products Roads Comm.; NS & Cobequid Christmas Tree GrowerssAssoc.; Voluntary Planning Comm. on private land usage; NS Forest Tech..Assoc. & the first chief of the Salmon River Fire Brigade.
A native of New Jersey, Ralph began his forestry career in NS timber cruising in 1923. After working in several provinces and states, Ralph was hired by Bowater Mersey becoming Chief Forester from 1933 to 1965. Ralph was active in a number of forestry organizations including Society of Amer. Foresters; Canadian Inst. of Forestry; Woodlands Section CPPA, recipient of award for Meritorious Service in Forest Conservation; Director Forest Products Assoc. of NS; MFRS advisory Comm.; President NS For. Assoc.; NS Resource Council and a member of the Forestry Section NS Vol. Planning Board. Ralph was also an author publishing articles in several forestry journals. In 1986, he published “Forests of Nova Scotia” a definitive history of Nova Scotia’s forests and the development of the forest industry from the ice age to the mid 1980’s.
Girvan began his forestry career as a contractor in Nova Scotia moving to the Dept. of Lands & Forests working as a forest technician and district supervisor before embarking on a career as an educator at the Maritime Forest Ranger School. Primarily through his dedication as an educator and author of several forestry books he has had a strong impact on foresters, technicians, land owners, and others whose life's work is a stewards of the forests. Girvan has been an active participant in many organizations including the NS and NB Forest Technicians Assocs. and has been awarded the L.B. Pearson Canadian Poetry Prize and CIF Tree of Life Award. He was also inducted into the NB Forestry Hall of Fame in 2004.
Born in Russia, Leif began his forestry career in Sweden before moving to Canada. He was a strong proponent of investing in forest management to improve quality and increase yields from forest land and as Woodlands Manager of Bowater Mersey initiated their first silviculture program in the 1970's. Leif’s vision resulted in the first use of computers in woodland departments in Nova Scotia. Leif was a strong supporter of various forestry organizations serving as President of the CIF-NS Section and NS Forest Products Assoc. and was a member of the committee to draft provincial legislation for forestry practices. Leif was awarded the Charles Bullard Fellowship to study forestry at Harvard University in 1964.
Owen’s forestry career began in 1937 when he was hired to assist with building a fire tower near his home in Barr Settlement. He later became the fire tower operator. In 1940, given his natural ability to fix and maintain equipment, he established a workshop in his home to repair pumps, back tanks and other fire suppression equipment. Between 1940 and 1945, the Department of Lands and Forests relied solely on Owen for his mechanical abilities. In 1948, the Provincial Fire Depot was built in Shubenacadie and Owen was appointed its first Mechanical Superintendent, a position he held until his retirement in 1971. Owen was an integral and indispensable part of the Province’s forest fire protection team. As a result of his passion for his work, the Department’s ability to fight forest fires expanded greatly under Owen’s direction.
Bob began his 36-year forestry career with the Department of Lands and Forests in 1946 as a district forester. From there he joined Hollingsworth and Whitney, later a subsidiary of Scott Paper Company. In 1959, Bob and his family moved to Truro to assume management of Scott's woodland operations. In 1966, Bob became responsible for establishing a woodlands office and securing a wood supply for the mill. He was appointed Woodlands Manager with Scott Maritimes in 1967, a position he held until his retirement in1981. In 1971, Bob was elected President of the Nova Scotia Forest Products Association. In 1978, he partnered with Hugh Erskine to establish Mactara Ltd. Bob was widely known as a capable and knowledgeable manager who dealt effectively with the challenges that arose during the 1960's and 1970's, a period of rapid growth in the forest sector.
Graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1939 with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. His forestry career began overseas during World War II where he worked with the Canadian Forestry Corp. in France, Scotland and Belgium where he set up mills to provide lumber for hospitals and pilings to aid the the military in crossing the Rhine River into Germany. Upon his return, he lectured at the Maritime Forest Ranger, was Chief Forester of Nova Scotia from 1950 to 1965, Director of Forestry and later appointed Deputy Minister in 1969, a position he held until his retirement in 1977. Later he served as members of the environmental control council and is life time member of the surveyors association. An accomplished curler, he won both the Provincial Mens Junior and Senior Championship.
Graduated from the Maritime Forest Ranger School in 1968. During his 25 year career with the Department of Natural Resources, Russell supervised, implemented and assisted in the planning of forest research programs designed to improve the growth and yield of Nova Scotia's forests. As part of this work he was responsible for developing computer software for yield tables, growth models and timber cruising. Russell was an excellent communicator who had the ability to transfer technical research to the person in the field. He was instrumental in compiling the first Forestry Field Handbook which is now part of the curriculum at the MFRS. Russell was the 1996 recipient of the Graduate Forest Technicians Award, issued by the Council of Eastern Forest Technicians Schools, in recognition of his accomplishments and contribution to the field of forestry and public education
Received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of New Brunswick in 1959 and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mt. Allison University in 1965.Originally from Newfoundland, Gary is described as a forester, educator, writer, artist and photographer. In his early career, he taught courses in wood technology and dendrology at Memorial University. During his career with the Department of Natural Resources, he produced a number of publications for woodlot owners and was instrumental in helping to establish the Natural Resources Education Centre in Middle Musquodoboit. Gary has published numerous forestry and nature related books such as The Brook and the Woodcutter, The Man Who Couldn’t Stop Sneezing , Trees of Nova Scotia, Alder Muisc: A Celebration of our Environment and Wildlife of Atlantic Canada and much more.
Received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of New Brunswick in 1964 and a Master of Science in Forestry in 1969. His career with the Department of Natural Resources began in 1969 with the Canada Land Inventory and the development of a biophysical land classification system for the province. Later he would lead the provincial forest research program that was responsible for the strategic analysis of the Nova Scotia wood supply and the development of criteria and treatments for provincial silviculture programs. Ed was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of New Brunswick for his work in developing growth and yield model for predicting wood supply. He is credited with being the driving force behind expanding the provincial silviculture programs aimed at increasing wood supply and production.
Graduated from the Maritime Forest Ranger School in 1948. Les spent his entire career working with the former Dept of Lands & Forests, retiring in 1981 as Supervisor of the Hants West District. Les led the design of the body and pumping system for trucks used to fight forest fires, the hand primer for Wajax fire pumps and specialized equipment used by the Christmas Tree Industry. He was one of the first to suggest growing exotic species of Balsam Fir and collecting plus trees for seed in the Christmas Tree Industry. He developed mechanized net balers and miniature sprayers for Christmas Tree plantations. Les was inducted into the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers Association Wall of Fame in 2002. As an active woodlot owner, he was selected the Provincial Woodlot Owner of the Year in 2002. He was a founding member and the first president of the Nova Scotia Forest Technicians Association.
He graduated from Dalhousie University in 1926 with an Arts Degree and in 1929 from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. Following post graduate studies in Germany, Wilfred began working with Dept. of Lands & Forests in 1934 as Provincial Forester. He held this position until 1949 when he became Deputy Minister retiring in 1969. Known as the "guru" of forestry in Nova Scotia, his intense interests, foresight and leadership have had a profound impact on the shaping of forest management in this province. He is recognized as leading the drive to purchase much of the Crown land the province owns today. Wilfred was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science from U.N.B. He was National President of the Canadian Institute of Forestry from 1957-1959. At the age of 100, he is still active in managing his wood lot and sugar bush.
Graduated from te University of New Brunswick with a bachelor of Science in Forestry in1959. He then went on to earn a Masters of Forestry from State University in New York in 1951 and a Doctorate from Ohio Sate University in 1960. He spent his career as a forest entomologist with the Canadian Forest Service. He was Program Director of Technical Services at the Maritime Forest Research Center from 1979 -1989. A highlite of his career was working on the successful biocontrol of winter moth in both Nova Scotia and British Columbia. He is also credited with refining techniques for the production of balsam fir Christmas trees in Lunenburg County. In recognition of this work he was made a Life Member of the Lunenburg Christmas Tree Growers Association. Throughout his career he was fostered, improved and enhanced the transfer of research information from researchers to foresters.
