2004 Woodlot Owner of the Year Field Day

James Bower is Nova Scotia's 2004 provincial Woodlot Owner of the Year. A field day will be held on his woodlot in Lower Ohio, Shelburne Co., on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m to 3 p.m.

"Much of Nova Scotia's woodland is owned by small landowners who invest their own time and money into managing their woodlots," said Natural Resources Minister Richard Hurlburt. "This annual award and field day is one way to recognize the efforts of small woodlot owners and to provide the public with an opportunity to see good forest management."

The day's activities will highlight an old growth stand, known as "the green bunch"; riparian (watercourse buffer )management; and various forest harvesting methods. It will also include exhibits and equipment demonstrations, including a portable mill.

This woodlot has been in the Bower family since the late 1800s. James Bower has been managing it since the 1970s.

"This award shows me that people appreciate the results of what I'm doing here on my woodlot," said Mr. Bower.

Managing the woodlot is a co-operative effort by Mr. Bower, contractor Mike Harris, consulting forester Patricia Amero and buyer Lewis Mouldings.

"The green bunch" is a 150-year-old stand of red spruce, white pine and eastern hemlock. It withstood the ravages of fire in the early 1900s and has been left to grow over the years.

Mr. Bower's woodlot was also the site of filming for the movie The Scarlet Letter, which starred Demi Moore, in the mid-1990s.

To get to the woodlot, take Exit 26 (Shelburne) on Highway 103, head north on Highway 203 for about 11 kilometres toward Lower Ohio. The gated road leading into the parking lot is on the west side of Highway 203.