What makes a top tier woodlot? This award-winning owner has an answer

Allan Robertson was "tickled pink" to find out he was awarded the woodlot owner of the year award by the York-Sunbury-Charlotte Forest Products Marketing Board.

"I certainly wasn't going after any award," he said. "It just kind of fell into my lap."

But what makes a perfect woodlot?

Matthew Daigle, the general manager for the marketing board, said Robertson knows what he wants for his woodlot in Stanley, a drive of about 40 kilometres northwest of Fredericton.

"Al's a very passionate woodlot owner — he's very goal oriented," said Daigle. "He's done everything on his woodlot from pre-commercial thinning to silviculture, planting, tending, harvesting,

"He's very smart and knowledgeable in forestry, and he's very conscientious about what he can do — both environmentally and just best forest management practices."

According to a report from the government of New Brunswick, private woodlots account for 30 per cent of New Brunswick's forests or 1.9 million hectares and "are an integral component of the provincial wood supply and rural economy."

Robertson's focus with his woodlot is to maintain the hardwood forest and get rid of the fur that grows in clumps. (Submitted by Allan Robertson)

Robertson's woodlot came to him through his late father-in-law, with a goal of creating a Christmas tree farm.

He had around six or seven acres in Christmas trees, but a lot of them went bad because they were spaced too close together and weren't getting enough sun, nutrients and water.

So Robertson called the marketing board around 13 or 14 years ago and asked what to do.

From there, he was given a reference manual on the restoration of the Acadian forest. Robertson also has a brother with a woodlot and was able to get coaching from him too.

From there, his focus became maintaining the hardwood forest and getting rid of the fur that grows in clumps.

With Robertson's award also comes the chance for the public to tour the woodlot on Saturday.

This photo shows the small-scale business side of Robertson's woodlot. According to the province, woodlots 'are an integral component of the provincial wood supply and rural economy.' (Submitted by Allan Robertson)

On the New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners website page about the tour, Robertson is credited with planting species such as red and sugar maple, yellow birch, white pine, and red spruce, and "creating a woodlot that is relatively fire and wind resistant as well as climate resilient."

The sugar maples are Robertson's passion, he said.

If he sees other species around the sugar maples that don't look as though they'll come to fruition, he tries to take them out to give the sugar maples more sunshine and space to grow.

"That's my preferred species," he said. "I don't admire poplar trees or aspens. I don't admire beech because most of the beech on our property are blighted.

"I have my preferences. In my brother's terms … I make it my own."