By John McClary, Meet A Woodlotter
The Willow River Demonstration Forest Society is the holder of Woodlot Licence W0272 that was awarded in 1986 and is located in the Prince George Resource District approximately 30 km East of Prince George. Mike Trepanier of Industrial Forestry Service Ltd. has been the woodlot manager since 2004 and is also a member of the Society.
The woodlot has a strong focus on sustainable forestry and public education. In the mid-1970s members of the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s Cariboo Section wanted to make local forestry practices more visible to the public to address emerging environmental concerns. The Society was formed in 1985 and an area of land was selected for a demonstration forest and volunteers started planning interpretive trail building and developing interpretive signage.
The woodlot has been a platform for innovative forestry practices and demonstrations of sustainable forest management. Mike’s role involves planning, managing forest health, harvesting operations, reforestation and maintaining the demonstration aspects of the woodlot. He finds the role rewarding, often witnessing the long-term results of forestry practices he has managed. The Society operates the woodlot as an outdoor classroom to showcase ecological principles with a focus on creating learning opportunities for university and college forestry students and sharing novel forestry practices with national and international professionals through annual tours and workshops.
Successes include salvage of Mountain Pine Beetle-damaged stands while incorporating novel practices during harvesting to provide demonstration and educational opportunities. The annual “Walk in the Woods” event during National Forestry Week [this year it’s September 21-27, 2025] has engaged approximately 500 elementary students each year for the past 40 years, totalling around 20,000 children, plus teachers and public members who tour the woodlot interpretive trails with volunteer forest professionals.
The annual “Walk in the Woods” event during National Forestry Week has engaged approximately 500 elementary students each year for the past 40 years, totalling around 20,000 children.
There are no significant challenges on the woodlot and operations have been reasonably smooth in recent years due to stable management, 1-Cutting Permit, and Tabular stumpage rates.
They maintain positive relationships with local sawmills and harvesting contractors to support their demonstration forestry activities and operate on a nonprofit basis, reinvesting revenues into the woodlot and educational activities. They maintain financial stability by managing cutting schedules and timber sales strategically, selling during high market periods to ensure operations are net positive.
W0272 functions uniquely as a demonstration small-scale working forest for educational and research purposes. It lies entirely within the boundaries of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation Woodland Licence but is managed separately. The woodlot is composed of regenerating harvested areas, mature White Spruce stands and 60-year-old Douglas-fir, White Spruce, and Lodgepole Pine stands that originated from the 1961 Grove Burn wildfire. The Society maintains a good working relationship with the Prince George Resource District staff to ensure smooth operations and compliance.
Mike’s memorable moments involve seeing forestry demonstration prescriptions come to fruition, tours with forestry professionals, and the natural ambience of the forest. He emphasized the rewarding nature of longevity in managing a woodlot by witnessing forest regeneration and growth over decades. The Society wants to continue responsible management with a focus on reforestation, harvesting demonstrations, and multiple resource values management. They want to build on existing relationships with educational institutions, professional organizations and First Nations.
Mike’s advice to new Woodlotters is to learn the geography and stand types of your woodlot well. Plan operations strategically for the long-term. Regularly monitor forest health and respond promptly to any issues. Work to build relationships with local sawmills, consultants, contractors, Forest District staff, First Nations and other resource users. Don’t wait to plant trees after logging. Recognize nature’s resilience but always give it the assistance needed to meet objectives.
