The Board is seeking to fill three directorship positions in 2026.
The Directors will focus on governance. The Board’s job is to govern, which is to guide, direct and oversee the affairs of the Woodlot Product Development Council operating under the trade name of Woodlots BC, and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders. The Board must ensure that its decisions and actions enable it to achieve the intent of the approved Development Plan and comply with the guidelines contained in the Plan for the operation of the organization. The Directors and the entity known as the Board exist to operate in the best interests of Woodlots BC and those it was established to serve.
Every Director must be familiar with their basic fiduciary responsibilities, which include:
Duty of Care: Ensuring Woodlots BC assets are used with prudence and care.
Duty of Loyalty: Ensuring the Board makes decisions in the best interest for Woodlots BC.
Duty of Obedience: Ensuring Woodlots BC is continually in compliance with its Policies, Operating Procedures and all other applicable laws and regulations.
An essential part of the Board’s work is to establish the outcomes to be achieved by Woodlots BC, as well as develop the policies, conditions, or constraints that the achievement of outcomes must satisfy, and empower the Executive Director to achieve those outcomes.
Eligible Voters
Individuals, partnerships, corporations or other legal entities which are holders of a Crown Woodlot Licence in the Province of British Columbia are voting members of Woodlots BC. Each woodlot licence affords its holder one membership and one vote. In cases where an individual holds more than one licence, or the licence is not held by one individual, the licence holder may appoint only one person at one time to represent the woodlot. For voting purposes, an individual can only represent one licence at any time.
Voting must be done on the ballot form that is included in the election package. Voting can occur in one of three ways:
i) Online
ii) Mailed-in
iii) In person at Annual General Meeting.
Each option will be assigned a deadline for submission. Ballots must be submitted in time to meet the assigned deadline for submission as follows: Online by September 21, 2026; Mailed in time to be received by September 21, 2026; and In person by October 1 at 6:00pm.
The following pages contain profiles for all five candidates running in this year’s Woodlot BC Elections. According to the Operating Procedures, the Board may determine the number of positions within a range of 5-9 voting Directors. Currently there are 7 voting Directors and one government appointed non-voting Director.
The slate of candidates presented in alphabetical order has been approved by Woodlots BC Governance and Nominations Committee and the WPDC Board of Directors. All biographical information was prepared and submitted by the candidates. All candidate statements are the opinions of the candidates and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Woodlots BC.
If you have any questions on the election process please contact Cathy McClary by phone: 250-961-0271 or email: cathy@woodlotsbc.ca
Ross Harris
Candidate Statement
I have been involved in the woodlot licence program in BC as a licensee for over 35 years. Managing woodlots has been a passion both for my own licences and in the past as a consultant for clients in the Prince George forest resource district. This past year I have been fortunate enough to serve on the board of directors of Woodlots BC and chair the Finance and Risk sub-committee. I have been impressed with the dedication and professionalism of the board in governance, managing spending and trying to develop strategies to deal with the many urgent issues facing woodlot licence members and the forest industry at large.
Working with the Board I have helped develop a new investment policy for the levy investment funds for financial stability and higher investment returns that can help support the operations of Woodlots BC into the future. Together with board members I have worked on policies and strategies that will make the organization stable into the future such as the levy plebiscite coming this year.
As a long-term licensee, I can bring the value of experiencing the ups and downs in the economics of woodlots, fire, windfall, diseases and pests on woodlots and the many government policy changes that have happened. I was an early member on the executive of the Federation of BC Woodlot Associations and took on the stumpage file, getting the low volume stumpage additive that eventually evolved into the woodlot licence tabular rates we have today. I retired from the Ministry of Forests Coastal timber pricing operations last year and have an intimate knowledge of timber pricing that I can offer to the Board. My career as a forester has been split evenly between the Coast and Interior giving me a good perspective on the different operating conditions of both, along with a decade spent on eucalyptus plantations in Uruguay.
There is much to be done to serve the interests of woodlot members, promote the value of the woodlot program and stand up for the forest industry at large that we all depend on. I would like to serve for another term to continue this important work.
Jennifer Hill
Candidate Statement
I am pleased to submit my nomination as a Board Director with Woodlots BC. As a passionate advocate for the BC Woodlot Program and a long-time forestry professional, I am committed to helping guide the program into the future by ensuring woodlot licensees continue to have a strong and effective voice within British Columbia’s forest sector.
I hold a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management (Forestry) from the University of Northern British Columbia and a Diploma of Forest Technology from BCIT. Throughout my 26-year forestry career, I have worked for government, industry, yet largely remaining with private consulting. During this time, I have gained extensive experience in woodlot management, tenure administration, forest planning, silviculture, timber harvesting and wildfire rehabilitation in both the field and administrative roles. Since 2001, I have held the designation of Registered Professional Forester (RPF). I have also maintained numerous certifications, including Accredited Silviculture Surveyor, Wildlife Danger Tree Assessor, S-100 Fire Suppression and Occupational First Aid with Transportation Endorsement. Early in my career, I worked with both the Lakes District Woodlot Association and the Federation of BC Woodlot Associations, coordinating enhanced silviculture programs for woodlot licensees.
In addition to my professional experience, I fully manage our family-owned Woodlot Licence W1536 in the Nadina District. Our woodlot suffered complete destruction during the 2018 Verdun Mountain Wildfire. Since then, I have worked with provincial rehabilitation programs to restore our woodlot, providing firsthand experience in wildfire recovery, reforestation, and long-term stewardship.
The forest industry in BC faces significant challenges, including regulatory change, increasing costs, wildfire impacts, and evolving public expectations. I believe the Woodlot Program plays a critical role in demonstrating sustainable, locally managed forestry and supporting rural communities. I am prepared to commit the time required to serve effectively as a Director and believe my technical and professional expertise, practical woodlot experience, and dedication to the program would allow me to make a valuable contribution to Woodlots BC.
Maxime Lépine
Candidate Statement
I am a Registered Professional Forester, woodlot owner, and business leader with more than 20 years of experience in forestry, environmental management, and natural resource development across British Columbia.
I currently serve on the Woodlots BC Board of Directors and am seeking re-election to continue representing the interests of woodlot owners across the province. I currently sit on the Governance and Nominations Committee to help create further governance structure within Woodlots BC. As the owner of Woodlot 1606, I understand firsthand the challenges facing woodlot licensees and am committed to ensuring their voices are heard by government, industry, and regulatory agencies.
In my current employment role as Director of Rights and Title for Upper Nicola Band within Syilx Territory, I work extensively on forestry referrals, stewardship planning, and resource management. I have been actively involved in advancing variable retention within the Interior Douglas-fir ecosystems. These approaches help maintain watershed function, improve water retention, support biodiversity, and promote successful natural regeneration following harvest activities. These areas that are adjacent to natural prairie lands and burns from the white rock fire have created multiple management objectives that have been strictly regulated.
I bring a broad range of operational and management experience to the Board. I previously served as CEO of a coastal forestry operation, overseeing the planning and harvesting of approximately 180,000 cubic meters annually in steep terrain. Throughout my career, I have managed and worked within a wide variety of tenure types, including private forest lands, woodlots, community forests, and Tree Farm Licences. My experience includes management responsibilities associated with TFL 44 at the head of Bute Inlet and TFL 38 in Squamish Valley, providing me with a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing forest managers across British Columbia.
If re-elected, I will continue to advocate for practical, science-based forest management, stronger communication between members and government, and policies that support the long-term sustainability and profitability of woodlot operations. I believe Woodlots BC should remain a strong voice for its members while promoting innovative stewardship practices that ensure healthy forests and resilient rural economies for future generations.
Paul Nimmon
Candidate Statement
Raised on Vancouver Island, I have over 35 years of experience in British Columbia’s silviculture industry. I am the owner and operator of Lukwa Enterprises Ltd., a silviculture company established in 1999. I hold a BSc with a double major in Physics and Mathematics from Dalhousie University (1994).
While being a new woodlot licensee (W1610 on Quadra Island), I have provided silviculture stewardship services to more than a dozen North Island woodlots over the past 25 years, developing a strong appreciation for the role woodlots play in supporting sustainable, community-based forestry. Through Lukwa Enterprises Ltd., I have also worked under direct-award contract with TimberWest/Mosaic for more than 20 years in Special Management Zone 19 on Quadra Island, focusing on intensive silviculture practices and long-term forest stewardship. We also work with our local First Nation in delivering forest stewardship services.
Being a strong advocate for safety and workforce development, I have helped develop resources for the manual brushing sector and I am currently working with the Western Forestry Contractors Association and the BC Forest Safety Council to assess the resources, skills, and capacity of the manual brushing workforce on Vancouver Island. This work builds on years of advocacy to improve support and recognition for the silviculture sector. I also train Mosaic’s manual brushing crews using an extension program I developed and was recognized with Mosaic’s Leadership in Safety Award in 2022.
In my community, I have served as Vice President with the role of staff liaison and policy development for Quadra Golf over the past 12 years and I am currently serving as Vice Chair of the Strathcona Regional District Area C Advisory Planning Commission. I volunteer coached youth soccer for over 15 years in Campbell River.
I bring enthusiasm, practical forestry experience, and a long-term perspective to the BC Woodlot Program, representing a new generation of woodlot owners committed to its continued success, sustainability, and value to rural communities across British Columbia.
I offer my name towards becoming a director with the Woodlots BC.
Lee Pond
Candidate Statement
I am proud to have been involved in Forestry since high school and still at it more than 40 years later. Graduate of UBC forestry, then a career on the BC coast with experience from Terrace to Lake Cowichan, in logging management, log buying and forest engineering, working for large corporations, and small ones and my own consulting company.
I saved the best for the last decade and switched to running my own woodlot and private land. Get to do all the fun parts, while sweating out profit and loss, bank mortgages, amid the changing fiscal and regulatory environments. All fun and rewarding for the most part.
I still dream of passing on a sustainable long term family business, but I have experienced and see serious challenges on the horizon. Growing trees and getting them to market is the easy part, our challenge is increasing costs, decreasing certainty and an indifferent or worse hostile public which are all degrading the viability of Woodlots and other Forest Tenures.
I am honoured to serve on the current Board of Directors and participate in the Finance and Risk Oversight Committee. With your support, I believe I can help Woodlots BC continue to focus on the issues we can control or influence, to encourage the public and government to create a regulatory structure promoting a healthy environment and forest industry.
