The Maplewood Farm

http://www.novascotia.ca/natr/woodlot/woya/2009.asp

Congratulations to Rex Veinot and family of Lunenburg County, the 2009 Provincial and Western Region Winners of the Woodlot Owner of the Year (WOYA). Rex and his family were chosen as regional winners in May 2009 and selected as provincial winners in June.

The Veinot family woodlot, Maplewood Maple Syrup and Christmas Tree Farm, is located in Maplewood, Lunenburg County. Rex says his favourite thing is the smell of maple sugar in the sugar shack, but the 350-acre (142-hectare) woodlot extends well beyond that shack and the home that his great-grandfather also lived in. The woodlot exhibits long-term sound forestry practices, including an emphasis on mixed species and uneven-aged stands management.

It's no surprise that the Veinot family won the provincial Woodlot Owner of the Year Award 13 years ago, that Rex has served as past president of the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers' Association, and that many people have enjoyed wagon tours of his woodlot over the years. This beautiful property includes a large sugar bush and many varieties of Christmas trees, with interspersed apple trees for wildlife. Rex has installed several nest boxes for birds and bats around the woodlot and is hoping to work with local Boy Scouts to install even more boxes. He has also carefully maintained streams, ponds, and riparian areas for habitat, A hundred years ago, a neighbour claimed that a pristine natural spring on the woodlot had healing properties! All the activities on this woodlot contribute not only to the local economy, but also to the export market.

The Veinot family woodlot has been kept healthy through thoughtful management. Rex is a big advocate of management plans, and has been continually updating his since 1978. His vision is to ensure the woodlot is healthy and intact in the future. Rex is the fourth generation to run the woodlot, and is hoping to pass it onto the fifth and sixth generations, continuing the legacy.