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Woodlot management award presented to Courtenay couple

Courtenay couple Sid and Barb Dawson received an award for their management of a woodlot in the Parksville area.
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SID AND BARB DAWSON (second from right and far right holding grandson) received the Award of Excellence for Woodlot Management from MLA Don McRae (far left). Other Dawson family members helped to celebrate.

Courtenay couple Sid and Barb Dawson received an award for their management of a woodlot in the Parksville area.The Dawsons received the Award of Excellence for Woodlot Management in the Coastal region, which Comox Valley MLA Don McRae announced Friday on behalf of Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson. Sid said the $2,500 cheque he received will help pay for treeplanters on his family-managed woodlot.Woodlot licences are small, area-based tenures that combine private land with up to 800 hectares of Crown land on the Coast and 1,200 hectares in the Interior, and are managed by individuals, groups or First Nations. Sid and his wife have managed the same woodlot for the past 17 years, but it's also one of the province's original woodlots from 1948 and has been managed by members of the Dawson family continuously since then."When you've been at it this long it, it's nice to get some appreciation for it," said Sid of the award.According to a Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations news release, the Dawsons are well-known for their adaptive and creative approach to forest management, and they show dedication to sustainable harvesting and long-term stewardship."Sid and Barb Dawson have set a high standard for other woodlot licensees to follow. Their willingness to share knowledge with other licensees shows their dedication and contribution to ensure the continued success of the Woodlot Licence Program provincewide," said McRae in the release. The excellence award is given to licensees that show exemplary leadership and contribution to woodlot management.Three of these awards are given out each year: one for the Northern Interior, one for the Southern Interior, and the one for the Coast region that the Dawsons received. In total, B.C. has 866 active woodlots.Nominations for the 2012 awards close Dec. 31.