Women of The Working Forests: Meet some of our inspiring and hardworking women

From the office to the forest, women help shape our workforce. We're proud to highlight some incredible women who play key roles in our operations and have made significant contributions to research, silviculture and business improvement.

Foresters and silviculture supervisors like Carole Michaud work hard to ensure that we support healthy, working forests for future generations. Carole’s grateful for her long career at J.D. Irving, Limited, saying, “I enjoy every day in the woods and am proud to be here with a great team! They are my second family.” She has been with us since 1996 and continues to pioneer research, development and GIS mapping in the woods. 

Not all jobs supporting the working forest take place amongst the trees. New university graduate and finance analyst Abigail Forestell enjoys supporting forestry operations. “Each day I am inspired by the women I have the chance to work with, from the foresters in the woods to my coworkers here at the office.” She collaborates with foresters daily to budget and plan, while managing costs effectively. 

Our administrators form the backbone of organizational efficiency and coordination, and Carrie Carson, garage administrator, is enthusiastic about the work she does and the people she works with. “No day is the same. One day I could be creating reports to reduce costs and the next I could be ensuring our customers are paid on time. The opportunities to be involved and interact with different people are endless.”  

Mia Secord, accounting administrator, finds the women she works with makes her experience especially rewarding. “Their dedication and leadership continually inspire both my professional and personal growth.” She manages contractor payments and tracks insurance documentation, ensuring that everyone is compensated for their hard work. “It’s important to uphold the integrity of a payment system and keep our operations running smoothly.” 

Supporting women in male-dominated fields is important for fostering inclusivity and that’s why some enterprising women within the Woodlands and Sawmill divisions created ‘Growing Women Leaders’, a group that’s still meeting years later to share knowledge. Their aim is to provide mentorship and highlight the contributions of women across our regions.

We are proud to have these women on our team who are committed to healthy forest management and growing diversity within the workforce.