Watch video.  

Governor Paul R. LePage presents Irving Woodlands, LLC with the prestigious 2015 Austin H. Wilkins Forest Stewardship Award.  This prestigious award recognizes people or organizations that stand above their peers to further forestry, forests, or forestland conservation in the state of Maine. Started by the Maine TREE Foundation in 2004, it is the only award in Maine that recognizes stewardship of the working forest.

“Maine’s working forests are a vital part of our past, present, and future economy. Named after one of Maine’s longest contributing professional foresters, the Austin H. Wilkins Forest Stewardship Award is an opportunity to publicly recognize exemplary management of working forests.” – Governor Paul R. LePage.

“This award is a real tribute to the everyday commitment of our team forestry professionals to healthy forests in Maine,” said Jim Irving, Co-CEO of J.D. Irving, Limited.  “Their hard work and passion is ensuring a long-term future of the north Maine woods for jobs and the environment based on good science.  We are very fortunate to have a forestry centre of excellence at the University of Maine – in Orono and Fort Kent.  They are vital partners in the research that guides our best practices.”

                                                         Blaine House, Augusta Maine
                                                                       October 20, 2015
 Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry and the Maine Tree Foundation
     The Twelfth Presentation of the Austin H. Wilkins Forest Stewardship Award
                                                  Presented to: Irving Woodlands, LLC

For Five generations of steadfast family commitment to forest stewardship and capital forest investment dedicated to value the best forest management and forest research; for committing the corporation to sustainability and innovation and for adding local value to the trees through better utilization and the growth of the forest products industry.

For a vision to create and manage for what has become known as a “forester’s forest."

Maine Governor Paul Lepage (left) is joined by Sherry Huber (right) of the Maine Tree Foundation as they present the Austin Wilkins Forest Stewardship Award to Jim Irving (center)

Irving Woodlands has operated in Aroostook County for almost 70 years.  Today the company’s forestry and forest products operations directly employ almost 400 people.  A further 777 jobs are generated through the 97 woodlands contractors the company employs.

Irving Woodlands in Maine are annually audited and certified by 3rd party experts from the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC® C041515), the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), as well as the State’s Panel of Technical Experts.

In October 2014, the company marked the opening of the new state-of-the-art Ashland Sawmill in Nashville Plantation, Maine. Today, 72 people work at the Ashland sawmill.  During the construction phase, over 84 Maine businesses provided in excess of $17 million in goods and services to the project, employing over 50 people on site during peak construction.