Into The Woods My Life in Forestry

An insider’s look at the laying of the foundations of modern forestry in Canada.

At the age of seventeen Ken Armson began his career in forestry felling trees in a British conifer plantation.

Thus began the remarkable career of a man who played a seminal role in the development of sustainable forest management in Canada, in particular, Ontario.

He was instrumental in the development of key practices and policies on both public and private forest lands.

Tireless, persuasive, perennially curious, Ken Armson became an energetic advocate for practical mechanisms to improve the transfer of knowledge and innovative practices to forest practioners.

His lifelong fascination with the evolution of forest management practices, their ecological impacts, and the social, economic and political contexts from which they emerged had made for a rich and rewarding life, for Mr. Armson and for all of us.

What readers have to say…

“Ken Armson has published his memoirs. I argue that he has has positively influenced forest management in Canada more than any other person has. I have personally witnessed his impact in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba and heard others attest to his impact in British Columbia. The first time I saw Ken was in 1968 (I think that was the year) at the Irving Tree Nursery in NB. I was leading a group from NL to learn about establishing a tree nursery of our own. K.C Irving was there to observe a new aircraft he was purchasing. Armson was in a transplant bed collecting soil samples. Irving turned to us and said, “Look at that man out there getting his hands dirty. He is the best authority to be found on forest soils and forest management. If you are serious, then get his help.” Having travelled Canada coast to coast, observing forest-company and government practices, I rate the J.D.Irving forestry practices in NB to be the most successful I have seen. K.C. gave Ken much of the credit for his knowledge of forestry.

I observed Ken as he negotiated Forest Management Agreements in Manitoba and Ontario and witnessed the practical knowledge he brought to the table and had inserted into FMAs. Ever since 1977 when he visited me in NL I have benefited from participating in numerous field trips he has led. A graduate of UNB I never attended U of T to benefit from Ken’s lectures, but I have learned more forestry from Ken Armson than I have from any other person.

I strongly urge you to buy and read Armson – into the Woods. I expect that it will be an education in itself and will help you understand what drives exceptional people to excel.” – Mac Squires, R.P.F. (Re.), Author of Dynamic Forest published August 2017 by Dundurn Press

ISBN: 978-1-77257-256-8 (PB)
ISBN: 978-1-77257-257-5 (eBook)