The Naturalist's Salute To: Merv Wilkinson

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Today’s salute is special to me. This particular naturalist has been a personal inspiration to me in my pursuit of an environmental career, and has contributed greatly to my vision of how we can live in balance with our sacred Mother Earth.
“We need to understand our relationship with the planet on which we live. We have to live with the earth. The earth does not have to live with us.” ~Merv Wilkinson

"Mervyn (Merv) Wilkinson passed August 31, 2011. At 97 years. In 1938, when Merv Wilkinson established Wildwood, his philosophy of forest management was based on the idea of sustainability. These principles were sharply different from common practices of the day. Over the years his management has been influenced by scientific insight, intuition, experimentation and experiences, including those of the many visitors from around the world. Sixty years of ecoforestry have illustrated that the forestry practiced at Wildwood has not decreased the productive capacity of the forest, or put ecosystem function at risk. Now Wildwood is widely recognized as a model for ecoforestry. It has become a learning site for those wanting skills in ecoforestry, and is often used by college and university students as a site for field studies. Merv has been very generous in sharing his knowledge and experiences with others and over the years he has taken thousands of people through his forest."

His philosophies included, but were not limited to; selectively harvesting trees and never taking more than the forest can regenerate (no clear cuts!), using horses to log in order to minimize damage to the forest, leaving deadfall to return to the earth and create habitat for small animals and fungi, choosing the tallest and healthiest trees for seed in order to propagate the forest, and leaving trees in place, that are playing an obviously important role, such as habitat for wood peckers or a large colony of ants.

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Merv Wilkinson helped shape the way we see forestry forever. He inspired generations of students, taught environmentalists to stand for something, and offered a model of a sustainable forest that has been studied throughout the world. For his contribution to sustainable selection forestry methods and education, Merv was awarded with the Order of B.C., and the Order of Canada.

Here is an excellent (7min) excerpt from a documentary entitled, Timber for Tomorrow, which I had the pleasure to watch the entire film in school. If you are interested in seeing more, perhaps check your local library.