One of the subjects that I meant to write about, during all that good weather when I wasn’t writing, was about the honour I received at the RDS/Forest Service Irish Forestry Awards back in October 2009, in being presented with a Judges Special Award.
- RDS Award winners: Standing L to R: Diarmuid McAree, retired Chief Forestry Inspector; Sean Ronan; John O’Connell; Fonsie Mealy, Vice President RDS; Cathal Kilcline, Bobby O’Connell, Mayor of Derry; Declan & Yvonne Foley. Seated Minister of State Tony Killeen; Jan Alexander
I had gone along not thinking I would win any award, as the woodlands I had entered in the Biodiversity section are young and not very developed yet. I was so pleasantly surprised when, after the awards were passed out, my name was called at the end to receive the Special Judges Award.
The RDS/Forest Service Irish Forestry Awards play a great role in encouraging people involved in growing forests to keep up the good work and they help us all increase our standards just that bit more. Any woodland owner can enter. Check out the RDS website.
Here’s what they said:
Judges Special Award Jan Alexander
“Finally our last award of the evening is the Judge’s Special Award. This Award is intended to give recognition to the exceptional skill and dedication shown by a either an individual or group that the judging panel have encountered during their inspections. This Award is intended to recognise their achievement and also to provide encouragement to many other aspiring foresters who are considering planting trees on parts of their land.
I am pleased to announce that the winner of this year’s Judges Special Award is Jan Alexander of Bawnboy, Co. Cavan.
The judges were very impressed with the work that has been carried out on Jan’s plantation and by the “close to nature methods” that are being applied in the management of her forest. The judges also noted the minimum interventionist approach that Jan has adopted and the fact that no chemical weed control was used on the plantation.
Since Jan moved to Ireland from Australia in the late 1970’s she has had a profound impact on the Forestry sector here, through her work both as founder of Crann, Ireland’s leading voluntary tree organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of our trees, hedgerows and woodlands to her current position as chairperson of Pro Silva Ireland.
Jan’s passionate interest in Forestry has been an inspiration to all and she has been one of the driving forces behind the planting of broadleaf trees in Ireland. It is in recognition of her major contribution to forestry both at a local and national level in Ireland that the judging panel has chosen Jan Alexander for this year’s Judge’s Special Award. I would like to call on the Minister to present Jan with this specially commissioned trophy from the award winning Irish wood turner Seamus Cassidy.”
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