Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière

Canadian Forestry
Association
FALL 2008
107 Pembroke St. E
Pembroke, ON
K8A 3M4
1-613-732-2917
or
1-866-441-4006
(North America)
The Canadian Forestry
Association is
Canada’s oldest
conservation
organization with a rich
legacy of public
education and
advocacy, promoting
the protection and
wise use of Canada’s
forest, water and
wildlife resources.
CFA Board
Barry Waito
Kathy Abusow
Mike Apsey
Bruce Dancik
Grant Gardner
Fred Blackstein
Geoff Munro
Herb Shaw
Bill Thornton
Rick Wishart
General Manager
Dave Lemkay
Membership
To become a member
of the CFA, visit
www.canadianforestry.com
or contact
membership@
canadianforestry.com
The year 2008 marks a number of milestones in Canadian forestry. CFA has the honour and
privilege to celebrate a number of these interesting and significant events. The 2008 Forest
th
Capital of Canada, Norfolk County, celebrates the 100 anniversary of the St. Williams (Ontario)
Forest Experiment Station, Canada’s oldest. CFA has shared in the project to sail a replica
squared timber crib of white pine timber down the Ottawa River marking 100 years since the last
squared timber raft, a harvest of J.R. Booth’s company. J.R. Booth, Canada’s pre-eminent
timber baron was also a founding member of the CFA. Another founding member and first
president of CFA was Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière. At the time of his death in 1908,
Sir Henri was not only Past President of CFA, he was Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.
So with this issue of the Canadian Forestry Association newsletter in 2008, we celebrate the
centenary of the first forestry station in Canada with the fine people of Norfolk County. We
celebrate 100 years since the last squared timber crib on the Ottawa River, and the City of
th
Pembroke’s 180 anniversary, and we draw attention to the illustrious political career and
leadership in forest matters of Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, CFA’s founding president.
Founding Member and First President of CFA
A founding member and the first president of
the Canadian Forestry Association was Sir
Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière. At the time of
this death in 1908, Sir Henri was not only Past
President of CFA, he was Lieutenant-Governor
of British Columbia.
Sir Henri’s name appears throughout early
CFA proceedings starting with the very first
meeting called in January of 1900 by Elihu
Stewart, Canada’s chief inspector of timber and
forestry. He was acting on the advice or Prime
Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier who, watching
timber floating down the Ottawa River from his
office on Parliament Hill, was concerned about
the future of Canada’s forests.
The first voices of “conservation” were
lumbermen, who wanted their industry
stabilized, production controlled and forests
reserved for ongoing use. They opposed future
settlement in forestlands, arguing that it was
much more useful and profitable to be
managed as forestland than for agricultural
purposes. There were three main tenets to the
early conservation movement.
The first, led by the most powerful lumbermen,
concerned with the welfare of the lumber
industry. The second promoted the application
of science to land use and especially forests.
The third was concerned with the recreational,
aesthetic and spiritual values of the wilderness.
These tenets
eventually became
the commission of the Canadian
Forestry Association
– to promote the
importance of
protection and wise
use of Canada’s
forest, water and
wildlife resources.
On March 8, 1900 a
group under, the
chairmanship of Sir
Henri Joly de Lotbinière met in the Railway
Committee Room of the House of Commons
in Ottawa to form the Canadian Forestry
Association. Inducted to the Board of
Directors were: William Little, Vice-President,
Elihu Stewart, Secretary, R.H. Campbell,
Treasurer and Directors Hiram Robinson,
J.R. Booth, Thomas Southworth, John
Macoun, W.W. Rathburn, C. Jackson Booth,
G.W. Allen and Dr. William Saunders. Also in
attendance at that inaugural meeting were
the country’s prominent lumbermen,
foresters, civil servants, railroad executives
and others, all concerned about the survival
and future use of Canada’s forests. Lord
Minto, the Governor General, agreed to
serve as Honourary President. All of his
successors at Rideau Hall have accepted the
post of Patron to the CFA to the present day.