Profile: Brian Kilpatrick and Gareth Davies

Tradition and transition

Brian Kilpatrick’s office is 9,000 hectares of closely watched woodland in south-central New Brunswick, the largest federal research forest in Canada.

Unusual office

Brian Kilpatrick is probably one of the few public servants who can leave work on his break, brew a cup of tea at home, and make it back to the office in five minutes flat. After all, his office is 9,000 hectares of mixed forest, known as the Acadia Research Forest (ARF) in south-central New Brunswick.

Brian is Manager of Natural Resources Canada’s ARF—a job that requires him to live onsite with his family to guard and maintain the forest. Having your work and home in the same place would be unthinkable for most, but for Brian it has been the norm since 1977.

“You have to be a full-time security guard, maintenance man, tour guide, historian, administrator and forester,” says Brian. “But I don’t mind. It’s good not to have to drive to work,” he says with a smile.

Transition

After 30 years as a jack of all trades, Brian will retire in February 2008. Taking the reins as the ninth manager of the ARF is Gareth Davies, who admits this is a dream job for him.  Both men agree the transition will be a challenging task.

The depth and breadth of knowledge that Brian has acquired over his career must be carefully transferred to Gareth. Brian is working hard before he retires to pass the torch to Gareth by teaching him about all the experimental plantation sites, scientific history, cultural features and geography of the forest. No doubt, it will be a daunting task to computerize all the information that Brian’s brain holds and create tangible records for everyone to share and learn.

“I’m picking Brian’s brain to get to know the character and conditions of the forest,” Gareth remarks. “I want to be comfortable with the land so that I can lead and manage it well. That is the most important thing.”

Wind of change

The ARF is not just any mix of trees. Established in 1933, it is the second oldest and largest existing federal research forest in Canada. Closely watched and strictly maintained, sites have been protected so researchers can revisit a peer’s work to gather insights, learn from past successes or failures, and even expand on the research. Tree genetics, tree improvement and restoration studies are among the types of research the facility has housed over its history.

With experience operating his own forest management company, and 15 years working in the forest sector, Gareth sees and certainly holds great potential for the ARF; he is driven to continue the commercial harvesting operation that has been ongoing since the 1960s. It remains a successful venture, as the sale of wood is enough to pay the manager’s annual salary. Every forester knows that cutting and restoring a woodlot wisely can produce significant economic and ecological benefits.

”I know money doesn’t grow on trees, so I want to continue making smart choices to prolong the industry,” says Gareth. “I’m going to find innovative ways to sustain the forest sector and promote and continue research here at the ARF.”

As the Kilpatricks start a new chapter in their lives, they will be fondly remembered for their dedication to the ARF.

“I feel good about moving on, but I want to ensure the knowledge of the forest is well preserved before I go,” Brian concludes. “This is going to be a big change. It was my life. I still consider it my forest.”

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