Minister congratulates department official
on being named president of national forestry organization

Rick Woodford, Minister of Forest Resources and Agrifoods, today extended his congratulations to Len Moores, the department�s director of ecosystem health, on being named president of the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF) during a recent conference in North Bay, Ontario.

"On behalf of the Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods, I wish to extend congratulations to Mr. Moores on this prestigious appointment, which is an acknowledgment of his talent and commitment to working on important forestry issues both on a local and national stage," said Minister Woodford. "Since working with the department, Mr. Moores has made a valuable contribution in our efforts to promote sustainable management of our forest ecosystem. His knowledge and leadership skills will be a great asset to the CIF."

Mr. Moores, who has been an active member of the Newfoundland and Labrador section of the Canadian Institute of Forestry, is the first Newfoundlander and Labradorian to be named president of the national organization.

The Canadian Institute of Forestry�s mission is "to provide national leadership in forestry, promote competence among forestry professionals, and foster public awareness of Canadian and international forestry issues." The CIF has been the voice of forest practitioners since 1908. Members include foresters, forest technologists, forest technicians, educators, scientists and others with a professional interest in forestry.

Mr. Moores graduated from the University of New Brunswick in 1981 with a bachelor of science in forestry. In May 2001 received his master of forestry from Lakehead University. He has been employed with the Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods Newfoundland Forest Service for 21 years in a variety of positions, including silviculture, management planning, environment and land use planning and environmental assessment. Mr. Moores has also published papers on site classification, forest management planning, and forest policy.

Mr. Moores is the chair of the Advisory Committee for the Forest Technician Program at the Corner Brook campus of the College of the North Atlantic, co-coordinator and a coach for the Special Olympic program in Corner Brook, treasurer for the Corner Brook branch of the Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, and has been a scout leader for 20 years.

Media contact: Len Moores, Director of Ecosystem Health, (709) 637- 2297 or Sonia B. Glover, Communications, (709) 729-6183.

2002 10 10                                       12:15 p.m.