Grand Forks’ Randy Waterous has been recognized as one of four distinguished forest professionals at the 77th annual forestry conference in Victoria on February 6.
The achievement recognizes significant accomplishments over one’s career, and for providing outstanding service to the profession of forestry and for furthering the principles of FPBC.
It is the profession’s highest honour for a registrant and to Randy, an overwhelming surprise.
“My colleague put together the nomination package and was a total surprise to me. She had gathered a number of signatures and letters of support from colleagues and peers and people that I’d had opportunities to work with over the years and their letters were very humbling and left me speechless.” said Waterous.
Waterous first worked a summer at the Kettle Valley ranger station, then graduated from the Selkirk College Forest technology program in 1979, after which he joined the BC forest service. Five years later, he moved to the private sector, joining Pope & Talbot Ltd. in Midway.
In 2008, International Forest Products Limited acquired P&T’s Kootenay assets, and retained Waterous in the role of forestry planner. His proudest accomplishments in forestry are those successes achieved through teamwork and collaboration and the most rewarding aspect of his work is providing mentorship to the next generation of forest professionals.
He is currently the environment and land use superintendent for Interfor’s BC Interior woodland operations and leads Interfor’s sustainable forestry initiative certification program.
He is passionate about the industry and what lies ahead.
“Change is inevitable, and certainly in today’s environment with things like the threats of tariffs from the United States, there’s changing legislation and changing public views of forestry, and instead of resisting change, we look at those changes as evolution, and in a lot of cases, opportunities too.” said Waterous.
“We will always face change, and it’s not something to be afraid of, but it is a challenge to work through.”
For many, the recognition was well deserved.
“Randy’s character, ethics, commitment and contributions in forestry over a 40-plus-year career to date make him an ideal candidate for this prestigious award,” said Keri Simmons, RPF, FPBC board chair.
“Another strength that stands out about Randy is his recognition throughout the forest sector as a reputable and respected forester. He has worked on a variety of multi-stakeholder committees that have included other major licensees and tenure holders, government staff, and members of the public. He has acted as a representative for his company of employment, as well as the forest sector. This regard stems from Randy’s integrity, high professional standards, knowledge, and thoroughness.”
Mark Hay, RPF, Steve Kozuki, RPF(Ret), and the late Cindy Stern, RPF, were also honoured as Distinguished Forest Professionals.
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