Woodlot Owner: Rex Veinot
County: Lunenburg
Phone: 902-298-9157

The Veinot family woodlot, Maplewood Maple Syrup and Christmas Tree Farm, is located in Maplewood, Lunenburg County. Rex says his favourite thing is the smell of maple sugar in the sugar shack, but the 350-acre (142-hectare) woodlot extends well beyond that shack and the home that his great-grandfather also lived in. The woodlot exhibits long-term sound forestry practices, including an emphasis on mixed species and uneven-aged stands management. It's no surprise that the Veinot family won the provincial Woodlot Owner of the Year Award 13 years ago, that Rex has served as past president of the Lunenburg County Christmas Tree Producers' Association, and that many people have enjoyed wagon tours of his woodlot over the years. This beautiful property includes a large sugar bush and many varieties of Christmas trees, with interspersed apple trees for wildlife. Rex has installed several nest boxes for birds and bats around the woodlot and is hoping to work with local Boy Scouts to install even more boxes. He has also carefully maintained streams, ponds, and riparian areas for habitat, A hundred years ago, a neighbour claimed that a pristine natural spring on the woodlot had healing properties! All the activities on this woodlot contribute not only to the local economy, but also to the export market.

The Veinot family woodlot has been kept healthy through thoughtful management. Rex is a big advocate of management plans, and has been continually updating his since 1978. His vision is to ensure the woodlot is healthy and intact in the future. Rex is the fourth generation to run the woodlot, and is hoping to pass it onto the fifth and sixth generations, continuing the legacy.

Management Goals and Objectives
  • Family use
  • For future generations
  • Preservation
  • Recreation (Hiking, skiing, bird watching, etc)
  • Revenue generation
  • Wildlife

Management Tools
  • Woodlot Management Plan
  • Forest Stewardship Council Certification​

Species Present
  • Hardwoods: American Beech, Grey Birch, Ironwood, Largetooth Aspen, Red Maple, Striped Maple, Sugar Maple, Trembling Aspen, White Ash, White Birch, Yellow Birch
  • Softwoods: Balsam Fir, Black Spruce, Christmas Trees, Red Spruce, Tamarack / Eastern Larch, Western Red Cedar, White Pine, White Spruce, Other / Exotic Species,

Harvest Systems Used
  • Clearcut
  • Legacy trees
  • Selection Cut
  • Shelterwood cut
  • Crop tree release (Category 7)
  • Crop tree pruning (Category 7)
  • Selection management (Category 7)

Silviculture Treatments
  • Pre-commercial thinning
  • Commercial thinning
  • Manual weeding
  • Herbicides
  • Planting

Equipment Used for Woodlot Management
  • Chainsaws
  • Pruning Saw
  • Tractors
  • Winches

Revenue Sources
  • ​Firewood
  • Non-Timber Forest Products
    • ​Christmas Trees and Greenery
    • Maple syrup
  • Pulp wood
  • Saw logs
  • Woodlot tours

Recreational Improvements
  • Camp / Cabin
  • Hunting
  • Picnic Area

Wildlife
  • Wildlife Enhancements:
    • Nesting boxes
    • Wildlife feeding
  • Water Bodies and Riparian Zones / Special Management Zones:
    • Bridges
    • Buffers
    • ​​Ponds / Fire Ponds
    • Streams
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