Celebrating women in forestry

J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) is proud to profile women like Ashlyn Moody who are making a difference in fields traditionally dominated by men. Ashlyn, a Maintenance Superintendent at Grand Lake Timber, stepped into the forest industry three years ago with a hope to break down barriers for other young women.

“By welcoming the skills, ideas and experience of an entire sector of the workforce that is often under-represented in this industry, my goal is to help create an environment where all team members feel they have the support to share and execute on their ideas to improve our business,” said Ashlyn.

Through the J.D. Irving, Limited co-op program, she began as an engineering student from the University of New Brunswick. With an unmistakable enthusiasm for her job and the projects she was participating in, Ashlyn was able to gain a tremendous amount of work experience over the course of her student work terms before being hired before graduation into the Mechanical Maintenance Coordinator role.

Ashlyn says this was a great opportunity as a new graduate as she was able to step directly into the industry with firsthand experience and a presence in the field. This allowed her to hit the ground running, enrolling in a leadership program at JDI designed to grow future leaders within the company. This 18-month development program exposed her to the wide variety of opportunities within JDI and helped advance her understanding of the company’s values.

In October of 2021, Ashlyn was promoted to her current role as the Maintenance Superintendent where she is responsible for the team of Electricians, Millwrights, and Maintenance Supervisors. This includes maintenance and reliability programs, capital investments, training, recruiting and health and safety.  

“I’m proud to be a part of a company that encourages my career development and pushes me to be a better leader, every day,” says Ashlyn. “JDI has supported me in breaking barriers and has shown me there is a seat at the table for young women in forestry.”

Today, she is a critical figure in the successful execution of multiple high-profile projects at Grand Lake Timber, where her drive and passion for all that she does continues to shine through as a true leader in both the company and in the industry. Ashlyn plans to continue her development as a future leader, working with the JDI Continuous Improvement team to begin her Executive MBA with the Ivey School of Business in September.