Award-Winning Conservation - Our Unique Areas Program

Did you know that our Unique Areas Program voluntarily conserves almost 1,200 sites to date?

Wildlife conservation within a working forest is an important goal in the woodlands we own and manage. The maintenance of natural systems and biological networks by our team of over 150 forestry professionals is key to sustainable forest management and the legacy we leave for future generations. We are one of a few forestry companies that employ a full-time wildlife biologist and naturalist to do this work.

“Few forestry companies have a full-time naturalist or wildlife biologist. It’s great to see the commitment of our company and Woodlands team conserve habitat for a host of species including almost 300 birds sites (14,791ha) as well as over 450 rare plants sites in Maine, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick,” said Kelly Honeyman, Chief Naturalist, J.D. Irving, Limited. “The comprehensiveness of this program and the diligence with which we train our staff on environmental issues makes me proud to work for JDI.”

JDI’s biodiversity strategy encompasses research, training, and the application of technology to ensure that our forestry operations meet our biodiversity objectives. JDI’s international award-winning Unique Areas Conservation Program has grown from 29 sites in the 1980’s to 1,182 sites in 2015.

These sites include:

• Birds & Mammals
• Fish
• Lakes & Wetlands
• Unique Forest Stands
• Old Growth & Conservation Forests
• Plants
• Historic Sites
• Geological & Fossil Sites
• Reptiles & Invertebrates
• Late Successional Forests

Together, these sites make up 195,471 acres of preserved landscape. Interested in learning more about our Unique Areas Program? Check out our NEW brochure.