After 13 years as President and Chief at Forests Ontario, Steve Hounsell is stepping down from his position at the not-for-profit organization. His successor will be Malcolm Cockwell of Haliburton, ON. Simultaneously, current Board Member Christine Leduc from Timmins, ON will become Vice President of the Board of Forests Ontario.

According to the press release, Steve Hounsell will remain on the Board. The company recognizes Hounsell for his efforts in the battle against both climate change and biodiversity loss and add: “His contribution to the growth and development of the organization and to the health of our forests has been invaluable. Forests Ontario has been extremely fortunate to have had such a dedicated and engaged advocate greening the way towards a healthier environment for all Ontarians.”

New President Malcolm Cockwell is the Managing Director of Haliburton Forest, a multi-use private land stewardship company responsible for more than 100,000 acres in central Ontario. He oversees land-based operations, including the forest products division, and the tourism and recreation division. He is also a Registered Professional Forester and is the Haliburton Forest’s representative at the Ontario Forest Industries Association. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Toronto, and is a PhD candidate at the same institution’s Faculty of Forestry. Cockwell also serves as the Chairman of Acadian Timber Corp.

“I am very excited to be moving into this role,” said Malcom Cockwell. “Forests Ontario performs critical work as the voice of our forests, and this work is more important now than ever before. I look forward to supporting the dedicated, talented staff at Forests Ontario over the coming years as President and Chair.”

Incoming Vice President Christine Leduc, is a Woodlands Operations Supervisor at EACOM’s Timmins sawmill. She has held policy positions in the office of the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry and at the Ontario Forest Industries Association. In 2015, Christine was a recipient of the Prince of Wales Award for Sustainable Forestry and the Ontario Professional Foresters Association Fernow Award, and was recognized by the Canadian Forest Industries’ Top 10 Under 40 in 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Forest Conservation from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Forestry.

Forests Ontario is a not-for-profit charity dedicated to re-greening the province through the support of tree planting, forest restoration, stewardship, education, and awareness. To learn more, visit www.forestsontario.ca.