Rob Keen has been given the Forests Ontario Award.
The honour came during Forest Ontario’s Annual Conference in Barrie, Ont. on Feb. 28.
The Huntsville native is a registered professional forester and served as the chief executive officer (CEO) for Forests Ontario from the early 2000s until he stepped down in May 2023.
His successor as CEO Jess Kaknevicius was at the conference to give Keen his award.
Along with his work for Forests Ontario, Keen also served as the CEO of Trees Ontario and helped coordinate its merger with the Ontario Forestry Association in 2014.
According to Forests Ontario, Keen helped to establish a tree-planting model that allowed for over 43 million trees to be planted across Canada.
They say Keen’s 40-year career has seen him get involved in almost every aspect of the forest industry, including joining the Canadian Tree Nursery Association since stepping down from his role with Forests Ontario. The organization supports 54 nurseries that grow over 630 million native seedlings every year.
