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A Guardian of the Woods to be Honoured

September 2, 2011

A legacy of conservation and reforestation which began more than 100 years ago will be marked at the unveiling of a University of Guelph Historical Plaque dedicated to E.J. (Edmund John) Zavitz at The Arboretum, September 16. 

Renowned as the “Father of Reforestation in Ontario”, Zavitz (1875-1968) was appointed a lecturer in forestry at the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) after he graduated with a Master of Science in Forestry from Michigan University in 1905. 

“The event is an opportunity to recognize Zavitz’s significant contributions to OAC, the University of Guelph, and the Ministry of Lands, Forests and Mines where he was appointed Ontario’s first Provincial Forester in 1912,” says Alan Watson, director of The Arboretum. 

The unveiling of the bronze plaque will take place in the Century Pines of The Arboretum, near some of the original and first white pines planted there in 1907 by Zavitz, as part of his study on the use of pines to reduce soil loss in the “blow sands” of Norfolk County.  His plantings were destined to be protected for centuries and became the roots of The Arboretum established in 1970. 

“It is fortuitous that these pines are over 100 years old.  They represent the University’s vision of the importance of trees and conservation demonstrated by Zavitz,” says Watson. 

During his career, Zavitz was also instrumental in the establishment of the Forest Fires Prevention Act (1917) and the provincial air service for forest patrol.  He was an historian, photographer and the author of many works on reforestation, including the landmark Fifty Years of Reforestation in Ontario (1961).  In his lifetime, he was granted two honorary Doctor of Laws degrees—the first in 1952 by McMaster University, where he began his post-secondary education, and later in 1957 by the University of Toronto, where he also lectured.