By Norm Park
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He has a wealth of experience and Rod March is totally enjoying the early days of introduction into his new job as Estevan's parks manager, a job he started on Aug. 11.
A native of Newfoundland, March has spent the last 17 years in British Columbia with his most recent stop being seven years in Dawson Creek tending to forestry issues.
"I have a lot of experience with big and little trees," he joked.
A registered professional forester, agrologist and agronomist, March said his love of trees and parks dates back a long way, beginning in his home town near Cornerbrook on the west side of Newfoundland.
He gained a diploma certificate in natural resource management in Newfoundland and followed that with a degree at the University of Northern B.C. in Prince George.
March has an extensive background in forestry and has also spent a great deal of time in detailing municipal/urban landscaping along the way, on both coasts.
"Whether its city parks, open spaces, greenways or pesticide management, I guess I've seen and done a lot of it and all of this will evolve as we move on here in Estevan," he said.
March will receive some transition assistance from current manager Gloria Johnson who is moving on to other challenges. "I expect she'll ease me into the job," he said.
March, a family man, said his wife, who is a human resources manager, and two young children, a boy aged 11 and a girl who is eight, will be moving to Estevan for the start of the new school year, provided he can wrangle the real estate items in a timely fashion.
"As you can expect, we've lived in several areas of the country and I'm really impressed with the friendly people here. I have found the folks around here, at least in the first few days, very approachable and willing to engage in a chat," he said.
"It's also nice to not have to deal with a pine beetle every single day, at least for awhile," he laughed, referring to the ongoing forestry problem that has beset the B.C. industry and one that has since moved into Alberta.
"But we have Dutch elm disease to contend with still and I understand there is no longer any joint funding programs out there to help get rid of it. We will be conducting a survey soon to identify any more. I've found out you had two diseased trees based on last year's survey. They have to be dealt with carefully. The wood has to be burned or buried on the spot. It can't be transported and still maintain assurance you won't be spreading the disease."
With Estevan's growth spurt in the past four years, March said he feels it is imperative that "the green keeps up with civic growth." To that end, he'll conduct an inventory of what the city already has in terms of trees, bushes, green spaces and will work closely with leisure services manager Nathan Jesse to diversify while grooming new parks and green spaces in the Energy City.
"A little succession planning will be in order. As trees get older they have to be taken down and I like to see successor trees already planned and planted before that happens."
March said he intends to get fully involved in the community and its structured events.
"What do people want to see in their parks? Do they want perimeter trees in some neighbourhoods with lots of open space so kids can play football or soccer, or do they want trails with lots of shade trees? We have to plan for wind events and how they impact trees and spaces. We have to plan for all incidents during the life of a tree that can last a lot longer than a person."
March said what is planted in a community is important since a city can reach a liability situation with aging tree populations and no firm succession plan.
"Of course I'm totally interested in municipal tree management, but also private property owners and their awareness, so I'll be working toward this kind of planning I expect over this winter.
"You can see trees are my passion and when I'm not busy with them, I enjoy working with a vegetable garden, which is also a passion of mine. I can hardly wait to start one here because I'll be able to grow peppers, something I couldn't do in northern B.C." March said he could see how lucky local citizens were geographically.
"You're only hours away from major cities and airports. I can see myself going to a lot of Riders and Jets games and maybe even a trip to Minneapolis for a game or two. Right now I'm just riding pretty high because it's been such a positive introduction to your city. Now I just have to sell the idea of the economic value of trees and you know they have great value to a community, beginning with their power to cool and heat."
March said his inventory work will begin almost immediately as soon as he gets acquainted with all of Estevan's parks and green spaces, including the cemetery, and gets a good feel for the expectations of green space growth in the newly developing subdivisions.
