Celebrating 10 Years of Women in Wood

Women in Wood – a network created to bring together passionate women from across Canada and around the world who work with, in and for the woods – celebrated its 10th anniversary with an event on October 18, 2025, at Fleming College in Ontario. 
 
With over 100 women in attendance from across the forest sector, the event launched with a panel featuring Women in Wood co-founders Jess Kaknevicius, CEO of Forests Canada, and Lacey Rose, Registered Professional Forester with the County of Renfrew, along with Vanessa Nhan, Lead Forest Analyst at Silvacom, and Eleanor Reed, Forests Canada Field Advisor. The panel was moderated by Astrid Nielsen, owner of Dendron Forestry Services.  
 
“It was an amazing opportunity to be joined by women I admire and respect, and for all of us to reflect on 10 years of growth and impact in the Women in Wood community,” Kaknevicius says. “Being able to celebrate this milestone and connect with the next generation was uplifting and created a sense of hope.”  

Beyond marking their 10th anniversary, Women in Wood also celebrated receiving the Forest Products Association of Canada’s 2025  Partnership Award this year. The award recognized the network for demonstrating exceptional collaboration and leadership in supporting Canada’s forest sector and the people and communities it serves. 
 
Women in Wood is a volunteer-run community of over 3,700 women with three main objectives: to build a community of women who work with, in and for the woods; to encourage women to pursue careers in the forest, wood and related sectors; and to help those women succeed in their career goals by collaborating for success, sharing information, improving skills, and navigating the workplace. 
 
To learn more, please visit www.womeninwood.ca