Donor Spotlight: Steve Hounsell

Forests Canada is eternally grateful to all of our supporters, including our monthly donors, for their continued support of our organization. Some have been on this journey with us for several years, including Steve Hounsell.  

Steve first came across Forests Canada in 2003, when he was invited to speak at an event at Black Creek Pioneer Village. He kept up with the charity and joined its board of directors in the early 2000s, eventually becoming its President and Chair in 2011. 

Steve’s love and appreciation for forests and the environment came from his childhood - he was always a nature lover. His fascination with the fact that we are just one small part of the natural world that we need to coexist with, led him to study ecology through the fish and wildlife program at the University of Guelph - though he says that he’s a lifelong learner who is still learning every day. At the time, conservation biology didn’t exist, but that’s where his career took him, ultimately landing at Ontario Power Generation where he managed their carbon sequestration and biodiversity management programs. 

When asked why it’s important that we support tree planting and the environment, his answer is simple: “We wouldn’t exist as a species without nature. We are absolutely dependent on nature for every moment of our lives. We have been living in a state of declining biodiversity for decades. If you care about nature and your own health, and if you care about a changing climate, then reinvest in nature. Healthy ecosystems sustain healthy people and societies, which create healthy economies, not the other way around.” 

An advocate for all the aspects of Forests Canada’s work, his priority is restoring forests on the landscape. Warning that our forests are in more acute danger due to changing climate, flooding, fire and heat, Steve says that “we need to slow down the loss, protect the areas that are significant, and restore on a scale that will make us have healthy landscapes and be nature positive. Healthy forested landscapes provide great resilience to soil erosion, climate occurrences, and wildlife habitat.” 

A champion of biodiversity, we are fortunate to have Steve’s support. “It’s an organization that I believe in. Forests Canada is doing good things on the landscape that are having the positive outcomes that we desperately need.” 

Thank you Steve for your incredible support and leadership!