GORHAM, N.H. — John Caveney, a longtime vice president with Cersosimo Lumber Co., which operates sawmills in New Hampshire, Vermont , and New York was honored today for his long service to the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association (NHTOA) and the forestry community with the NHTOA’s Kendall Norcott Award.

The award, named for the NHTOA’s first executive director and forester Kendall Norcott, is the NHTOA’s most prestigious award and recognizes outstanding achievement in forestry and timberland management.

Jasen Stock, executive director of the NHTOA, says John’s experience in the forest products industry and tireless commitment to the NTHOA has helped guide the NHTOA for many years. John has been a director of the association, serving as President and a member of dozens of committees. “The Kendall Norcott Award honors exceptional service to our organization and our members,” comments Jasen, “and John is the perfect person to honor this way. His help and support have been a mainstay of not just the NHTOA but also of the overall New Hampshire forest-products industry. It’s safe to say that John has been a positive force within our association and the industry and without his input and work the NHTOA and industry would not be as strong as they are today.”

John has known the woods his entire life. He grew up in Northfield, N.H., and after his education he went to work for Don Clifford at Tri-State Timberlands. In 1976 he joined Cersosimo Lumber Co., which at the time operated just two mills at one location, cutting about 7.5 million board feet a year. At Cersosimo, John found a lasting home, and he has been with the company ever since. Today, Cersosimo operates mills at four locations in northern New England and New York and cuts approximately 50 million board feet a year.

He says he likes and appreciates the long arc in time of sustainable timber harvesting, which is unique among agricultural products. “Cersosimo has been buying land for 70 years. When I came on in ’76, some properties had been cut over, but we’re harvesting from them again now. This has to be long-term,” he observes. “Wood is not a fruit crop. That’s why you have to have a passion for it.”

Ultimately, though, “It’s the people that keep me there. They are very, very hard-working and dedicated and passionate — and that includes the landowners, the loggers, the foresters, everyone in the business. One thing I’ve learned is that you’ve got to love it if you’re going to stick with it.”