George Wood
Dr. George Wood has contributed greatly to the agricultural community as a whole, and to the wild blueberry industry, he has been instrumental in its growth and development over the years.
Born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick, George completed his undergraduate studies in 1950 receiving his B.Sc. from the University of New Brunswick. George then went onto complete a M.Sc. in 1953 (from Queens University), and returned to UNB to obtain a Ph.D. in entomology in 1978.
Early in his career, George worked as a summer student at the Central Tower Hill Research Facility. He later became the blueberry entomologist for Agriculture Canada. George centered his research on blueberry pests, their behavior and control. George spent a great deal of his research time in Tower Hill NB, until it closed in the 1960 s. His research continued on in NB, but technical advice was available to all in the industry, across the Maritimes and Maine. He worked to maintain and improve pest control systems using a minimum amount of chemicals. He also made a significant contribution to research on management of wild blueberry crop, including the influence of native bees and honeybees on pollination and fruit set.
George was an excellent collaborator having worked with provincial, state and international researchers. His first scientific article was published in September 1957. Over a career spanning thirty years George published over 75 articles and papers in a number of research journals, technical bulletins / updates and production guides.
George retired from the civil service in 1984, but his contribution to the industry continued, He continued to play an active role in the Wild Blueberry Association of North America (WBANA), of which he was a founding member, and original manager.
His yearly intelligence-gathering missions to continental Europe and Scandinavia have provided valuable information on the world market outlook, annual crop potentials abroad, and the development of the industry in foreign countries.
As Executive Director of WBANA (1984-1993), he was able to establish new markets worldwide. In ten years, Dr. Wood helped triple the volume of wild blueberries marketed annually, and in 1993 he received the North American Agricultural Marketer of the Year Award. Some within the association have said that George's most important role was not that of marketer. Dr. Wood was able to make peace within the organization, keeping everyone on track with the same goals in mind.
In 1993, Dr. Wood handed over title of Executive Director, and remained with the association as the Canadian Liaison to WBANA until his retirement in 1994. George remains active within the community and the industry.
Dr. George Wood was nominated by the New Brunswick Blueberry Growers Association in recognition of his tremendous contributions to agriculture. It is fitting that George Wood becomes an Inductee into the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame.