1935 –
Inducted 2015
“You can be environmentally friendly while using a high amount of lumber if the trees are harvested in the right way. Mature trees need harvesting . . . This makes way for planting new seedlings. I’m a tree lover, not just for my business but for the environment.” — David Ladd
Dave Ladd was born and raised on a farm near Dodgeville, Wisconsin where his father instilled the idea of respect and responsibility for the conservation of land and wildlife. To teach this same respect and responsibility for the conservation of land and wildlife, Dave taught Hunter Safety classes through the WDNR for 20 years and over 1,000 students.
In 1972, Dave founded Walnut Hollow, Inc. a woodcraft manufacturing company based in Dodgeville. Walnut Hollow uses 3-1/2 million board feet of pine and basswood lumber per year. Such a volume of timber takes many trees and Dave insisted that the company could be environmentally friendly while using such a high amount of lumber. Looking for a way to use the waste product from his business, Ladd installed a Dust Waste Collection System to keep the waste product from landfills and to create an environmentally safe space for the employees.
Dave has been instrumental in starting a number of organizations as well as being active in many more. In the late 1970s, he helped to establish the Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association as an action oriented group to educate and inform legislators and the public. In 1998, Dave and other local concerned conservationists developed an organization called the Iowa County Recreation and Prairie Restoration Project which cleaned up 438 acres of county land so U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service could plant rare wildflowers. He later was a founding member of the Harry and Laura Nohr Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Southwest Wisconsin.
Because walnut trees were the main product for Walnut Hollow, at its inception Ladd joined the Wisconsin Chapter of the Walnut Council. He served as its first President and remained as a board member for several years, receiving the Appreciation Award.
In service to the State, Governor Tommy Thompson appointed Dave as Vice Chair of the Knowles-Nelson Blue Ribbon Task Force on Wisconsin Stewardship Program in 1999. Dave was elected to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress as District 9’s representative for forty years and served as an elected member on the Executive Committee for 20+ years. He also served on the Legislative Council Study Group on Conservation Law Enforcement which recommended changes in conservation enforcement.
Ladd has received many awards over the years: 2000, the Wisconsin Urban Forestry Council’s Distinguished Service Award for his efforts to develop the Urban Forestry Program in Dodgeville. 2002, the Wisconsin Chapter of Soil and Water Conservation Society’s Outstanding Achievement award for Shaping Wisconsin Natural Resource Conservation Policy and Pheasants Forever for Habitat Cooperation. 2003 and 2004, Gathering Waters Conservancy’s Conservationist of the Year and in 2007, Conservationist Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 2006, Walnut Hollow received the John Brogan Award which is WDNR’s highest form of environmental recognition. WDNR Secretary Scott Hassett said, “The Brogan Award recognizes consistent, high-quality work in protecting Wisconsin’s environment. Walnut Hollow showed their commitment to protecting our resources through their work. Wisconsin is better off for their efforts and it’s our honor to recognize them.”
