James K. Irving died on June 21, 2024, in his hometown of Saint John, New Brunswick. According to a news release at the company website, the chairman of J.D. Irving Limited was 96.

J.D. Irving Limited

Founded in New Brunswick in 1882 by James Dergavel Irving (1860–1933), J.D. Irving Limited grew exponentially under the leadership of his younger son Kenneth “K.C.” Irving (1899–1992). It ultimately became one of Canada’s largest privately held corporations. In addition to the extensive holdings of Irving Woodlands, divisions have included broadcasting, publishing, refining, shipbuilding, and trucking.

Irving Woodlands

The Irving family currently ranks sixth on the Land Report 100. Through Irving Woodlands, the family owns 3.2 million acres in Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Irving Woodlands also manages 2.6 million acres of government-owned Crown lands in New Brunswick under a 25-year evergreen forest management and wood supply agreement.

Irving Woodlands developed and implemented an 80-year management plan whose focus is preserving the environmental and ecological integrity of the company’s land, air, water, and wildlife. Chief among these initiatives is the company’s tree-planting program, which James K. Irving championed.

The company’s tree-planting initiative dates back to 1957 when the first 3,000 seedlings were planted in Black Brook, New Brunswick. The following year, the Irvings established a tree nursery with an ambitious goal of producing one million trees. A decade later, four million seedlings had been planted. In 1986, family patriarch K.C. Irving planted the 200-millionth tree.

In 2018, James K. Irving planted the company’s one-billionth tree. In addition to 400 current employees and retirees, joining him at the ceremony were his two sons, Jim and Robert, who serve as co-CEOs of J.D. Irving Limited. The one-billion mark is a record for a privately held Canadian company.

James K. Irving was predeceased by his wife of nearly 70 years, Jean Irving, and is survived by their four children, Jim, Robert, Mary-Jean, and Judith; 14 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.