Two weeks into grade 10, and already an accomplished trapper and woodsman, Hugh left school to pursue lifelong education in the forestry industry. At the age of 20, he became an independent timberland contractor, purchasing woodland and stumpage from local suppliers and selling it to his own customer base. In 1954, he established a relationship with Scott Maritimes Ltd., (now known as Kimberly Clark) for a continuous log supply. In 1964, Hugh founded his first of several sawmills in Guysborough County. Fourteen years later, Hugh made his final move to his hometown of Upper Musquodoboit and established MacTara Limited. Over the ensuing 25 years, Hugh continued to succeed, expanding both his business and product offerings.

Hugh led one of MacTara’s most innovative expansions in 1998 while looking for an opportunity to use all of the by-products produced from sawing lumber. He built a multi-million dollar pellet mill - the largest in North America and only the second mill of its kind in the world. MacTara now ships 80,000 tonnes of wood pellets to Sweden each year, supplying a city of 250,000 a clean, environmentally friendly heat source. .

An innovator in every sense, Hugh also ensured MacTara was the first Nova Scotia sawmill to offer a Sustainable Forest Management program aimed at helping small woodlot owners responsibly care for their land.

A true believer that the success of a business and its community are interdependent, Hugh has made many generous donations to the Musquodoboit Valley. Through the corporate annual scholarship program, he has donated $140,000 to over 60 students pursuing post-secondary education. In 1994, he built a funeral home cooperative to help reduce the burial costs for valley residents and in 2000 facilitated the construction of the largest wooden playground in the province.

Hugh is a director of the Nova Scotia Forest Products Association and a member of the Maritime Lumber Bureau. Recognized by his industry and peers for his outstanding contributions, Hugh was the recipient of the Master Entrepreneur of the Year - Atlantic Canada Region in 1999. In 2000, he was recognized for his “Leadership and Quality Management Practices” with the Premier’s Commendation for implementing the ISO Registered Quality System. Again in 2000, Hugh was recognized as one of the Top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada.

Hugh is married to Brenda Larkin and has two children, Tara and Sean, and one granddaughter, Katherine.

Hugh Erskine, along with Alexander Keith and Irving Schwartz, was inducted into the Nova Scotia Business Hall of Fame on June 11,2003.