What is a forest? How do we define it? Is it the trees? The wildlife? The soil or the water? What about a place to find food or a spiritual connection? Forests are all of these things. So when we talk about sustainable forest management shouldn’t we be talking about all of these factors? Today’s conversation was about how to move forest management into the future. It was about how we can ensure that our forests are sustainable for everyone forever.

Resources

Robert Wagner

Daniel Harrison

Sustainable development in Canadian forestry in the face of changing paradigms

Sponsors

West Fraser

GreenLink Forestry Inc.

Quotes

11.26 - 11.36: “For me, sustainability is as much about the message as about the… ecosystem out there in the forest.”

Takeaways

Wildlife biodiversity (19.55)

Meeting the public’s expectations of species numbers is difficult because many species need viable forest landscapes which rely on interactions among forest stands.

Forest and political sustainability (25.11)

Forest and political sustainability are not the same; some ways to achieve forest sustainability may not gain a social license from the public.

Clear communication (27.28)

Milo adds that they struggle with the public equating mining or oil-gas operations with forest harvesting when they are quite different disturbances in terms of impact on habitat.

Managing expectations (30.59)

Daniel talks about how the public has pushed for certain forestry acts to be put into force, but those have not met their objectives.

Political management practices (35.10)

Narrowly focusing on one issue creates an unsustainable landscape over a period of time, but forest managers have the tools and training to deliver a sustainable forest landscape.

The forests the public wants (38.43)

Milo talks about how he worked on forest regeneration by using a whole array of ecological measures to be able to talk about reforestation in terms of sustainability.

Creating habitat (44.12)

Daniel laments that conservationists and the general public confuse sustainable forests with pristine conditions.

Custodians of the forest (49.17)

Milo highlights that most forestry practices appear unnatural to the public, even though they are being done to fulfil their wishes.

Promise and passion (56.37)

Milo believes that foresters need to return to their original motivation of entering the profession.

Look to the landscape (1.00.49)

Daniel says, “When we manage at the stand level and focus at the stand level, those outcomes are easy to quantify but don't really get us to the issue of sustainability”.

Future engagement (1.07.04)

Milo suggests using tools to provide data to stakeholders and engage them in planning processes for future impact.

Digital forestry (1.17.25)

Robert believes we are at the cusp of a revolution in forest management with artificial intelligence and big data.

Managing for all values (1.26.35)

Wood is easily monetized, but not wildlife habitat, clean air, clean water, and aesthetic vistas, so wood has become the dominant value.

Adaptive management (1.39.12)

The excitement and desire to do better will help foresters learn emergent skills to operate effectively.

Strategic objectives (1.43.37)

Daniel believes foresters need to communicate better with the public so the green line isn’t a moving target.

What is the story of Canada? Discovery? Conquest? What about Treaty? Most of us think of Treaty as a different set of laws and rights pertaining only to Indigenous people. Turns out, it affects and includes all of us. Treaties are the story of how this country came to be. Treaties stand as a symbol of how sovereign nations can form bonds of mutual agreement to live and prosper together. At least that is what they are supposed to be. How did it get so messed up? And how can we make it about cooperation and prosperity again? First, we have to understand the history of how treaties came to be and what they really are. Only then can we move into the future and grow together as partners in this experiment we call Canada.

Resources

Matthew Wildcat

Sponsors

West Fraser

GreenLink Forestry Inc.

Damaged Timber

Quotes

1.29.25 - 1.29.37: “In the Canadian situation, what decolonization means is that you have to shift from becoming somebody who is a colonizer to somebody who is a treaty partner.”

Takeaways

Governance (5.14)

Matthew is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Native Studies at the University of Alberta, interested in how Indigenous peoples govern today.

Laws (10.01)

First nations politics cannot be spoken about without addressing its relationship with Canadian society.

Two-way (17.13)

Treaties are the nuances of the relationship Indigenous peoples share with settlers.

Foundation (21.22)

Understand treaties as the reason for Canada’s creation, to prevent it from devolving into a story of conquest.

Symbiosis (29.09)

Hudson’s Bay Company relied on Indigenous peoples to perform their fur trade and sell them food.

Bison (32.57)

Bison herds were collapsing, which were the pillars of Indigenous economies and food.

Signing (35.36)

Not many Indigenous peoples spoke English, but many non-native people spoke Cree. Indigenous peoples used interpreters during negotiations, but a lot was lost in translation.

Understanding (38.32)

Indigenous peoples did not look to draw boundaries but expected that their permission be sought before sharing land.

The Indian Act (43.24)

The Indian Act was meant to enfranchise native people to become “full Canadian citizens” so there would no longer be “an Indian problem”.

Dishonouring (48.10)

The Riel Resistance of 1885 was bubbling with the general discontent with treaty terms not being honoured.

Barriers (54.30)

Many policies implemented by the Department of Indian Affairs undercut Indigenous farming efforts.

Trauma (1.00.43)

The ever-present trauma that residential school survivors suffer from makes life difficult.

Reserves (1.04.02)

Reserves isolate people and prevent communities from linking. Many Indian agents disallowed people to leave the reserve without a pass.

Difficulty (1.09.33)

Residential schools not only affected the students, but also the parents who had to live without children on their reserves. he can see how addictions could arise in such situations.

Relationships (1.15.05)

The most important aspect of this era is a willingness to have a relationship with Indigenous peoples, with their variety of life experiences and views.

Allyship (1.21.13)

As treaty partners, we all have to believe that Indigenous peoples have political rights, which will form the basis of the political relationships between us.

Partnership (1.26.07)

We have to put more effort into thinking about how Indigenous peoples will prosper and become true treaty partners in recognizing the political relationship.

Change (1.36.12)

The concepts of truth and reconciliation have allowed non-Indigenous peoples to tie the current situation of Indigenous peoples with its historical reasons.

We all want healthy forest ecosystems, clean water, and vibrant communities. We can achieve these goals through sustainable forest management (SFM). However, we need to continue to push the boundaries of what SFM is in order to ensure we don’t miss something. This means constant research, consultation and not being afraid to change how we do things in order to protect all values for all people, forever. SFM means managing all values equally. It means thoughtful and comprehensive decision making, asking “what is the best use of this land”. Unfortunately, some values have been missed. Indigenous values have not been truly accounted for, until they have, we are not truly sustainable. We need to find a way to help indigenous communities feel heard and respected, so they can feel safe to share and help us all move towards a better system of forest management. Decades of poor communication and distrust have made seeing eye to eye difficult. It is time we fixed this relationship.

Resources

Indigenous consultation in Alberta

Sponsors

West Fraser

GreenLink Forestry Inc.

Damaged Timber

Quotes

40.29 - 40.36: “We value the land… [The] western way of thinking values what’s on the land.”

Takeaways

Growing up in the bush (05.53)

Fabian realized there was a big gap in western science and cultural, traditional ideas, which aren’t recognized in forest management.

Community resource (10.05)

Fabian took an environmental monitoring course and began doing assessments for First Nations. He even took training in Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Healthy forests, healthy people (15.03)

Fabian recalls that he would drink water straight from the river but can’t anymore. The health of the people is determined by the health of the forests, which have been ill for a while now.

Spiritual land connections (20.05)

When Indigenous peoples know an area is not healthy, they won’t do any activities there and wait for nature to heal itself.

Everything has its place (24.46)

Fabian believes Indigenous knowledge needs to be shared to improve forest health so future generations can enjoy the environment.

Indigenous consultation (32.09)

Trust can be built by implementing a few ideas of the community into the forest management agreements and leaving some areas protected. Present consultation is about simply informing the community, but Fabian believes the community has so much more to offer. 

Protecting the land (37.04)

Fabian provides assessments of Indigenous lands to determine if they used to be traditional grave sites. He registers any gravesites he comes across with Alberta Heritage so that they can be protected. He believes that since all humans use the forest, we need to find a way that values the health of the forest alongside the products we value. Indigenous sustainability lies in the forest, and it needs to be healthy for the people.

Environmental monitoring (45.53)

Fabian describes the tools and processes he uses in his work in environmental monitoring. He speaks about how Indigenous peoples hunt, trap and pick medicines to ensure an area is not overused and the populations are restored.

“Reconciliation is an overused word” (56.00)

Regional forest plans need to be assessed to ensure the health of the forest and incorporate all the values of the community that it sustains. Fabian uses his monitoring data to inform other parties of the ways to achieve better results for the land and community.

Valuing the land (1.04.35)

Fabian speaks about how Indigenous peoples value medicines and how that knowledge is guarded. He shares the medicinal properties of some plants on his land, and how to truly get their benefits, in a physical and spiritual sense. He believes communication, inclusion and consultation are the paths to the future.

Plastics in the ocean, plastics in the soil, non-renewable petrochemical products are found littered across the globe. These products are toxic to the environment and add to the already problematic human carbon footprint. What if we can make plastics from a sustainable and renewable resource? What if it could be cost-effective? What if those products could be carbon neutral, or even carbon negative? What is this miracle product? WOOD baby!! Wood PLASTICS and wood CARBON FIBER exist and are knocking on the door of opportunity.

Resources

Advanced BioCarbon 3D

Sponsors

West Fraser

GreenLink Forestry Inc.

Damaged Timber

Quotes

31.18 - 31.21: “Don’t make it, keep it native.”

Takeaways

Bioplastics (05.16)

Darrel’s work involves utilizing hybrid poplar trees to produce plastic, a tool for addressing environmental issues. The trees filter landfill leaching, remediating pollution and protecting the soil, while biomass is used for advanced materials such as plastic.

Sourcing feedstock (10.20)

Darrel explains that bioplastics have sugar as the base, which is quickly biodegradable, so is good for use in plastic bags. A high-performing plastic needs other plant materials as well added to it to mimic the rigidity or heat/moisture resistance seen in plants.

Tree talk (12.49)

Lignin and cellulose are important plant components which determine the quality of plastics produced from them. Wood makes a great source since it contains both and comes from a renewable resource.

Materials and nature (19.48)

Darrel‘s company makes many different products from wood - plastics and carbon fibre - replacing petrochemical legacy material with biomass material, so the applications are broad.

A bioplastic world (24.11)

Darrel highlights the difficulty of extracting plant materials and deconstructing biomass to utilize it to its full potential. His company’s vision is to create high-performing, high-value bioplastics to be used at an industrial level as well.

Biodegradable = in harmony with life (28.32)

Darrel reveals that the key to making something biodegradable is to ensure that earth microbes can recognize it and access it so they can break them down into compounds that enrich the soil.

Carbon footprints (34.45)

Darrel calls his products carbon-negative since they pre-break down the tree components for the microbes to later break down further in the soil. He sees many applications to bioplastics which will collectively help in lowering carbon emissions.

Local economies (37.33)

Darrel feels excited about the ability of technology to generate advanced materials in a local area using local resources. Localizing manufacturing and sequestering carbon is how he believes we can address climate change.

The future of plastic (41.51)

Darrel believes bioplastics have the potential to be much better performing than regular plastics, alongside being more sustainable. He looks at blockchain technologies as a way to create transparency in manufacturing, to check if a product is sustainably made.

A sustainable economy (47.40)

Darrel addresses the complexity of single-use products. Plastics either end up in a landfill or get burned. However, government policies, politicians and technology are all supporting the growth of the bioplastics industry, and every manufacturer can switch to bioplastics.

Creating the future (53.56)

Darrel sees bioplastics starting to become mainstream and public appetite for it increasing. He believes his company is at a point where they can demonstrate that at a level that the industry will respect.

We have all seen the news footage of wildfires raging through our wild places, threatening homes and lives. Many of us have even been impacted by the threat of these fires or lost our homes to them. Others will have experienced the mid-afternoon blanket of smoke that blots out the sun and turns on the streetlamps. As a society, we are becoming more and more aware of wildfire as a threat. But how did we get here? Why are fires so rampant today? And how do we learn to live in this new reality? How can we learn to live with fire?

Resources

Mike Flannigan

World on Fire

Mapping Canadian wildland fire interface areas

Canada Wildfire

Sponsors

West Fraser

GreenLink Forestry Inc.

Damaged Timber

Giveaway

Enter YourForest10 at checkout at the Damaged Timber store for a 10% discount!

Quotes

57.37 - 57.41: “Fire is a multifaceted problem, it needs a multi-pronged solution.”

Takeaways

Fire people (05.33)

Mike has been interested in fire since childhood, as well as the weather. At the University of Alberta, he has been researching fire, weather and climate change.

Fuel, ignition, weather (09.18)

Mike lists the three ingredients of a fire - fuel, ignition and weather. Global warming dries the grass (fuel), and increases lightning (ignition), so fires increase.

Fuel build-up (19.27)

Mike explains what fuel build-up can mean in different situations and landscapes and how often prescribed burning can be done.

How we manage the landscape is important (25.43)

Mike blames climate change and humans in equal part for the increase in wildfires. Different ecosystems recover differently from fires.

Fire preparedness (29.52)

Being one of the two main ignition agents, humans can prevent fires by decreasing activities that can ignite them. Mike suggests increasing fire bans, forest closures and education.

Pros and cons of fire (35.10)

Parks Canada views fires as an educational opportunity. Mike reiterates that fire is natural and at times, healthy and beneficial. However, wildfire smoke is toxic and fatal.

Good fire (38.30)

Communicating the message that fire is beneficial can pale compared to the powerful visuals people see of fire destruction but Mike believes public education will dispel the myths and provide context.

Bringing fire back (46.15)

Mike explains that Indigenous peoples have been using fire for thousands of years and see it as natural and beneficial. We need to do more research on how to get more fire on landscapes.

Once burned, twice shy (53.33)

The prescribed burning window is quite short and is getting shorter due to climate change. Smoke and loss of life present huge challenges to prescribed burning.

Let it burn (59.28)

Mike lists the appropriate responses to a fire - allowing patchwork mosaic prescribed burning in the appropriate burning window, timely fire response, and reporting a fire when seen.

The circle of wildfire (1.09.30)

Mike notes some examples where Indigenous peoples are in charge of burning programs and believes it is up to the landowners to promote, encourage, foster and listen to good fire.

Human contribution (1.17.34)

Mike highlights how peats are huge carbon banks, and peat fires can have massive fossil fuel emissions. Permafrost thawing will be 20 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.