UBC Reports | Vol. 47 | No. 19 | November 29, 2001

`Think world-class, think b.c.:' dean's aim

Altering perception of the industry is dean's first goal

Although forestry dean Jack Saddler shares many people's concern about the current sharp downturn in B.C.'s forest industry, he is still optimistic about its future.

"It's still the number one industry in export sales and it will continue to be for at least the next 30-50 years," says Saddler.

Advanced wood products, superior quality lumber, better trained personnel and emerging world markets will hold B.C. in good stead, he says.

Saddler is concerned, however, about the widely held perception that forestry is a "bad" industry.

The result of that, he says, is that many of the brightest high school students shy away from careers in forestry-related areas. This frustrates him because he is convinced that UBC has the potential to be the world leader in both the management of its forests and the sustainable production of wood products.

"When people think about world-class chefs, they think about France; if they think about world-class engineers, they think of Germany; if they think about soccer players, they think about Brazil," says Saddler.

"If we do things right, when it comes to how forests are utilized in a world-class fashion to create jobs, recreation, communities, etc., they should think about British Columbia."

Altering the perception of the forest industry is the first of three challenges that represent the goals for the faculty's immediate future.

They are goals designed to lead B.C. out of the woods and position its forest industry as a global leader, one that is not only economically viable, but also ecologically sustainable and socially responsible.

"I think of them as the three R's," Saddler says. "Re-invention, recruitment and research."

The task of re-inventing forestry, he explains, involves convincing the public that the modern forest industry is, by necessity, focused on sustainability and therefore relies upon both the social and natural sciences to help stakeholders make informed decisions.

That said, the recruitment challenge isn't surprising.

Saddler says that the faculty tends to successfully recruit students whose parents were in the industry, but it needs to attract more students from non-industry families.

Typically, the desired recruit is a top student who is interested in science, enjoys the outdoors and is concerned about socio-cultural and ecological issues.

"We need to help them understand that forestry needs people with expertise in diverse areas like conservation biology, molecular biology, hydrology, recreation management, native land claims, building design and landscape architecture," he says.

On the research front, Saddler speaks glowingly of the faculty's talent and interdisciplinarity, as evidenced by the number of cross-faculty appointments, and the extent to which researchers are introducing greater levels of technology into an "old economy" industry.

An expert in the production of ethanol fuels from forest residues and an avid camper, Saddler himself personifies the forestry sector that both wants to derive the highest value from the forest in social, ecological and economic terms while fully appreciating the beauty and uniqueness that is B.C.'s forests.

His contention that both the faculty and the provincial industry are well positioned is convincing. The raw material remains in relative abundance, the mistakes of the past notwithstanding. Equally important, however, is the production of two other natural resources -- human capital and brainpower.

If developed simultaneously, Jack Saddler's vision may well be realized. Indeed, the pieces appear to be in place.

See also:

New foresters blend sciences

Stakeholders picture a forest, thanks to lab