Alice Palmer

In a world where the only constant is change, anticipating the future helps us identify potential disruptions—and prepare for them — futurist Nikolas Badminton of Futurist.com. The BC forest industry is no stranger to change. On top of the constant ebb and flow of demand for forest products, we also have to contend with a seemingly ever-decreasing log supply. On a more positive note, emerging technologies such as global positioning systems are creating opportunities to increase automation and log more efficiently. Further, wood is increasingly being recognised as a carbon-friendly building material and is being used in a growing number of applications. …If we allowed ourselves to daydream about where we live and how we live 30 years into the future, what would we see? Will the world’s cities be full of wooden skyscrapers? Or, conversely, will society’s thoughts and beliefs about sustainable forestry lead to less forest harvesting, and ultimately, less wood usage overall? 

In Facing Our Futures, Nikolas Badminton points out that one person’s utopia may be another’s dystopia, and this is evident when we listen to forest policy discussion in BC. Consider, for example, the idea of designating tracts of forest land for intensive timber production. Are such forests the perfect solution for carbon sequestration on a smaller land base, or are they dense, dark, “biodiversity deserts”? If society’s overall goal is to have both wood production and conservation, we will probably have to incorporate both industrial and conservation forestry into our plans. …Facing Our Futures does not say much about negotiating between clashing worldviews. However, it does describe how scenario building can be used to stimulate broader interest and participation.