Rob Kozak

UNIVERSITY OF BC FORESTRY — With nearly 8,000 Forestry alumni around the world affecting change and making impacts in ways that are incalculable, we are most certainly one of the most successful Forestry schools globally. As well, our leading-edge, innovative research continues to make waves in positive and meaningful ways. …That as the backdrop to this issue on Future Forests, the reality is that the future of forests – and, by association, forestry – is in all of our hands. Looming large are the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, the decline of forest-dependent communities and an expanding – and increasingly voracious – human population. …Forests, as we all know, play a vital role in contributing solutions to address some of these pressing issues. Technological innovations are part of the answer, certainly, but what we need now – more than ever – is to put forward bold, courageous, conservation-based strategies, even if it sometimes means bucking the status quo.

 …We have attempted to do this in the current issue of Branchlines by summarizing viewpoints shared in our recent webinars on the contentious issue of old growth forests and by providing some potential paths forward for all. In the end, we find ourselves in a maelstrom of wicked problems related to the sustainability of our planet, and we owe it to future generations to do whatever we possibly can to tackle this dizzying array of issues head-on. We also recognize that forests and the nature-based solutions that they provide are a big part of the solution, but that this may require disruptive, transformative change. The Faculty of Forestry is responding to this clarion call by providing intellectual space for informed dialogue and by imparting knowledge to the next generation of natural resources managers and change-makers. Together, we can make a difference in creating a healthier, more resilient and sustainable future.