HAVE WE WALKED OVER THE CLIFF?

Taken from the summation address by John Walters, Director, University of British Columbia Research Forest. Professor, Faculty of Forestry, UBC . As the first of two wrap-up statements prepared for "Tomorrow's Forests... Today's Challenge?" ( A conference on adequate Forest Renewal in Canada) Quebec City, 1977, October 19-21.
This is from his #3 talking point: Incentive for investment. " In forestry, with its unique and long time dependency, this requires security which private ownership seems to offer. Certainly, governments have not demonstrated an interest in long term forestry on public land."

He refers to:

•  the Forest Act of 1912 (British Columbia).
• 1937 statement by F.D. Mulholland asking for more successful reforestation and regulations to the cut in British Columbia.
•  The 1956 Royal Commission.
• The 1976 Royal Commission (British Columbia)

" We have been reaping what nature produced - we have been practicing "wildland forestry". The banquet is over. Wildland forestry is coming to an end. Now, as Ken Armson emphasized, we have to start growing managed forests using the same principles which were responsible for the incredible productivity of agriculture.  We no longer work with our hands and grub-hoes. - today we rely on machines. But we are the same Canadians who helped produce the North American agricultural miracle. Jim McLeod spoke of a quantum leap in the uses of wood. As oil and gas are used up, they will be replaced by wood derivatives. We have the private capital - we have the individual will to do in forestry what we did in agriculture. But we can only attract the capital of long term commitments so vital to forestry by the security and proud stewardship of land ownership. To deny that Canadians will not agree to do for trees what they did so successfully for wheat is to believe they will walk open- eyed over a cliff. To say that the transfer of forest land to industrial ownership is too complicated to arrange at this stage in our history is to admit we are administratively illiterate."

"We must obtain the large investment which only security of tenure can attract."

Fast Forward to June 1986:  The Forest Scene, Vol 17, Number 2

Ian D. Bird was president of the Ontario Forest Industries Association. He spoke to the Rotary Club of Oakville, Ontario.

" He explained that Crown Forest represents about 90% per cent of Ontario's forest land. "

" Sound management of Crown forests is the key to the future wood supply".

• Protection of the land base against inroads by expansion of the provincial park system at the expense of productive forests;
• Protection of the forest from fire and insects
• Harvesting of the timber crop
• Renewal of the forest
• Tending the new forest
  
  Neglect of any one or all of the above would result in a threatened wood supply.

Ontario's spending on silviculture had increased from $31.9 million in 1977 to $95.5 million in 1984.

A 1986  national Gallup Poll shows Canadians ranking forestry second to agriculture in importance as a national industry. 1001 people were polled.
Perceived threats to Canada's forests:

• Fire
• insects
• man and his activities
• lack of reforestation
• acid rain and other pollutants

Mass media in 1986, was the prime source of information: TV;Magazines;newspapers;and radio.

Now in 2012 we can likely add the Social Media and WWW.

If Gallop polled this generation,2012,  where would Forestry be?