The First World War and the transformation of forestry in British Columbia

During the Second World War thousands of foresters left British
Columbia and other parts of Canada to serve in the Canadian
Forestry Corps in Europe. The Forestry Corps was set up to help
European allies producing sufficient amounts of timber from their
forests for the war effort. In Europe, these Canadian foresters
were confronted with intensive forest management techniques,
unknown to them back home. After the War British and other
European governments appealed to Canada for tree seed to replant
the devastated European forests. To meet this demand the British
Columbia provincial government established a system for fir cone
harvesting, seed extraction and overseas shipment.


In this episode David Brownstein of the University of British
Columbia explains how the coincidence of the exposure of Canadian
foresters to European forestry management practice and the
post-war seed collection were to transform Canadian forestry,
leading to the abandonment of the policy of natural regeneration.


Music credit: The Way by Pitx, available from ccMixter