Team member, Tyreen Kapoor, joins us as the brand new Data Curation Specialist - a uniquely-designed position to help us thoughtfully develop a knowledge repository and central hub for all things “innovative silviculture” for practitioners. The project team has made tremendous strides in making this vision become a reality, including wrapping up targeted surveys to prospective users about desired designs and uses, strategizing content priorities and initiating development. In its next stages, the hub will be built out and prepared for testing with practitioners. Stay tuned for future opportunities to learn more about the hub. 

Members of the SIP team attended the Fall SISCO field tour in Pemberton, visiting Lil’wat Nation territory and sites managed by the Nation and Lil'wat Forestry Ventures. Learnings were shared about prescriptions that were implemented with the intention of reducing wildfire risk to the community and managing Indigenous cultural values, such as pine mushrooms and huckleberry. We learned about the purposeful ways that Lil’wat Nation center community values and Indigenous knowledge in the determination of forestry objectives and treatments, and how they are able to explore opportunities for innovative practices. 

Jodi shares her thoughts on the experience: “I have been reflecting on one of the most powerful things I heard there about collaboration from a Lil'wat Nation knowledge holder: "We move at the speed of trust". Collaboration is so absolutely essential to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow, and trust is an integral part of this. So many elements must come together - effort, grit, curiosity, openness, humility - but when they do, they can make collaborations sing.”

Alana was also invited to join the Woodlots BC annual general meeting and field tour in Quesnel. Alana joined a panel discussion on “Strategic Direction: What do woodlotters need to know for the next 5 years?” and provided perspectives on how the SIP can support woodlots. Reflecting on the field tour to a woodlot managed with multiple entries and the West Fraser plywood plant, she shares that “seeing the use of alternative silviculture over multiple entries and hearing the discussion between woodlotters keen to share their knowledge of how to get it done was a real highlight. I was blown away by both the technology and the human touch throughout the plywood plant. It was a great day out with woodlotters!”

We are excited to be leading a plenary session at the upcoming Forest Professionals BC meeting that takes place in Victoria BC from February 5-7, 2025. The plenary session, titled “Perceptions on the State of Innovative Silviculture in BC,” will provide learnings on how extension and knowledge exchange can meet the opportunities and challenges of innovative silviculture. We will share what we heard from our survey of forest professionals and their needs relating to implementing innovative silviculture; and details on the resources and projects that can help meet these needs. We will also have an exhibitor’s booth so you will be able to chat with the SIP team throughout the conference to ask questions and find out more about our projects.

Learn more about the session here: https://evoque.swoogo.com/fpbc2025/5472905