Show Notes
If you are looking for inspiration, look no further than the story Percy Guichon was willing to share with us. Through hardship and discrimination, pain and suffering, a few First Nations were able to create thriving communities out of hard work and ingenuity. Percy came on the show to share his personal story, but also that of his Nation and the success they have had building forestry enterprises that look out for land and give back to community. Reconciliation takes lots of forms, Percy’s story is about collaboration and thinking outside the box. Resources Percy Guichon The residential school Percy attended as a child was purchased by Williams Lake First Nations to help honour their ancestors: Article: St. Joseph's Mission residential school site should be 'a place of healing' Central Chilcotlin Rehabilitation Ltd. Sponsors West Fraser GreenLink Forestry Inc. Quotes 20.46 - 20.54: “I think… the start of… reconciliation is just by acknowledging those… past harms and what it did to our people.” Takeaways Traditional territory (4.44) Percy is a member and Councillor of Tŝideldel First Nation in the interior of British Columbia. He is grateful to be one of the few of his generation to speak his native language. Knowledge and experience (8.40) The conditions of First Nations members during his childhood were some of the reasons that inspired Percy to run for Chief many years later, where he served for 6 years. Indigenous consultation (12.21) Percy’s earliest memories are of living on the land with the other animals that occupy it, including its waters. That laid the seed of his interest in forestry through high school. Truth and reconciliation (19.49) Reconciliation efforts are taking place across Canada to acknowledge the harms of residential schools, cultural genocide and economic marginalization. Separating children from families caused intergenerational trauma and alcoholism. Communities building their destiny (22.41) Percy believes it is important for institutions and systems to work with Indigenous people to remove barriers to meaningful long-term employment and empower communities. Reconciliation and forestry (26.17) First Nations communities have formed forestry companies and created development corporations. They are also being consulted by the Ministry of Forestry. The trauma of residential schools (30.55) Percy went to residential school at age 7 with his siblings and cousins. The impacts on his community, his culture, his friends, his family, and his sense of self were devastating. Leave a lasting legacy (47.29) Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation (CCR) focuses on cleaning up the mountain pine beetle-infested areas. First Nations communities need to be involved in the forest industry for sustainability. From companies to communities (55.28) Percy rejoices in the transfer of forest licenses from companies to communities. This helps distribute the responsibilities between conservation officers and community members. Honouring agreements (1.04.45) Percy shares the stories of how different First Nations have built agreements with the government, similar to how they created treaties. Strengthening the culture (1.10.53) Percy speaks about the supreme court decision demarcated title land area, how the BC government exonerated chiefs and the tripartite framework agreement. Healthy and happy communities (1.19.25) Percy believes that communities must have forest licenses so they can benefit from them. Elders still carry out traditional practices like berry picking and collecting medicinal plants. Building relationships (1.27.30) Percy looks forward to building relationships with other First Nations neighbours, sharing best practices and exchanging expertise and resources to create future-forward sustainable projects. Allyship in action (1.34.14) It is important to be respectful of the communities, address land rights, create revenue-sharing agreements and help the communities grow.
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In this episode of YourForest, Matthew Kristoff reflects on his nearly decade-long journey of podcasting and shares key takeaways from the most memorable conversations that have shaped his understanding of forest management, sustainability, and the relationship between humans and nature. This final episode dives into the lessons learned from past episodes, touching on critical topics like decolonization, reconciliation, and how we view and interact with the natural world. 🌟 Key Points 🌟 👉 Explore how treaties are essential to reconciliation and partnership between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. 👉 Discover "contemplative forestry," a balanced approach that integrates intrinsic values and Western science in forest management. 👉 Learn how embracing Indigenous wisdom and Western science can transform forest management for a more sustainable future. 👉 Understand the need to uphold scientific integrity in environmental narratives, especially when popular ideas are challenged by research. ⌛ Takeaways with Complete Timestamps ⌛ [00:00:25] - Matthew’s Final Reflection [00:04:26] - Acknowledgments [00:05:21] - Dr. Matthew Wildcat (Episode 34 – Canada, A Treaty Story [00:23:28] - Dr. Jason Brown (Episode 153 – Learn Contemplative Forestry) [00:34:55] - Gary Merkel (Episode 141 – The Paradigm Shift) [00:52:19] - Connecting the Dots, From Paradigm Shifts to Scientific Integrity [00:57:19] - Justine Karst (Episode 135 – Reconsidering the Wood Wide Web) [01:06:34] - Dr. Jennifer Grenz (Episode 166 – Decolonizing Land Stewardship) Sponsors 👉 West Fraser: https://www.westfraser.com/ 👉 GreenLink Forestry Inc.:https://greenlinkforestry.com/ Follow YourForest Podcast on: 👉 Website: https://yourforestpodcast.com/ 👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yourforestpodcast7324 👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourforestpodcast 👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourforestpodcast/ 👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourforestpodcast/ 👉 Twitter: https://x.com/yourforestpdcst/ 👉 Email: [email protected] If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it on your favourite platform! 🌟
Host Matthew Kristoff discusses the launch of the Wildfire Resilience Consortium of Canada (WRCC) with leaders Shelagh Pyper, Kelsey Winter, and Garnet Mierau. The conversation focuses on the urgent need to move past fragmented efforts to a unified, "whole of society" approach for managing Canada's wildfire crisis. The WRCC aims to connect knowledge producers (researchers, firekeepers) with users (policymakers, practitioners) to build national fire resilience. 🌟 Key Points 🌟 👉 Experts advocate for a societal shift to embrace fire as a beneficial, essential part of life, moving beyond mere coexistence. 👉 The WRCC's mission is to end fragmented decision-making by uniting partners, values, and stakeholders in one location. 👉 The current period is seen as a key moment in Canadian history to build a robust, holistic, and resilient wildfire future. 👉 The next and final YourForest episode will summarize and review the "large-scale lessons learned" throughout the podcast's run. 💬 Quotes 💬 [00:09:16] Shelagh Pyper: "I'm one of the principals at fuse, and that's what our specialty is, just bridging knowledge, producers with knowledge users and research practitioners, communities, also working with Indigenous communities and Indigenous knowledge and trying to connect those dots." [00:20:11] Kelsey Winter: "Now the wildfire situation is to a point that we're past the tipping point, and if we don't do something different, we'll just keep having the second worst, the first worst season over and over again. So I think the time is now." [00:13:44] Garnet Mierau: "I know, and I believe in this work that it can be done and that connection of the knowledge from the academic side or whether it's an INDIGENOUS fire keeper to that practitioner, that policymaker, that individual on the ground, I know that there's a strong need to make those connections." ⌛ Takeaways with Complete Timestamps ⌛ [00:00:05] - Embracing Fire as Part of Living [00:00:55] - Podcast Introduction and Host's New Role with the WRCC [00:02:49] - Introduction of Speakers: Roles and Expertise in Fire Resilience [00:05:39] - The Genesis of the WRCC: Addressing Silos in Wildfire Management [00:16:59] - The WRCC as a Network Connector, Not a Singular Centre of Excellence [00:19:39] - Past the Tipping Point: Why the WRCC is Critical Now [00:22:41] - Wildfire as a "Whole of Society" Complex Onion [00:25:50] - Defining and Co-Designing Wildfire Resilience in a Vast Country [00:31:24] - Setting Strategic Priorities: The Three Pillars of Wildfire Management [00:41:36] - Building Trust and Fostering Authentic Collaboration at Scale [01:13:24] - Colonialism and Fire Exclusion as the Core Systemic Problem [01:24:44] - The Need for Action Follow the guest on: 👉 Shelagh Pyper: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelagh-pyper-73b86813b/ 👉 Kelsey Winter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-l-winter/ 👉 Garnet Mierau: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garnetmierau/ Sponsors 👉 West Fraser: https://www.westfraser.com/ 👉 GreenLink Forestry Inc.:https://greenlinkforestry.com/ Follow YourForest Podcast on: 👉 Website: https://yourforestpodcast.com/ 👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yourforestpodcast7324 👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourforestpodcast 👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourforestpodcast/ 👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourforestpodcast/ 👉 Twitter: https://x.com/yourforestpdcst/ 👉 Email: [email protected] If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it on your favourite platform! 🌟
In this episode of YourForest, Matthew Kristoff and Dr. Jennifer Grenz discuss the necessity of decolonizing land management by being "rooted in truth" - acknowledging the historical and ongoing legacies of colonialism that shape current ecological systems. Dr. Grenz, an Nlaka'pamux woman and the Founding Director of the Indigenous Ecology Lab at UBC, advocates for "Two-Eyed Seeing": braiding Indigenous knowledge and Western science to create a stronger, more resilient approach to stewarding our landscapes. The conversation explores how understanding this history is crucial for developing human-centric and effective solutions to environmental challenges. 🌟 Key Points 🌟 👉 Decolonization is simply acknowledging the full, true history and colonial legacies that impact current land systems. 👉 Combine Indigenous knowledge and Western science for a more resilient, complete ecosystem understanding. 👉 Rethink static concepts of native species and acknowledge the historical human role in shaping ecology. 👉 Prioritize the wisdom and values of relationships to the land and to each other over complex, bureaucratic, knowledge-based systems. 💬 Quotes 💬 [00:20:28]Dr. Jennifer Grenz: “I just want to work in a way that's congruent with what's on my heart, and I just really don't care what other people think anymore. I think that's also why my lab is structured the way it is. We work entirely in service to indigenous communities. So they're leading the question there, and I'll bring all the scientific tools in. I want to get as much data for them because that's an important knowledge translation exercise. We're gonna use it and analyze it in a different way, or we're going to ask different questions. We're along for their ride and supporting whatever it is that they want for outcomes.” [00:39:50] Dr. Jennifer Grenz: “We can't have reciprocity or anything until we're really grounded in the truth of what it is that we're trying to do. If we were more grounded in truth about what we were trying to do and not try to make one thing another, then we can really talk about what reciprocity looks like in those contexts.” ⌛ Takeaways with Complete Timestamps ⌛ [00:00:00] Defining Decolonization as "Working in Truth" [00:03:30] The Core Concept of Medicine Wheel for the Planet [00:07:16] Dr. Grenz's Personal Connection to Land [00:11:27] Challenging the Static Idea of Plant Nativeness [00:17:19] Rejecting Objectivity to Work from the Heart. [00:23:34] The Practice of Talking to the Plants. [00:28:27] Humility and Action in Reciprocity [00:44:45] Colonialism as an Ongoing System [01:01:15] Centering the People of the Land [01:17:59] Planting Seeds for Change [01:27:42] Relationship as a Key Guardrail for the Future
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In this episode of YourForest, Matthew Kristoff discusses the future of forestry with Dr. Gary Bull, a leading expert in forestry economics, policy, and sustainability. Dr. Bull, a Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia, explores the evolving relationship between forest management, biodiversity, and the forest industry. He emphasizes shifting from timber-focused practices to integrating non-timber values like carbon storage, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. With decades of global experience, Dr. Bull advocates for rethinking forestry to create a more sustainable future. 🌟 Key Points 🌟 👉 Rethinking the Annual Allowable Cut 👉 Circular Bioeconomy and Wood Products 👉 Biodiversity and Carbon Credits 👉 Balancing Forest Health and Resource Production 👉 Indigenous and NGO Collaborations in Forestry 💬 Quotes 💬 [01:12:16] Dr. Gary Bull: I do appreciate an entrepreneurial spirit and a pioneering spirit and a change in mindset, and that flexibility that comes with being bold and pushing aside that fear so that we can take action and be creative enough. We can figure out how to finance that action. Because if you haven't figured that part out, there's no action going to happen. I'm not dismissing volunteerism at all, and I do think people can contribute in lots of good ways without money being currency. But I do think that this caution and this fear are probably what hold us back the most. [00:26:09] Matthew Kristoff: Industry worried they're going to lose out on business. The government's worried they're going to lose out on tax dollars. These NGOs are worried that we're going to lose ecosystem health and so on and so forth. And it's all fear. Let's move away from the fear. Let's move away from the finger-pointing. Let's try and work together. Let's see what we can do here. Such huge potential. It's amazing. So it's really about changing the value system, changing how we see and incentivize this type of stuff. ⌛ Takeaways with Complete Timestamps ⌛ [00:00:00] - Introduction to Forestry’s Future [00:04:40] - Dr. Gary Bull’s Background [00:11:40] - Non-Timber Values and the Role of Economics [00:13:54] - The Forest Industry of the Future [00:19:26] - The Case for Pricing Environmental Services [00:22:05] - Global Examples of Collaborative Forest Management [00:26:09] - Breaking Down Barriers Between Industry and NGOs [00:32:17] - Incentivizing Sustainable Forest Management [00:38:30] - The Role of Insurance and Real-Time Monitoring [00:46:18] - The Power of Carbon Accounting [00:55:08] - The Call for Creative Destruction [01:11:11] - Conclusion: Embracing Change for a Sustainable Future Follow the guest on: 👉 Dr. Gary Bull: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-bull-739b5511/ Sponsors 👉 West Fraser: https://www.westfraser.com/ 👉 GreenLink Forestry Inc.:https://greenlinkforestry.com/ Follow YourForest Podcast on: 👉 Website: https://yourforestpodcast.com/ 👉 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@yourforestpodcast7324 👉 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yourforestpodcast 👉 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yourforestpodcast/ 👉 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourforestpodcast/ 👉 Twitter: https://x.com/yourforestpdcst/ 👉 Email: [email protected] If you liked this podcast, please rate and review it on your favourite platform! 🌟