My research interests target the interdisciplinary nature of forestry and the role that communications—both within and across cultures and communities—play in sustainable forest management (SFM). I am particularly interested in improving communication between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities in a manner that is meaningful. My Ph.D. research stems from my desire to evaluate whether social criteria and indicators (C & I) are really the most appropriate tool for incorporating public perspectives into the forest management planning process.
The concept of SFM transcends biological, ecological, and economic benchmarks: ultimately, it is about people. In BC, forest management and planning processes continue to be complicated by conflicting economic interest, cultural differences, and differing exposure to risks that exist within Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. At the local level, increased understanding (and reduced conflict) among stakeholders and Aboriginal peoples can be achieved by identifying areas of divergence and addressing inequities within management regimes. Exploring the social and cultural values diverse publics hold for forests is crucial to understanding people's experiences and attitudes toward forests and forestry. A general objective of this research project is to identify and address key gaps in knowledge around effective measures of social and cultural sustainability in the context of SFM in BC. My Ph.D. research investigates both social and cultural impacts of forest management at the community level as a baseline for critically evaluating the capacity of existing models of measurement to effectively assess social sustainability, and the extent to which they are culturally appropriate for addressing Aboriginal perspectives and expectations of SFM. Using qualitative data from interviews with members of neighbouring Wet'suwet'en and non-Aboriginal communities in the forest-dependent Bulkley Valley region of north-central BC, I am analyzing local perceptions and expectations of SFM to evaluate the distribution of impacts and benefits in the case study area, test assumptions about our capacity to monitor socio-cultural impacts of SFM in a meaningful way, and critically evaluate the tools currently used by BC forest managers to measure social and cultural sustainability.