Exploring the effectiveness of Canadian forest advisory committees for advancing sustainability
Date
2019-09-18
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
ORCID
0000-0003-4929-6204
Type
Thesis
Degree Level
Masters
Abstract
Forest Advisory Committees (FACs) in Canada were established in the early 1990s
through provincial legislation and market-based forest certification schemes to advance the aims
of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). These committees aimed to incorporate a broad range
of stakeholder and rightsholder perspectives and social values into forest management planning
processes. There is a need to evaluate the effectiveness of these committees in advancing
contributions to SFM, and to better understand what factors characterize their effectiveness. In
particular, this research focused on understanding the perspectives of the forest companies and
provincial governments that sponsor committees and are responsible for the uptake of committee
recommendations in decision-making.
This thesis adopted a mixed methods approach, building on quantitative data collected
through a national survey of FACs in 2016. Qualitative methods were used to explore the
effectiveness of selected committees, including telephone interviews with committee sponsors
and more indepth case study of two committees in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The study found
an emphasis on process, rather than outcomes, in participants’ characterizations of committee
effectiveness. Limited evidence was found of contributions to SFM, though commitees were
more influential on outcomes related to local issues such as access and recreation in the forest.
The strategic importance of committees for planning and certification purposes was also
revealed. Implications for public forest governance in Canada were considered, along with
recommendations moving forward.
Description
Keywords
sustainable forest management, public participation, forest advisory committees
Citation
Degree
Master of Environment and Sustainability (M.E.S.)
Department
School of Environment and Sustainability
Program
Environment and Sustainability