Disputes over forest land use and forest land management continue despite a formal planning process administered by the Ministry of Forests that is designed to achieve integrated resource use planning on B.C. Crown lands. These disputes result in costly and time-consuming delays in the completion and implementation of forestry plans. Calls continue for improved stakeholder participation and effective resolution of disputes and conflicts by the Ministry of Forests. At the same time, there is growing interest among decision-makers in alternative dispute resolution strategies, and particularly in the opportunities associated with consensus-based decision-making. The primary purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the Ministry of Forests forest planning process to determine if inadequacies in the institutional arrangements contribute to inadequate stakeholder involvement, thereby contributing to ongoing forestry disputes. Through a review of literature on participatory democracy and conflict management, twelve normative criteria are extracted, comprising elements of a planning and decision-making process which contribute to fairness, efficiency and stability in decision-making. These criteria are applied to the Ministry of Forests planning framework. Generally, the current planning framework proves inadequate in terms of making provisions for stakeholder involvement and conflict management. Decision-making by government provides limited opportunities for stakeholder involvement. Reforms to the planning process are necessary if fair, efficient and stable decisions are to be realized. Legislation must be amended to provide for meaningful stakeholder involvement, an appeal process and improved access to information. A comprehensive planning document which clearly defines the planning and decision-making processes is required. It should also clearly outline stakeholder involvement opportunities, key decision points and the appeal process. Provisions are required for intervenor funding, written reasons for decisions and effective monitoring of decision implementation. These revisions will contribute to a process which builds trust, relationships and understanding between forestry stakeholders in an effort to reduce forestry conflicts and disputes in this province.

The thesis is an exploration of the current role of the small business forest sector in hinterland forest communities, and the extent to which their economic and social positions correspond to the role envisioned for them by two prevailing visions of the future of the forest industry. One, advocated by Canadian political economists, predicts a continuation, indeed an intensification of corporate concentration, with attendant downsizing and job losses. Corporate restructuring is seen in part to induce small business development, through subcontracting arrangements and local entrepreneurialism, as a response to losses of core forest industry jobs. The second interpretation, advocated by the alternative forestry school, views the current crisis in the forest industry as an opportunity to return to decentralised approaches to ecologically-based forest management which encourage 'democracy in the forests', leading to community and environmental sustainability. Local entrepreneurs are an important part of this new 'value-based' forest economy. Interviews with small forest operators reveal a diversity of economic and social identities that do not conform well to either of the positions ascribed to small business by the Canadian political economy or alternative forestry literatures. The representations of small business found in these two literatures homogenize and suppress this diversity, making it difficult to 'see' small forest operators as anything other than contractors to the conventional system of corporate forestry, or alternative operators in an ecosystem- and community-based forest economy. In the place of these singular, marginalizing representations, I argue, using poststructural and feminist approaches to economic geography, for a 'third way' of exploring small forest operator subjectivities through overdetermined multiple class processes. Exploring small forest operator identity through multiple class processes avoids the essentialism found in fixed representations. It recognizes the transformative potential of small business in the forest economy, without denying the potential for exploitation that exists both within small business and corporate forestry. Class processes rendered invisible in the Canadian political economy and alternative forestry narratives, such as unpaid labour performed by family members and volunteer work in local planning processes, as well as work performed for wages and profit, are considered in this multiple class processes approach.

Disputes over forest land use and forest land management continue despite a formal planning process administered by the Ministry of Forests that is designed to achieve integrated resource use planning on B.C. Crown lands. These disputes result in costly and time-consuming delays in the completion and implementation of forestry plans. Calls continue for improved stakeholder participation and effective resolution of disputes and conflicts by the Ministry of Forests. At the same time, there is growing interest among decision-makers in alternative dispute resolution strategies, and particularly in the opportunities associated with consensus-based decision-making. The primary purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the Ministry of Forests forest planning process to determine if inadequacies in the institutional arrangements contribute to inadequate stakeholder involvement, thereby contributing to ongoing forestry disputes. Through a review of literature on participatory democracy and conflict management, twelve normative criteria are extracted, comprising elements of a planning and decision-making process which contribute to fairness, efficiency and stability in decision-making. These criteria are applied to the Ministry of Forests planning framework. Generally, the current planning framework proves inadequate in terms of making provisions for stakeholder involvement and conflict management. Decision-making by government provides limited opportunities for stakeholder involvement. Reforms to the planning process are necessary if fair, efficient and stable decisions are to be realized. Legislation must be amended to provide for meaningful stakeholder involvement, an appeal process and improved access to information. A comprehensive planning document which clearly defines the planning and decision-making processes is required. It should also clearly outline stakeholder involvement opportunities, key decision points and the appeal process. Provisions are required for intervenor funding, written reasons for decisions and effective monitoring of decision implementation. These revisions will contribute to a process which builds trust, relationships and understanding between forestry stakeholders in an effort to reduce forestry conflicts and disputes in this province. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

The thesis is an exploration of the current role of the small business forest sector in hinterland forest communities, and the extent to which their economic and social positions correspond to the role envisioned for them by two prevailing visions of the future of the forest industry. One, advocated by Canadian political economists, predicts a continuation, indeed an intensification of corporate concentration, with attendant downsizing and job losses. Corporate restructuring is seen in part to induce small business development, through subcontracting arrangements and local entrepreneurialism, as a response to losses of core forest industry jobs. The second interpretation, advocated by the alternative forestry school, views the current crisis in the forest industry as an opportunity to return to decentralised approaches to ecologically-based forest management which encourage 'democracy in the forests', leading to community and environmental sustainability. Local entrepreneurs are an important part of this new 'value-based' forest economy. Interviews with small forest operators reveal a diversity of economic and social identities that do not conform well to either of the positions ascribed to small business by the Canadian political economy or alternative forestry literatures. The representations of small business found in these two literatures homogenize and suppress this diversity, making it difficult to 'see' small forest operators as anything other than contractors to the conventional system of corporate forestry, or alternative operators in an ecosystem- and community-based forest economy. In the place of these singular, marginalizing representations, I argue, using poststructural and feminist approaches to economic geography, for a 'third way' of exploring small forest operator subjectivities through overdetermined multiple class processes. Exploring small forest operator identity through multiple class processes avoids the essentialism found in fixed representations. It recognizes the transformative potential of small business in the forest economy, without denying the potential for exploitation that exists both within small business and corporate forestry. Class processes rendered invisible in the Canadian political economy and alternative forestry narratives, such as unpaid labour performed by family members and volunteer work in local planning processes, as well as work performed for wages and profit, are considered in this multiple class processes approach. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

This thesis addresses the situation of First Nations people in forestry of British Columbia. Aboriginal people in British Columbia have been involved in the forest industry as laborers since the 1850s when the commercial logging operations began in the province, but have been politically and economically marginalized in the industry. The institutional and economic factors not only have restricted aboriginal people to control over forest resources on their traditional lands but have affected their forest management practices. For aboriginal communities, it is a critical issue that protecting old growth forests, with which they are culturally associated, without giving up economic benefit generated from harvesting these forests. In order to suggest possible changes and approaches for shaping native forest management in the existing institutional and economic frameworks, I examined the issues of provincial forestry and analyzed how these issues effect and interact with aboriginal people. It is important but difficult for First Nations to obtain forest tenure because their resource management is related to their land rights. However, the issues of aboriginal people in forestry overlap with those of the province. Thus, perspectives and participation of aboriginal people is critical for the government and the industry. Forestry of British Columbia is in transition and has begun to consider the potential contribution of aboriginal people to sustainable forestry. Therefore, aboriginal people have a significant role to play in the future of forestry.

This thesis addresses the situation of First Nations people in forestry of British Columbia. Aboriginal people in British Columbia have been involved in the forest industry as laborers since the 1850s when the commercial logging operations began in the province, but have been politically and economically marginalized in the industry. The institutional and economic factors not only have restricted aboriginal people to control over forest resources on their traditional lands but have affected their forest management practices. For aboriginal communities, it is a critical issue that protecting old growth forests, with which they are culturally associated, without giving up economic benefit generated from harvesting these forests. In order to suggest possible changes and approaches for shaping native forest management in the existing institutional and economic frameworks, I examined the issues of provincial forestry and analyzed how these issues effect and interact with aboriginal people. It is important but difficult for First Nations to obtain forest tenure because their resource management is related to their land rights. However, the issues of aboriginal people in forestry overlap with those of the province. Thus, perspectives and participation of aboriginal people is critical for the government and the industry. Forestry of British Columbia is in transition and has begun to consider the potential contribution of aboriginal people to sustainable forestry. Therefore, aboriginal people have a significant role to play in the future of forestry. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

This study compares the morphology of coastal, gravel-bed streams in two unlogged and two logged Queen Charlotte Islands watersheds. This comparison quantifies the influence of logging and related activities on channel morphology and, consequently, the fresh water physical habitat of salmonids. Further, it provides a basis upon which to determine habitat rehabilitation criteria for disturbed channels. Pools and riffles are detailed because: a) they reflect changes in sediment supply; b) they are important fish habitats, and; c) their general character has been documented in previously published literature allowing application of geomorphological results to habitat evaluation. Longitudinal profiles conducted over relatively long channel segments located within each watershed indicate that channels in watersheds logged to the channel banks by old techniques have reduced pool-to-pool spacings and increased riffle amplitudes and magnitudes. There is an increase in channel stored sediment resulting in proportionally larger riffles and smaller pools. This represents a reduction in available rearing habitat. No significant differences exist in pool and riffle characteristics between unlogged watersheds and those logged by contemporary techniques. In all cases the pool and riffle character differed from most previously published results. Results obtained from detailed study reaches located within each channel segment show that large organic debris is a controlling factor influencing the morphology of these streams. Based upon a comparison of reaches, it is concluded that LOD characteristics are altered in the older logged channels. This includes a shift in the size distribution, with smaller material being more prevalent. Orientation of this material is also altered; more LOD is lying parallel to the flow direction, as opposed to the more common diagonal orientation found in unlogged channels. This shift in orientation is responsible for a reduction in channel width and depth variability, reduced sediment texture, fewer cut banks, smaller pool areas and decreased channel stability. This results in reduced habitat diversity and quality. No morphological differences were detected between unlogged and recently logged reaches. The architecture of unlogged channels can be duplicated to rehabilitate disturbed streams. Pool and riffle sequences should be spaced approximately 2½ channel widths apart and riffle magnitudes should average 0.013 m/m. LOD should play a major role in rehabilitation. Long pieces of debris should be placed either diagonally across the channel to increase depth and width variability and to store sediment or parallel to the flow if width is to be reduced. Diversity can be increased by placing large root wads to produce small scour holes. Only small debris steps, accounting for approximately 10% of the overall change in elevation should be used. This comparative study of channel morphology emphasizes the importance of critically evaluating basin morphometric properties and the role of LOD orientation. Further, it indicates that previous studies reporting average values and neglecting LOD provide insufficient detail to quantify fish habitat. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate