As Dean of the Faculty of Forestry, Dr. John Innes (PhD 1983) has dedicated his career to advancing sustainable forestry practices. As he begins his second term at the helm of the Faculty, Aboriginal engagement continues to be a strategic priority for him. In fact, Dr. Innes and his wife Jill have just established a fund that will help make education more accessible for Aboriginal students.
“We anticipate that the control over significant amounts of land will be transferred to First Nations in the coming years,” says Dr. Innes. “How long this will take, we don’t know. We’ve certainly seen the new federal government expressing a lot of interest in moving things forward but it may take some time for the words to become actions.”
As this happens, many big questions will emerge. The most important are what will happen to this land, and who is going to benefit? Without the application of both traditional and western expertise, there’s a risk that resources could be depleted very quickly, and that’s something the Faculty hopes to prevent.
“When an individual or group has a decision to make about the resources on the land, there are many factors to consider. For example, do you cut the timber and use the money to build much-needed housing or a school, or do you conserve the forest and go without? When groups are facing these decisions, we want to make sure there’s an optimal decision-making process—and that all options available are understood.”
“Returning the control of Crown land to indigenous peoples presents great opportunities to manage the land sustainably, creating local jobs and generating income that will benefit local communities,” says Dr. Innes, adding that the Faculty is proud to be taking a leadership role and supporting those who want help with resource management and development. “Ideally, First Nations would do this internally, but right now there’s a lack of capacity and a huge demand for decision-making. We intend to help build that capacity, and accessible education is key.”
“We want to attract and educate those students who are interested in conservation, forestry, forestry management, and wood products. We want to support students who are going to complete their training and help achieve what we want, which is to have sound land management throughout British Columbia, regardless of who has control of the land.”
“Aboriginal students are still underrepresented at UBC. We want to make it as easy as possible for suitably qualified students to study in the Faculty,” says Dr. Innes. “What Jill and I both realized was that First Nations students face many challenges when moving to a large university such as UBC. Many come from small, close-knit communities, and the city, processes, and structures can all seem quite intimidating. We wanted to do what we could to help those students succeed.”
Aboriginal engagement is not a new direction for the Faculty, which has been actively cultivating relationships with different groups throughout BC for over 20 years. What has changed are people’s perceptions about what constitutes fairness and justice in our society.
The Faculty has made significant strides towards increased Aboriginal engagement in recent years. Coursework now features a more diverse range of projects in collaboration with different communities. Additionally, the Faculty of Forestry is working hand-in-hand with the Faculty of Applied Science and the Sauder School of Business to establish a team of experts who will be available as a resource for First Nations groups.
Although it will take some time to increase student numbers, Dr. and Mrs. Innes hope that the John and Jill Innes Aboriginal Award in Forestry will not only be part of the solution, but also inspire others to do the same.
“I think there’s a way to do things better,” says Dr. Innes. “And that’s what we’re working towards—a way to do things better.”