Lakehead University Forestry Association - Yearbook (Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada)

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DIRECTOR S MESSAGE Although forestry students and those who are graduating with forest technology diplomas or degrees in forestry may view the forest scene as rather unimpressive, especially from an employment aspect, the prospects for challenging careers in forestry should improve significantly and progressive!) in the years ahead. There is now, in Canada and beyond, a much wider public and political recognition of the need for greatly in- tensified efforts in the rehabilitation and planned management of our forest resources than was apparent a few years ago. In October, l ( 78, the 8th W orld Forestry World Congress was held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Participants from 104 countries and 14 international organizations received and discussed papers and reports on a wide range of forestry subjects and issues, and at the conclusion of the Congress recorded the following declarations: The Congress, with a grave sense of urgency, stressed to all Governments that time is running out and that unless effective measures are taken immediately forests will be unable to make the future contribution to mankind of which they could be capable. The Congress noted that the world human population is increased by 70 million people, annually, and recorded that: If present trends continue and potential demands materialize, there is a prospect of a serious gap between the worlds needs for industrial and other wood products and the capacity of the world ' s forests to supply these and other essential goods and services. This gap can only be avoided if the shrinkage of the forest areas is halted, if natural forests are properly managed, if harvesting is more complete and more efficient, if there is subsequent full and prudent use of all products harvested, and if large areas of successful plantations are created and intensively managed. The Congress called on all foresters to reaffirm their total commitment to resource conservation, resource reneival and resource expansion. Early in 1979, the Honourable Len Marchand, Federal Minister of the Environment, stated that: Canada is facing a shortage of wood. Roughly 12% of Canada ' s productive forest land is inadequately stocked ivith trees and about half a million acres are being added to this backlog annually. Moreover, the second growth stands, following logging or fire, are often poorer in quality than the stands they replace. Annual losses to fire, to insects and disease equal half the commercial harvest in volume. The existence of a serious, regeneration gap was formally recognized and discussed during conferences convened by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources early in 1978 and again in 1979. The problem of insuring the establishment and management of high quality second forests on cut-over and burned areas in Ontario has been a concern of the forestry profession for a number of years. That this problem has finally engaged the attention of our provincial politicians, and that it has been accorded an improved priority rating in public spending plans are encouraging. Within the past few months, the federal government has committed itself to the expenditure of about a half billion dollars for the modernization of pulp and paper mills and for the rehabilitation, development, and management of public forests in a number of provinces. Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia will participate, and contribute provincial funds, for the advancement of these programs. Beyond these en- couraging, immediate stimuli for forestry in Canada, we can anticipate that as energy costs continue to rise there will be beneficial results for forestry. The substitution of wood for metals in construction of all kinds, the increased use of wood itself for energy generation, and the prospects of increased utilization of all species and of all parts of trees can be anticipated. In sum, I believe that we shall see abundant opportunities for challenging careers in forest management in Canada within the next few years. I believe, too, that the practice of forestry, in contrast to that of simple timber liquidation, will provide full opportunity for the effective exercise of the knowledge and skills which our gradutates have acquired at Lakehead University. On behalf of all members of the faculty and staff of the School of Forestry, I am pleased to have this opportunity to record here our wish and hope, and, indeed, expectation that each graduate of the classes of 1979 will find satisfying and challenging work in forestry, and that each one will contribute directly or indirectly to the advancement of forestry practice in Canada. K.W. Hearnden, R.P.F., Director m

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FACULTY K..C. Vang. Assistant Professor. Wood Technology. H.G. Murchison, Associate Professor, Management. L. Vidlak. Honorary Professor. Silviculture. G.J. Borradaile. Lecturer in Geology. .H. Parker. Assistant Professor. Biology .