大象传媒

A collaborative research project between the five First Nations of the Nanwakolas Council of B.C. and 大象传媒 is contributing to conservation efforts of the iconic western redcedar tree. 

New research in the  highlights concerns about the long-term sustainability of this culturally significant resource. Researchers found that western redcedar trees suitable for traditional carving are generally rare. Some important growth forms, such as large, spectacular trees appropriate for carving community canoes, are nearly extirpated from these First Nations鈥� traditional territories, a region that includes parts of north Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia.

Indigenous people in this region use large cultural cedar (wilkw / k 虛 wa鈥檟瘫 t艂u) extensively for cultural practices such as carving dugout canoes, totem poles and traditional buildings, which is why it鈥檚 often described as, 鈥渢he tree of life.鈥� 

鈥淐edar is what connects us all up and down the coast of British Columbia,鈥� says Dallas Smith, president of the Nanwakolas Council. 鈥淭here are different language groups, but we all have cultural cedar ceremonies that start our traditional gatherings.鈥�

Jordan Benner, adjunct professor in 大象传媒鈥檚 School of Resource and Environmental Management (REM) and a research advisor with the Nanwakolas Council, led the study as part of his doctoral thesis at 大象传媒. Benner, together with REM professor emeritus Ken Lertzman and 大象传媒 PhD student Julie Nielsen, collaborated with the First Nation communities. With guidance from community leadership, this interdisciplinary team carried out interviews with traditional wood carvers and conducted extensive fieldwork with stewardship workers.  

The research is contributing to the development of new  focused on cedar conservation, which are being implemented through First Nation laws and subsequent agreements with forestry companies. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty clear that more than a century of industrial logging has dramatically reduced the abundance of redcedar suitable for these types of practices. What we see today no longer reflects past baseline conditions,鈥� says Benner. 鈥淪eeing biological systems through a cultural lens is critical for First Nations who are striving to maintain traditional connections across generations, and it is an important piece of the sustainability puzzle.鈥�  

Adds Lertzman, 鈥淭his research is motivated by the needs and desires of the communities and carried out collaboratively. Combining cultural knowledge with ecological science is a powerful approach for understanding our impacts on the landscape and for improving forest management practices.鈥�

AVAILABLE 大象传媒 EXPERTS

KEN LERTZMAN, professor emeritus, School of Resource and Environmental Management | kenneth_lertzman@sfu.ca

JORDAN BENNER, adjunct professor, School of Resource and Environmental Management | jordan_benner@sfu.ca (*Note: Not available July 5-8)

CONTACT

MATT KIELTYKA,  大象传媒 Communications & Marketing 
236.880.2187 | matt_kieltyka@sfu.ca

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778.782.3210

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As Canada鈥檚 engaged university, 大象传媒 works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today鈥檚 problems. With campuses in British Columbia鈥檚 three largest cities鈥擵ancouver, Burnaby and Surrey鈥敶笙蟠� has eight faculties that deliver 193 undergraduate degree programs and 144 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 170,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.