Three Men and a Forester

Ken A. Armson, a former executive co-ordinator of the Ontario Ministry
of Natural Resources’ Forest Resources Group, is currently a forestry
consultant.

Ian Mahood is the forester mentioned in this book’s title; the other
three are British Columbia loggers. Mahood gives a personal account of
his family background and career in forestry in British Columbia from
the early 1900s to the 1980s.

Much of the book deals with Mahood’s views on the way forest policy
was developed, particularly the initiation of tree farm licences. A
chief proponent of these was the late Dr.C.D. Orchard, a former deputy
minister in the B.C. Ministry of Forests, and a bкte noire of
Mahood’s. Mahood’s contention is that this form of licencing
encouraged overcutting, improper harvesting practices, and generally
irresponsible forest management. Some foresters would contend that this
is a one-sided view. Unfortunately, the book is so poorly documented
that the reader has little evidence on which to base an opinion.

The author had a working relationship with H.R. MacMillan over many
years, the anecdotal descriptions of which offer some relief from what
is very much a polemic against the policies and the way B.C.’s public
forests are administered and managed. The book will be of most interest
to those in the forestry community in British Columbia.