Flexible Crossroads: The Restructuring of British Columbia's Forest Economy

Patrick Colgan is the former executive director of the Canadian Museum
of Nature.

Hayter, a geographer at Simon Fraser University, provides an in-depth
examination of the crossroads at which British Columbia’s forestry
industry currently stands. He sets the stage with a helpful opening
overview of routes to flexibility via “leaner and meaner” or
innovation. Part 1 establishes a global and historical perspective.
Major changes over the past few decades are considered in terms of a
shift from (Henry) Fordism centred on large production facilities to new
technologies, the industrialization of resources peripheral to
heartlands basically for exploitation, and business cycles influenced by
such factors as governmental regulation and Native claims for land. This
industrialization of B.C. forests in the decades following the gold rush
changed dramatically with the political and economic volatility of the
1970s. Major events included job loss, market dynamics, higher stumpage
fees, and global competition.

In Part 2, Hayter dissects the anatomy of these changes thoroughly and
carefully. The controversial history of MacMillan Bloedel is examined in
great detail. The benefits and risks of foreign direct investment from
diverse sources highlight the issue of an open Canada but protectionist
United States. Small firms are studied as reflections of
entrepreneurialism, flexibility, and sources of value-added products.
Emerging patterns of trade and conflict are seen through continentalism,
the great softwood lumber dispute, and Pacific business. Changes in
employment are traced in collective bargaining, recessions, and a
difficult search for a learning culture. Attempts at diversification are
different for different towns, with the obstacles and human side well
reported. The impact of environmentalism, a countervailing force with
both local and global aspects, is well considered, with the consequent
“war in the woods” and changes in policy further spiced by Native
claims and conflicting land ethics. There is a sad chapter on the poor
performance of research and development as an engine for innovation in a
knowledge-based culture, with highly appropriate hortations on the need
for smart and green approaches. Finally, the forest economy is viewed
more generally as being in a restructuring dependent on location,
flexibility, and cooperative stewardship.

The recurring themes include the determinant of geography, a world in
transition, the role of commissions (from Sloan in 1945 to Pearse in
1976), and, above all, the political and economic issues of sovereignty
and protectionism. Figures and tables supplement the text, and case
studies are used extensively and deftly to support general conclusions.
Important lessons, such as the role of trust among firms, how not to
negotiate on softwood, and the failure of governmental goals for forest
tenures are well drawn. Highly recommended for those who are concerned
about forestry, British Columbia, and, indeed, Canada.