Speaker: Dave Weaver: Comunity Managed Forests

Dave has worked in field forestry for 37 years, for many BC organizations. He was a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) since 1981 and resigned from this association when he retired in 2016 – to help free his voice. He started his career here on Vancouver Island, working for one of BC’s largest forest companies – MacMillian Bloedel – as a Field Forester for 11 years. But left M&B realizing corporate forestry was not for him and moved with his family to Smithers. While in the northern interior for 14 years, he worked as a Forest Consultant performing pre and post logging assessments, and part-time as a Forestry College Instructor, teaching applied ecology. Dave held a joint Woodlot Licence while living in Smithers, implementing low-impact forestry techniques. For the last 12 years of his career he worked for the BC Ministry of Forests out of Victoria. During these final years he traveled all over BC, developing innovative silviculture policies and provided field training in alternative approaches to clear cutting.

He is currently volunteering with the Beaufort Watershed Stewards in Fanny Bay, where he has has completed three watershed health assessment reports, and representing the Stewards as a working group member within the Vancouver Island Private Managed Forest Action Alliance – a 30 environmental group alliance advocating for the reform of the BC Private Managed Forest Land Act.