Increasing partnerships between scientists and forest managers: Lessons from an ongoing interdisciplinary project in Québec

Abstract

Adaptive management presupposes stronger links between scientists and forest managers in order to adapt research processes and findings to production activities. Partnerships between these two groups are starting to emerge in the forest sector in Quebec. However, local forest managers have not always had the occasion in the past to contribute to research processes. Moreover, scientists have not always had the opportunity to harmonize all their respective research projects at the local level. This research project was thus aimed at establishing a link between local forest managers and scientists in order to direct research projects towards local needs and concerns. The purpose of establishing this contact between local forest managers and scientists was to create opportunities for inter-disciplinary research projects. This experiment demonstrated that the roles and attitudes of scientists and forest managers still need to evolve in order to increase the chances for successful partnerships between these two groups. On the one hand, forest managers need to view research (1) as part of their daily activities and (2) as bringing benefit in the long-term. On the other hand scientists must (1) invest time in understanding what the forest managers are doing and (2) consider forest managers as equal partners with useful knowledge and skills in developing the research questions and protocols. Key words: adaptive management, interdisciplinary research, collaborative learning, sustainable forestry