Dalhousie Prof Appointed Forest Sector Chair

Peter Duinker, professor and director of Dalhousie University's School for Resource and Environmental Studies, has been appointed chair of the forest sector committee of Voluntary Planning in Nova Scotia.

The committee, one of 12 focusing on different sectors, addresses forest issues such as amendments to the Nova Scotia Forests Act, woodlot taxation, and provincial response to the National Forest Strategy.

Dr. Duinker brings a wealth of experience to the post. He held Lakehead University's chair in forest management and policy for 10 years before coming to Dalhousie in 1998. He was vice-chair of Ontario Hydro's environmental advisory panel from 1990 to 1994, and co-chair of Ontario's forest policy panel from 1992 to 1994.

Dr. Duinker has some 150 publications to his credit on a variety of topics such as environmental assessment, forest management, conflict resolution, public participation, and wildlife habitat analysis.

"I hope I can help the committee by bringing a scholarly and integrating perspective to the debates," he said. "Being chair certainly brings benefits to me -- I'll learn quickly about the major issues facing Nova Scotia forests today, and about who the main actors are who can contribute to resolving those issues."

Dr. Duinker said he feels strongly about the importance of university professors becoming active in professional community service. The professors gain vital real-world insights that can be brought back to the classroom, and the communities in turn gain valuable analytical skills backed up by in-depth knowledge.

Voluntary Planning is a non-government organization established under a special legislative act in the 1960s to provide advice to the Nova Scotia government on a variety of policy issues.