The final episode of Season 2 of Branching Out: The Forest Podcast turns the spotlight on the human dimension of forestry, focusing on forest policy, governance, and social sciences.
Hosted by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), Episode 9 explores the work of IUFRO Scientific Division 9 on Forest Policy and Economics. The episode features Janette Bulkan from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Lukas Giessen from the Technical University of Dresden, Germany, with Gerda Wolfrum from IUFRO Headquarters as co-host. Bulkan and Giessen coordinate IUFRO Working Parties on Indigenous Peoples and forest landscapes, and on artificial intelligence methods in forest social sciences.
The discussion highlights the wide thematic scope of Division 9, ranging from forest governance and economics to legal aspects, history, and communication. Lukas Giessen recalls a well-known quote by forester Jack Westoby, who said that forestry is not about trees, but about people, underlining the growing relevance of social sciences in forest research.
Janette Bulkan focuses on the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and forests, drawing on her work in the Guyana Shield. She notes that, worldwide, Indigenous Peoples often have the weakest legal rights to forests, despite their long-standing connection to these territories.
Giessen discusses forest governance and the potential role of artificial intelligence in social science research, particularly in helping to address human biases, even as challenges remain in analysing qualitative data.
The episode also looks ahead to the IUFRO World Congress 2029 in Nairobi, with hopes for strong scientific exchange and meaningful Indigenous participation.
Branching Out: The Forest Podcast is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
