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Careers in ENR
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Careers in ENR: Regional Forester
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Steve Gooderham.
Fort Simpson, NT Under the tall trees of the Deh Cho Region where the only sounds one can hear are bird song and the drone of insects, Steve walks into the bush to look at a logged area where he wants to start a tree planting program. Here, where this early in the morning there are no other people, no other vehicles and no buildings, walks someone who knows a lot about how trees grow and what is the best way to plant them. He knows what it will take for them to root and become the next spruce forest ready for your children or grandchildren to harvest for lumber 90 to 120 years down the road, or to simply enjoy. Steve knows a lot about the outdoors and his professional status as a registered forester makes him a very valuable ENR employee. Steve was born and raised in Cranbrook, B.C, and began his forestry
career in BC in the East Kootenays region. Steve heard a lot of
good things about the NWT from his brother who had lived in Inuvik
in the 1980's and he decided to come North himself. He moved to
Fort Simpson in 1998 and has worked there as a regional forester
for five and half years. He has stayed in the North because he enjoys
his work, the people he works with and the community he lives in.
His hobbies are fishing, hunting, reading, darts and hiking. Steve's duties include looking after all forest management programs
in the region, including forest inventory ( taking stock of all
trees growing in the region) silviculture (development and care
of forests) including reforestation - in logged and disturbed areas,
and monitoring forest disease and pests in the region. The job also
requires that Steve perform enforcement duties and build and maintain
a forestry database. He also provides information about the forest
to people and communities in the Deh Cho region. Steve's job duties are very diverse and he often travels out to the field besides spending time in an office. His job requires good writing and speaking skills, specialized computer knowledge and skills, an ability to plan and organize activities and programs and to be very proficient and skilled in field work and travel. He often travels by helicopter and airplane and spends a lot of time driving the Deh Cho highways. Other Careers in ENR: | Regional Forester | Inventory Forester | Renewable Resource Officer II | Renewable Resource Officer III | Air Attack Officer |
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Career Chat How did you get to where you are now? Upon
graduating from high school I enrolled in a Forest Technology Diploma
Program at Selkirk College in Castlegar, BC. I worked for 2 years
with the Ministry of Forests in BC before deciding that this was
the career that interested me. I then enrolled at the University
of Alberta in Edmonton, AB to get my Bachelor of Science degree
in Forestry. I then worked for the Alberta Forest Service until
1988 in various silvicultural positions. In 1993 I began my career
with industry working for Daishowa-Marubeni International until
1997. Who influenced you most in your choice of a career? My
father had the most influence on my choice of a career. He had been
a logger for 10 years and always took me into the woods with him. What are the best parts of your job? The
best parts of my job have been the people I work with in the department,
the student tree planting project involving high school students,
working one-on-one with First Nations forestry programs, training
people in forestry activities, and being allowed to practice ecologically
sound forestry. What are some challenges you had to overcome? Coming
from an industrial forestry background for most of my career it
took some time to realize that the forestry practices in the NWT
were different and the department was composed of many inter related
disciplines that all worked together, to achieve sustainable forest
management. What advice would you give to those who are considering a career in forestry? Approach
every assignment with interest realizing that you are developing
a foundation in an interesting and varied profession, which is rapidly
changing. What is the norm today may be outdated in a year but your
university education will stand you in good stead for the future. |
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Copyright © 2004 Forest Management - Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Government of the Northwest Territories |
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