Turning a New Leaf: Uncovering Medieval and Early Modern Roots of Canadian Forest Management for a More Sustainable Future

Abstract

Canada’s history of forest natural resource extraction and exploitation is often told through colonial perspectives of lumberjacks, river drives, and sawmills. Many historians neglect the influences of pre-industrial forest management that inform modern forestry practices in diverse ways. Of particular interest to the Canadian context are the multitude of management practices, techniques, and attitudes that can be found in the High Middle Ages of England. Coppicing, the cutting of a tree at the stump and subsequently harvesting the shoots after several years, practiced by the medieval English draws attention to principles of sustainability and ecological responsibility in a much more distant past. The Forest Charter of 1217 further asserts forests and access to its resources as a critical intersection between the physical and cultural environment of human societies. This thesis traces the evolution of forest management from these medieval legacies throughout the early modern period where global demands and social change initiate pivotal transformations in forest management in Europe and in the “New World,” leading to the devaluation of medieval practices. In doing so, this thesis identifies areas upon which historical perspectives inclusive of medieval legacies can address key issues regarding sustainability in modern Canadian forestry.