Forestry (15)

Another Side of the Forest
Raoul Fox & Strowan Robertson 1974 20 min
This documentary looks at developments in the Canadian forestry industry from the 1970s. Turning a Newfoundland bog into woodland, fostering British Columbia seedlings that withstand mechanical planting, inoculating Ontario elms against the bark beetle, devising ways of controlling fire... these are some of the experiments shown being carried out in laboratories and in the field to protect and conserve the country's vast forests.
"Ah... the Money, the Money, the Money" - The Battle for Saltspring

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Mort Ransen 2001 50 min
"Saltspring Island... close to a city, but full of magical, almost untouched places. A small town with a Saturday market. And in the middle of the island... trees, lots of trees." When the roar of chainsaws shatters the quiet of this idyllic setting, director Mort Ransen and other residents awake to an unexpected intrusion. A logging operation is underway in a central pristine valley. Within hours, a group of islanders rallies to oppose the cutting--only to discover that a logging company has purchased one of the largest expanses of undeveloped wilderness in the Southern Gulf Islands. Concerned about its potentially devastating impact on Saltspring's ecology, economy and natural beauty, the residents set out to stop the logging. The award-winning director of Margaret's Museum, Mort Ransen, turns his camera on his own community to document a lively and provocative debate. On one side--the developers, who defend their right to do what they want on private land. On the other--Saltspring residents, who blockade roads, chain themselves to logging trucks and lobby government to protect their island.
Battle for the Trees
John Edginton 1993 57 min
This documentary examines the battle strategies of citizens, scientists, loggers, environmentalists and First Nations people who are fighting over the liquidation of public forests and, with it, a way of life.
Forest Wardens
Allen Stark 1955 30 min
A story of British Columbia's vast forest industry and the measures being taken to preserve it. Fred Davis interviews men whose main concern is forest conservation. Education of the public in the need for protecting their valuable heritage against fire is well demonstrated in the activities of the Province's junior forest wardens and the South Vancouver Island Rangers.
The Forest in Crisis
Susan Murgatroyd 1981 21 min
This short documentary dispels the myth that Canada has an inexhaustible supply of usable wood and forest resources. In documenting the use and misuse of forest resources in Northern Ontario, it shows the efforts of the government and industry to find better ways to find a sustainable solution. The film also serves as a reminder that this is not just a problem for Northern Ontario - a crisis in the forest industry would affect one out of every ten Canadian jobs.
The Forest Watchers
Peter Raymont 1975 25 min
This 1975 documentary examines the challenges faced by the Canadian forestry industry, such as deforestation, pest control and forest fire.
Foresters
Werner Aellen 1968 13 min
This short documentary looks at how modern technology affects the forestry industry and the role of the forester in ensuring the sustainability of this great natural resource. It was in the '60s that people started to realize that the forests did not provide an endless supply of wood, and thanks to recent developments in the science of forestry, people are learning how to manage the resources more effectively.
The Lumberfros
Stéphanie Lanthier 2010 1 h 11 min
In Abitibi, hundreds of kilometres from the city, thousands of workers go North, as did Jos Montferrand and François Paradis. Working as brush cutters, these 21st-century lumberjacks discover Quebec's boreal forest. Far from their families, they spend 5 or 6 months a year in logging camps that mirror a new Quebec, those of French-Canadian descent and neo-Quebecers from Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. All have come to earn a living in the forest. Filmmaker Stéphanie Lanthier invites us to spend an entire season inside this northern micro society. Using a direct cinema technique in the style of Pierre Perrault, she documents the lives of the brush cutters.
Look to the Forest
Donald Fraser 1950 21 min
This 1950 documentary examines the penalties of forest destruction: fire, flood, wasted resources and barren lands. The film describes measures to preserve Canada's prime source of national wealth. Scenes of the wilderness created by stripping land of protective trees show the need to halt careless exploitation. Contrasting the slow process of re-seeding with the swift, modern methods of felling trees, the film urges planned cutting to ensure a protected yearly crop.
Still Alive
Cherilyn Papatie 2009 5 min
Tree-planters planting hope. A symbolism that speaks movingly of the resistance of Aboriginal peoples.

Since 2004, the travelling studios of Wapikoni Mobile have enabled Quebec First Nations youth to express themselves through videos and music. This short film was made with the guidance of these travelling studios and is part of the 2008 Selection - Wapikoni Mobile.
Two and Two
Abraham Côté 2009 3 min
A man reads a newspaper; a tree falls. A copy machine hums; a tree falls. As the hours go by, a forest disappears. Since 2004, the travelling studios of Wapikoni Mobile have enabled Quebec First Nations youth to express themselves through videos and music. This short film was made with the guidance of these travelling studios and is part of the 2008 Selection - Wapikoni Mobile.
Trees Are a Crop
Jack Bordelay 1950 23 min
This short documentary demonstrates how to efficiently manage a woodlot in order to maximize yearly income. Joe Kelly, a farmer who sold his trees to be cut down wholesale, illustrates the danger of short-sighted planning. Given a second chance on his father's farm, Joe learns to practise selective cutting, which allows for a sustainable woodlot and a steady income. The film also offers information on which trees to cut and how to market the wood.
Treasure of the Forest
Roger Blais 1958 12 min
From the Canada Carries On series, this archival film is about the industries that draw their wealth from the raw material supplied by Canada's forests. Filmed in the rain forests of the British Columbia coast, it shows how giant conifers are felled, transported by water routes to sawmills and cut into lumber or reduced to Canada's greatest single export, newsprint. Realization of the need for conservation has led to an extensive program of aerial stocktaking and a system of planned cutting and reforestation.
Timber Front
Frank Badgley 1940 21 min
This black-and-white archival film outlines the importance of Canada's forests in the national war effort during the Second World War.
Windbreaks on the Prairies
Evelyn Cherry 1943 21 min
This short film serves as a cautionary tale to farmers who recklessly cut down trees on their land. When prairie farmers engaged in this practice to facilitate plowing, they discovered that the trees had served as windbreaks protecting top soil from erosion. The Dominion Department of Agriculture's experimental station at Indian Head, Saskatchewan, cultivated acres of young trees for distribution to farmers.

Forestry (15)

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