The SIPex connects practitioners to the people that can help provide knowledge needed to make decisions about innovative silviculture.
COP
Community of Practice
is a group of people who engage in collective learning and knowledge-sharing around a common area of focus or topic of focus.
A Community of Practice can be formal, like a highly intentional working group that meets regularly to discuss issues and share learnings on a topic. They may also grow in a more informal way, like the colleagues you grab dinner with at conferences to chat about your work, acting as incidental benefit to the main focus of the gathering.
Members of a COP come together to:
Collaborate and Problem-Solve
They work together to address challenges, test solutions, and improve their collective knowledge.
Share Skills, Techniques, and Insights
They exchange expertise, best practices, and new approaches to enhance their understanding of a particular area of interest.
Facilitate Knowledge Exchange
They play a crucial role in spreading knowledge gained through experience and practice, ensuring continuous learning and skill development.
Purpose
In BC, there is a vast network of COPs that support innovative silviculture in some way, shape or form, varying in the ways they engage with their members.
Important features of COPs include their intentionality (how formal or informal is the COP), the direction of knowledge flow, the size of the network, the make-up of the membership and how far knowledge can be disseminated to its members.
Impact
In a survey of
500
practitioners
from BC
Each practitioner joined:
2 - 3
Communities of Practice
70%
felt supported by THEIR COP(s)
to carry out innovative silviculture
What's Ahead
7 WAYS COPs CAN BE ENHANCED
Increase awareness of existing COPs
Increase awareness and education of the network of COPs that support innovative silviculture practices.
Address barriers to accessing COPs
More financial support and staff time to attend and engage with COPs will help reduce the capacity barriers to COP, as well as considerations for more variety in the timing of larger meetings and hybrid participation options.
Improve practical and real-world applications:
Practitioners want more opportunities to learn about practical applications of innovative silviculture and actionable outcomes, including hands-on workshops, field tours, real-world forestry applications and the translation of research into concrete actionable insights.
Support early career foresters and practitioners:
Provide opportunities to share foundational information and establish a baseline of knowledge within a COP, as well as opportunities to network, connect with mentors and colleagues, and resources for those early in their careers.
Break down silos and build diversity and inclusion:
Provide opportunities to share foundational information and establish a baseline of knowledge within a COP, as well as opportunities to network, connect with mentors and colleagues, and resources for those early in their careers.
Increase mentorship opportunities:
More effective sharing of expertise between experienced and newer professionals will help bridge the gap between experience levels.
Recognize barriers beyond COPs:
Recognize that there are other barriers or limitations that may permeate beyond what can be achieved through a COP alone, such as policy and regulatory changes.
