Community
Communities of Practice
The SIPex Community page is dedicated to connecting practitioners to the people that can help provide knowledge needed to make decisions about innovative silviculture. By providing access to resources and information that can help users build their networks and engage with different Communities of Practice, practitioners can explore opportunities for innovative silviculture through a growing peer-to-peer network.
A 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. Members of a community of practice come together to collaborate, problem solve and deepen their understanding of a particular area of interest, which might include sharing of skills, techniques, insights, and new approaches. They play a crucial role in facilitating the exchange of knowledge gained through experience and practice. A Community of Practice (or “COP”) can be formal, like a highly intentional working group that meets regularly to discuss issues, or informal, like a group of peers that meet opportunistically to brainstorm ideas.
Current State
There is a vast network of Communities of Practice (COPs) in BC that support innovative silviculture in some way, shape or form, and they range in their subject matter and activities. Some COPs are entirely focused on implementation of innovative silviculture, while some more broadly support their members on a variety of forestry topics.
In a survey of over 500 practitioners from BC, it was found that practitioners participated in about 2-3 Communities of Practice. And, about 7 out of ten practitioners felt they were supported by their Communities of Practice to carry out innovative silviculture. Communities of Practice were valued for their knowledge sharing and exchange, providing venues to discuss ideas, learn about practical applications and real-world examples, and gain access to in-field learnings, training and workshops.
COPs can vary depending on their forms of engagement. While many COPs are effective deliverers of information, for example by providing resources and materials on issues and topics of innovative silviculture through publications, seminars, conferences and courses, some COPs are extremely effective at creating participatory experiences for their members to share experiences and learn new knowledge. It is important that each practitioner finds the perfect combination of COPs that can support their varying needs!
As the SIPex Community page grows, we will provide resources to better understand what COPs exist in BC to support innovative silviculture, how they support practitioners, and what it means to participate in collaborative knowledge creation and sharing.