Three Selected Publications
Concrete cracks, wood burns: Competing narratives in the construction sector
International Wood Products Journal 2024
Innate to the human condition are rules of thumb, or heuristics, important for our survival. It is widely understood that wood is combustible, and concrete is prone to cracking. These factors significantly drive our perceptions concerning the selection of materials used in construction. The present study aimed to better understand the competing narratives employed by supporters on both sides of this construction ‘material warfare’ and specifically investigate their advantage and disadvantage arguments. To meet our research objective, we looked at news media articles through Google search tool using keywords ‘wood vs concrete building construction’. The articles are published as early as 2006, and along the years, the competing conversations are more prominent with the ‘birth’ of mass timber in North America. The topic is also becoming an interest for specific audiences, such as architects, engineers, and insurance companies. Through inductive thematic analysis of 100 articles, we find that cost and sustainability are two dominant factors in the narratives. Each industry claims to be more cost effective and sustainable than the other, typically sniping at each other. This rhetoric, we argue, will not be beneficial for society and environmental justice. A sustainable built environment requires cross-sector collaboration between wood and concrete companies to handle difficulties that they cannot address successfully within their own sector.
“From nude calendars to tractor calendars”: The perspectives of female executives on gender aspects in the North American and Nordic forest industries
Canadian Journal of Forest Research 2019
Increasing gender diversity is no longer just the right thing to do, but also the smart thing to do. Although there is general literature about gender diversity and the perspectives of females in top management and leadership, there are, however, very few forest sector specific studies. This exploratory study utilizes interviews to better understand how female executives in North America and the Nordic countries of Finland and Sweden perceive the impact of the situation of gender diversity in the forest industry. Respondents also provide career advice for young females entering or considering entry into the industry. Female executives in both regions agree that although the forest sector is still seen as a male-oriented industry, there are signs of increasingly positive attitudes regarding industry and company culture towards the benefits of greater gender diversity; however, the described changes represent an evolution, not revolution. Interestingly, despite the status of Nordic countries as leaders in bridging the gender gap, respondents from this region believe that there is significant progress yet to be made in the forest industry, especially at the entry level. With respect to career development, North American respondents suggested that young females should consider sacrificing their social life and leisure time activities, whereas Nordic respondents instead emphasized personal supports or using exit strategy from an unsupportive company or boss.
A wake-up call? A review of inequality based on the forest-related higher education literature
With increasing world population, it is critical to manage global forests for sustaining both human and natural systems and this requires highly educated, professional foresters. However, there are concerning lackluster enrollment trends due to negative public impressions of unsustainable practices and a lack of social diversity (e.g., gender and race/ethnicity). As inequality can shape academic and scientific practice in forest-related fields at different levels, this study aims to identify forms of inequality by utilizing a qualitative, systematic review method manifested in the forest-related higher education literature. Results are then discussed regarding how forest-related higher education can be transformed into a mechanism for more inclusive collaboration and knowledge production. Forest-related educational programs should be strategically developed to align with current and potential emerging demand for employment expertise in the field of forestry. These programs should focus on the cultivation of professional foresters, enabling them to effectively address evolving challenges in natural resources management. The forest-related education sector should also prioritize the ongoing enhancement of human diversity.