Brief: BC Interior Forestry Museum’s new podcast highlights local forestry professionals

A new podcast produced by the BC Interior Forestry Museum looks at the intersection between forestry practice and sustainability. Called ‘These Forests are Ours’, the podcast is the brainchild of Young Canada Works Summer student Gary Xie and BC Forestry Museum director Glenn Westrup.

Like many other businesses, the BC Interior Forestry Museum has had to adapt in the midst of COVID-19. With Young Canada Works summer student Gary Xie working remotely from his home in Surrey, he and museum director Glenn Westrup began working on a new website for the museum. The pair also began brainstorming about a podcast that highlighted professionals in the local forestry industry.

Xie, who is a Georgetown University alumni hoping to return to his studies at Cambridge England in the fall, has previous experience creating podcasts. While studying at Georgetown Xie created an environmental podcast called ‘Wealth of Nature’. Xie and Westrup spoke daily on the phone or using Zoom.

Eventually the pair settled on the name ‘These Forests Are Ours’ for the podcast. The first series kicked off with the episode ‘Forestry and You’, featuring Brian Sumner and Barby Wadey . Later episodes feature Al McInnes, Jim Shepeard, David Raven and Mike Copperthwaite.

Find the podcast on the BC Forestry Museum’s new website here: bcforestrymuseum.ca. The museum is now re-opened to the public Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Physical distancing measures are in place.