Liberal leadership candidates are being urged to stand for boosted funding for forestry research when building their campaign platforms.
Robert Clift, the executive director of the Confederation of University Faculty Associations of British Columbia was in Prince George this week to call on candidates to renew a now-fading emphasis on such research.
Liberal government has made significant investments in research since coming to power in 2001, Clift said, but that the support for research has become more tenuous since the 2008 financial crunch.
"We understand the financial challenges facing government," Clift said in a statement issued after a media event at the University of Northern British Columbia.
"But high-quality research is not a tap you can simply turn on or off when convenient. It takes years to establish research programs in areas such as forestry."
From a high of $16.7 million in 2001-02, grants for such research declined to an estimated $5.6 million in 2009-10, according to CUFA BC. And for 2010-11 it could well be zero, the professors fear because no funding for existing projects has continued past March 31 and there has been no call for proposals.
Clift urged candidates to support a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable research strategy
UNBC associate professor Paul Sanborn echoed Clift's comments.
"I want our very best students to put their minds to these problems, and to put their skills and energy to work in serving the communities that depend on our forests," Sanborn said. "But they won't do it if the government's actions show that research is just a nice frill that we can dispense with in tough times."
