UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

FACULTY OF FORESTRY

26 March 2019

Dear Provost Regehr,

RE: Restructuring of the Faculty of Forestry into the Daniel’s

Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design (FALD)

We are writing to provide input into the current restructuring process for our Faculty. The proposed
change represents a culmination of continued pressure over the past decades eroding Faculty vision
and opportunities for growth while at the same time allowing human and physical resources to be
dissipated. As such, significant concern remains with respect to the manner in which this process
has been driven by equivocal agendas and central policies for a 112-year-old professional Faculty,
at an institution with the international stature of the University of Toronto.

In the spirit of pragmatism however, it does little to repeat what is past since it will not advance the
innovative research and professional forestry training faculty members continue to bring to the
University of Toronto, and which is of prime concern going forward. Thus, we take this opportunity
to provide broad general support for the proposed change, but also to stress the need to address
specific issues around implementation for the future sustainability of Forestry education at the
University of Toronto. Our overall goal is to strengthen tree- and forest-based research and
education at the University of Toronto, and advance Toronto’s position as Canada’s “first Forestry
school” through new inter-disciplinary collaborations, synergies, and partnerships. It is important
to recognize the dynamic and evolving nature of Forestry as a discipline with global significance,
and especially the opportunities presented in the urban and peri-urban context. As the first centre
of forestry education in the world to institute training in urban forest management, we see a dynamic
and exciting future for Forestry in Toronto, if we can ensure a new, sustainable, and recognised
home for the discipline. The new status the forestry curriculum area within FALD represents is a
rare opportunity to redefine tree, forest/forestry education, and research for Toronto, and beyond.

1) Unit Identity & Autonomy

In order for Forestry to have a presence beyond the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape
and Design (FALD) in the eyes of students specifically interested in a professional career,
prospective doctoral applicants, alumni, and colleagues advancing international collaborative
forest science research, Forestry must remain distinct and visible. In the new structure, it is unclear
what Forestry is or will be, if anything. The proposal is for Faculty resources supporting applied
forest science to be subsumed within a non-science design Faculty. Under this scenario there is no
independent institutional or departmental structure for the discipline, and it is easy to see the

33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3 Canada 1

Tel: +1 416 978-5480 Fax: +1 416 978-3834 www.forestry.utoronto.ca
potential for ‘mission drift’ if resources are allowed to diffuse. In order for Forestry to retain its
distinct identity within the new structure, a discrete entity must be created, either in the form of a
‘School of Forestry’ or ‘School of Forest Conservation’, or at a higher level; i.e., Daniels Faculty
of Architecture, Landscape, Forests and Design. We would expect that the restructuring proposal
would include your written expectation for something as concrete as this in the final document.

Designating a Director, Chair or Associate Dean for the new entity, one who is responsible for
governance, out-reach, student recruitment, alumni relations, and resources supporting professional
forestry education and research, will be essential to address the issue of identity in the new
structure. Such direction would continue the University’s leadership in the Canadian and global
forestry sector, and would facilitate the autonomous structure essential for retention of strong
alumni support and decisions around advancement (fund raising). For example, retaining a national
leadership role within the Canadian Institute of Forestry and the Association of
University Forestry Schools of Canada is critically important for advancing Forestry at Toronto.
Internationally, a continuing active role within the International Union of Forest Research
Organisations (IUFRO), among other high level bodies, will require us to maintain a distinct
identity within the new university structure.

A designated position for the new entity would also allow for leadership and responsibility around
human and financial resources moving into FALD, and help ensure that they, as well as Forestry’s
significant endowments, be targeted in support of forestry education. Written assurance that
donated monies are to be used for forestry education as originally stipulated, and not elsewhere in
the new structure, needs to be clearly specified, i.e., all current awards that state, “...students in the
Faculty of Forestry...”need to be changed to “...students in the ‘new forestry entity’....”. The
current proposal does not address this issue, and at the moment there is much room for Forestry
endowed awards to be made more broadly available. While this interdisciplinarity in student
support for urban forestry will of course be encouraged over time, initially Forestry must know
that they have specific support for their disciplinary area in order to stabilize and build programing
after the restructuring.

Identity and autonomy in the new structure are also key for supporting Forestry’s unique scientific
and research-based contributions. Although professionalism remains important in teaching, all
current and future faculty members are leading scientists in their own fields, and as such rely
heavily on research resources to grow and maintain large, interdisciplinary research applications,
grants, and contracts. Currently, as scientists funded by NSERC and SSHRC, it is unclear how
peers in national and international granting programs will evaluate future research arising from a
non-scientific ‘design-based’ unit. The proposed structure must allow for some formal
administrative identity, including fund management, that will set Forestry science apart. To this
end, the designation of a ‘School’ would be by far the most effective way to provide Forestry with
the distinct identity and visibility required to maintain its faculty and continue to obtain highly
competitive science research funding. We therefore strongly urge you to designate the new unit as
a discrete entity, such as a School.

33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3 Canada 2

Tel: +1 416 978-5480 Fax: +1 416 978-3834 www.forestry.utoronto.ca
2) Faculty Complement & Support

It is exciting to see increased Faculty complement in the proposal with the addition of $1 million to
Daniels on top of our existing $3 million base budget, and a guarantee a minimum of 10 full-time
tenure-stream faculty members, the latter doubling existing forestry tenure-stream appointments.
The additional support of two CLTA’s before the restructuring to allow for transition and the
professional Master of Forest Conservation (MFC) accreditation process is also appreciated. The
need for these 10 positions was clearly stated in the 2016 External Review, and is tied to successful
delivery of the professional MFC program. Unfortunately, the exact disciplinary complement and
the timing for the new hires remains vague in the proposal, and we ask it be stated more clearly that
the 10 new tenure-stream positions will be approved in the next two years so that we can prepare
for the accreditation process that begins in 2020. Recommendations for changes to the MFC
program will need to be made prior to the process, so the appropriate faculty disciplines must be
identified now. The Forestry faculty would be pleased to discuss disciplinary gaps and requirements
with your Office.

While the proposal states that $1 million will be added to base funding, there is some discrepancy
in interpretation as to where this will actually go, and more importantly, if it will be used solely to
support Forestry initiatives. The restructuring proposal itself suggests that the funding will become
part of the FALD base budget, but the Dean’s letter to Forestry alumni states that, “....it will go to
Forestry’s budget.” Given the issue around vagueness of identity for Forestry in FALD, and the
fact that once Forestry becomes subsumed into the other Faculty it will not have control of its own
budget, what this means in terms of day-to-day operations must be made more transparent. The
onus is on the Provost’s Office to stipulate how these new funds will be used to support Forestry
initiatives rather than for general FALD costs within the new structure.

3) Educational Programming

The status of cross-divisional teaching is unclear in the current document. Forestry’s undergraduate
programs in Arts and Science (FAS) (BSc Forest Conservation Science, BA Forest Conservation,
BSc Forest Biomaterial Science) may continue or not, but in either case, a new undergraduate
program in urban forestry under FALD will be developed for provincial approval. Establishing an
urban forestry program is a long-standing goal of Forestry, but has important implications to the
current FAS undergraduate programs. It therefore must be made clear if the status of FAS courses
and programs will be included in the restructuring, and how funding allocations will be handled
going forward. Similarly, the proposal does not mention whether the four funded courses currently
taught by Forestry for the Sustainability Certificate in the Faculty of Applied Science &
Engineering will be continued. The status of Forestry’s cross-divisional teaching must not be lost
in this institutional restructuring and the proposal should clearly state what will happen to these
undergraduate programs.

In terms of graduate training, it is expected that enrolment planning will allow for an increase in
the number of MFC funded spaces once Forestry is inside FALD as the Faculty currently has
student demand in this area that exceeds its cap; this needs to be written clearly into the proposal.

33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3 Canada 3

Tel: +1 416 978-5480 Fax: +1 416 978-3834 www.forestry.utoronto.ca
There is also some indication that the restructuring will have no impact on the MFC’s accreditation
status, however, again, we would expect a firm written confirmation of this assumption. Within the
new structure, there should be an ambition to look to the future, and enable forestry and forest-
based courses to evolve in new directions, taking into account new developments and opportunities.
For example, peer institutions such as Yale University have devised joint Masters programmes that
link forestry with other disciplines, including Law, Management, Public Health, Global Affairs,
Development Economics, Divinity, Architecture, and Engineering. Clearly, within FALD there
will be new and potentially unique opportunities linking Forestry with landscape architecture and
design, both at the level of joint courses and potentially future degree programs.

4) Human & Physical Resources

As a graduate-only Faculty, Forestry has built a well-established PhD program over the past 40+
years and this will undoubtedly contribute significantly to the overall quality of doctoral training
within FALD. Providing a designated lead for Forestry in the new structure, as suggested above,
responsible for developing inter-disciplinary research and fund management would greatly
facilitate the generation of more external grants and strengthen the pool of resources for further
growth in this research-intense graduate training at the University of Toronto. Retention of our
critical research and teaching space (labs, classrooms, offices) at 33 Willcocks is also essential for
the future development of doctoral research, and while all these resources would initially be
specific to forest science, over time they will be used to develop greater cross-disciplinary
programming in the professional application of environmental sustainability within FALD and
across the University. Written confirmation that these resources will be retained must be included
in the proposed restructuring.

5) Governance Process

Finally, the University of Toronto governance process for such a major institutional change as
proposed here is not clearly articulated in the restructuring document. We would appreciate your
feedback on the next steps that clarify the process and final arrangement. The closure of a
University Faculty and removal of its Dean from Governing Council understandably requires a
major internal legislative process. As such, and most importantly, we think it is critical that your
Office produce a ‘framework agreement document’ building on the current proposal but also
addressing the issues we have raised here. It is important that such a novel process have the
necessary transparency, expressed in writing, so that we can provide comments before it goes to
Governing Council. Such a written document will also provide Forestry with greater certainty that
its future sustainability will be protected and nurtured.

Conclusion
The 2016 external reviewers observed that, “some resolution of the status of the Faculty of Forestry
is long overdue”, and that “...the rationale for the University of Toronto to maintain a small center
of excellence in Foresry...” is evident. The current proposal recommends the dissolution of the
Faculty of Forestry into FALD. This restructuring represents important opportunities for growth
33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3 Canada 4
Tel: +1 416 978-5480 Fax: +1 416 978-3834 www.forestry.utoronto.ca
and interdisciplinarity in Forestry, however without clear commitment to a distinct identity, degree
of autonomy, defined structure, and transparent steps forward, we as faculty members remain
concerned about the trajectory and potential sustainability of Forestry at the University of Toronto.
Crucial to the success of any restructuring exercise is a clearly articulated administrative
commitment that anticipates and helps mitigate the challenges. Going forward, we ask for a binding
written document or official ‘framework agreement’ from your Office that articulates our shared
vision for the proposed new structure, thereby ensuring the best possible outcome for Canada’s
first and oldest Forestry school at the University of Toronto.

The transition of Forestry at the University of Toronto is an event of historic significance. Never
in the history of the University of Toronto has a Faculty, once created, subsequently had a change
of status as is being proposed for Forestry. It is important to ensure that the change process is not
a diminishment of Forestry but a ‘renewal’, a unique moment when the discipline can be re-defined
within the context of the University and wider society, and where new synergies and opportunities
can be realised. Canada is a forest nation, the City of Toronto is an urban forest. We need Canada’s
leading higher education institution to pioneer a new vision and energy for education of future
forestry leaders, and the study of trees and forests. The changes being proposed must embed an
appropriate structure that enables us to realise our ambition and potential.

We look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Faculty Members of the Faculty of Forestry

33 Willcocks Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3B3 Canada 5
Tel: +1 416 978-5480 Fax: +1 416 978-3834 www.forestry.utoronto.ca