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The CFI Podcast: Carol Walker on fostering diversity & inclusion in forestry

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2021, we recorded a special episode of The CFI Podcast as part of our Women in Forestry series. In this episode, CFI editor Ellen Cools speaks with Carol Walker, a registered professional forester and manager of forestry policy and planning for the City of Toronto. Carol recently wrote a blog post for Women in Wood sharing her experience as one of few women of colour in the industry, in an effort to raise awareness about forestry as a potential career for women of colour.

We spoke with her about her experience in the industry, the barriers to getting more women of colour into forestry, the importance of fostering a diverse and inclusive workforce, and more.

“People of colour have to see themselves. We have to see ourselves and have that acknowledgement that we’re not invisible, but rather that we, too, belong, and our contributions are welcome in the various roles,” she explained.

“It’s not necessarily as homogenous as it once was, when it comes to gender, at least. I have to say that I see a lot more women now than when I first started out. I’m not seeing many people of colour, though. So, we are few and far between,” Carol said.

Carol Walker, manager of forestry policy and planning for the City of Toronto.

According to Carol, for the industry to become more diverse and attract more women of colour, women of colour need to see themselves represented in the career. They need to be exposed to forestry as a career option and see images of diverse people in those careers.

“People of colour have to see themselves. We have to see ourselves and have that acknowledgement that we’re not invisible, but rather that we, too, belong, and our contributions are welcome in the various roles,” she explained.

Listen to the SoundCloud link below to hear more from Carol on fostering diversity and inclusion in forestry.

Special thanks to the Forest Products Association of Canada for sponsoring this episode!

Don’t forget to check out our #WomenInForestry Q&A series and register for the Women in Forestry Virtual Summit happening March 9, at 8 a.m. PST/11 a.m. EST. Registration is FREE!

Have an idea for a podcast episode? Email CFI editor Ellen Cools at ecools@annexbusinessmedia.com.

Music: www.purple-planet.com