Contemplative Forestry with Dr. Jason Brown

The current conversation about forests and forestry is often polarized, and these strong feelings about forest management are rooted in our worldviews. Each of us sees forests through the lens of our culture and knowledge paradigm.

“Contemplative” has many meanings but is often associated with silent meditation and spirituality. A contemplative forestry however, does not take a “hands off” view of forest management, rather it 1) values manual work as a form of spiritual practice, 2) is willing to allow forests to “speak” for themselves, 3) is humble enough to admit that there are some aspects of life we don’t have words or concepts for, and 4) sees forestry as a mutually beneficial, place-based vocation.

Jason teaches courses in religious studies and ecological humanities for the department of Global Humanities at SFU. Since 2023, he has piloted an ecological chaplaincy program at Simon Fraser University which seeks to bring contemplative practice to build resilience to climate anxiety and ecological grief. Jason is an Affiliate Forest Profession with the Forest Professionals British Columbia (FPBC).

Register: https://www.ecoforestry.ca/events-tours/2026/2/11/contemplative-forestry-with-dr-jason-brown