A classic textbook on forest economics by former University of BC professor Peter Pearse is to be relaunched in China in November, where an estimated 10,000 students are studying the field Pearse pioneered in Canada.
And even if only half of them read it, the humble textbook written by Pearse and co-author Daowei Zhang could become a best-seller, at least by Canadian standards, where 5,000 copies sold is the benchmark.
Pearse, who retired from his teaching position at UBC’s faculty of forestry in 1996, has partnered with Zhang, who is one of his former grad students, to rewrite his original 1990 Introduction to Forestry Economics textbook.
The Zhang-Pearse edition, Forest Economics, is already published in Canada by UBC Press.
The Chinese version is to be launched at a major conference on forest economics scheduled to be held this week in Xi’an, China, where both Zhang and Pearse are to speak.
It’s a big event for a textbook, said John Innes, dean of UBC’s faculty of forestry.
Innes said it’s no surprise that the book has been translated into Chinese and is being published for use in Chinese universities.
“It’s the No. 1 text anywhere. It’s not just about B.C.,” Innes said.
China is a growing forestry nation and strong links have already been established between UBC and a number of universities in China. Innes travels to China several times a year for research projects he is involved in.
The focus on forestry in China means the demand for qualified forest professionals is growing, Innes said. He estimates there are 10,000 students enrolled in forestry in China, compared with 780 at UBC’s forestry faculty, which is Canada’s largest.
“Forestry is huge in China,” Innes said. “There is an assumption outside China that it is relatively small. It is not.”
Co-author Zhang, now a professor of forest economics at Auburn University in Alabama, initiated the Chinese edition. He came to UBC in 1990 and did his PhD degree under Pearse’s supervision. He is now a leading forest economist, best known in Canada for writing a book on the never-ending dispute between Canada and the U.S. over softwood lumber.
In an email, Zhang explained he wanted the book published in Chinese because when he was an undergraduate student there in the 1980s there were no good textbooks on the subject.
“Dr. Pearse published his Introduction to Forestry Economics in 1990. So I was among the first of its readers,” Zhang wrote.
Pearse first came to public attention in 1973 for heading a royal commission in B.C. on forest resources. His recommendations formed the basis of B.C.’s timber tenure system – a system he now believes is badly out of date and needs to be re-examined.
Today, age 80, he is actively involved in forestry, managing the controlled timber harvest of a forest on privately owned Sidney Island, where he is one of a number of strata owners.
“I am actually managing a forest. It seems unlikely at my age,” he said. “But it is very interesting and rewarding.” •
