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What’s going on with Soil & Forestry Consulting today? We post updates about what we’re doing. Check back regularly to see what we’re up to. Contact us today to learn more.
Robert Proudfoot wrote a book called “ Enduring Art, Active Faith ”, which has just been published and made available for review and purchase by FriesenPress of Victoria, BC. Click here for more information.
Best in Edmonton has added Soil & Forestry Consulting to its 2020 list of The Best Environmental Consulting in Edmonton. Best in Edmonton is Edmonton's guide to finding the best of everything. Every month, tens of thousands of people go to its website to learn about the best providers in any industry. Click on the Best In Edmonton badge (link) to learn more about Soil & Forestry Consulting and other environmental consulting firms that are recognized as providing excellent services to the residents of Edmonton and the area in 2020.
Robert George Proudfoot and Soil & Forestry Consulting obtained a Small Employer Certificate of Recognition (SECOR) on April 26, 2021, through the Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA, certifying partner) and Alberta Partnerships in Injury Reduction. Robert has been an associate member of ACSA since August 2017.
In June 2023, Soil & Forestry Consulting (SFC) obtained membership as a new contractor with ISNetworld (ISN), which provides services to help nearly 700 hiring clients and 75,000 contractors and suppliers worldwide to manage risk, support sustainability, and improve workplace safety.
Decision Methods in Natural Resources and the Environment
Robert Proudfoot recently completed a four-month, online environmental course with the University of Connecticut called "Decision Methods in Natural Resources and the Environment". This course provided an introduction to Structured Decision Making, a practical guide to Environmental Management Choices. Structured decision making (SDM) is an organized, inclusive and transparent approach to understanding complex problems and generating and evaluating creative alternatives to address these problems.
SDM can provide a sensible decision-making process for addressing such complex environmental problems as competing water uses; air quality; climate change; species at risk; pest outbreaks; cumulative effects; wildfire risks; parks and recreation management; timber, fish and wildlife harvesting; oil and gas development; mining; water supply options; or infrastructure investments--even when there are multi-dimensional choices to be made when there is uncertain science, diverse stakeholders or difficult trade-offs to be considered.
The process combines participants' values and scientific knowledge; it levels the playing field and allows traditional knowledge to be utilized in collaboration with science and community needs. The SDM process requires the various stakeholders and decision makers to plan and learn together before the decision is made, following an iterative process where the working group defines context for the decision, objectives and performance measures to identify and evaluate potential alternatives, expected consequences of implementing each alternative and how these affect management choices, and key trade-offs to be considered among the consequences. Management actions can also be revised through monitoring and review after the decision is made; what is learned before and after the decision is utilized to make or even improve the program implemented through the decision made.
SDM is a valuable tool for persons or groups involved in making important decisions, particularly concerning how we will share and thrive in our environment.