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Past lecture
82nd Forest Industry lecture
North America's Forest Industry: Interdisciplinary Applied Scientists Needed
Speaker
Dr. Don Haid, corporate economist and director of industry analysis for Weyerhaeuser Company
Lecture summary
The forest industry is an integrated supply chain connecting the working forest to end-use demands from a multitude of societal, consumer and commercial needs. It reflects a competitive North American landscape with diversity of resource, administrative, logistic, manufacturing and consumer attributes, all of which seek to satisfy the appetite for products and services derived from forests. The discussion focuses on wood product manufacturing and its historic North American dynamics, exploring the shifting comparative economics of supply and demand for both finished products and forest based raw material input. Through the lens of applied sciences, foresters and related resource professionals bring a unique interdisciplinary perspective to analysis and ultimately the policies and decisions impacting resource use, sustainability and quality.
Speaker bio
Don was educated in Canada and the U.S., and his credentials include undergraduate and master’s degrees in forestry and forest economics from the University of Alberta and a PhD in resource economics from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining Weyerhaeuser, Don worked as an economist for the Canadian Forest Service and as a consultant with AMEC-Simons. Don’s work focuses on housing, wood products and timber sectors to provide insight and guidance supporting Weyerhaeuser businesses. Working closely with senior management, Don’s key responsibilities include price forecasting, industry outlooks for corporate planning and capital processes, and thought leadership in identifying strategic issues, emerging threats, opportunities and their implications for Weyerhaeuser.