One documentary I considered submitting to our class film festival is Another Side of the Forest (1974), directed by Raoul Fox and Strowan Robertson and produced for the National Film Board of Canada.
The documentary is about 20 minutes long and explains the developments of the Canadian forestry industry in the 1970s. The film demonstrates various techniques that the Canadian Forestry Service and forestry industries use to study and preserve the forest.
The documentary discusses the use of tools like aerial photographs, maps, dibbles, and X-ray for studying the forest and individual plants.
It also demonstrated various studies the forestry service conducts all over Canada. Some experiments subjected tree seedlings to artificial lab conditions to determine how changing the atmospheric conditions modify tree growth. There were experimental tree plantations to determine the optimal space to leave between trees when replanting the forest for maximum growth and to see how different varieties of the same tree species from different provinces grow once they are all transplanted to the same climate. It showed the processes scientists use to study tree diseases, such as studying the behaviour of elm bark beetles which cause Dutch Elm Disease and spraying a bacterial insecticide from airplanes over a forest in Quebec to stop the spread of the Spruce budworm. It showed how scientists collect different branches of tree species to bring them back to laboratories and systematically test them under different fire conditions. It also showed the variety of labs and workshops dedicated to studying tree rot and conducting stress and shock tests on tree wood to ensure its quality for the market.
I decided not to submit the film because I wanted to submit something a bit more modern. However, I still think this film is worth watching for many reasons. It relates to our course because it is related to applied plant ecology, specifically related to sustainable forestry. Even if it might be outdated, it is a film that shows the sheer amount of scientific work that is dedicated to studying and preserving the forest which I think many people might not realize is occurring (hence the name “another side of the forest”). It seems like these types of educational documentaries aren’t produced as much these days. Also, the film in general is enjoyable to watch. National Film Board documentaries usually have great cinematography and music, and this particular film is a great historical document and time capsule (it definitely “feels” very 70s).
Watch the film for free here:
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 