If a tree falls, for whom does it make a sound? Multilocality and multivocality in Yukon Forests

Abstract

This article explores how forests in the Yukon Territory of Canada are experienced and understood by residents in divergent ways. Through a focus onalternative interpretations and versions of forest history, I explore some of the implications of diverse forest perception for understanding multiple use issues in natural areas, as well as what can be learned about possible forest futures. As both multivocal and multilocal, many such forests have numerous individuals and groups who vie to define and articulate meanings about them. As a consequence, many meanings overlap in a single locality, the result being that a forest is not always the same place for all individuals. It also means that forest labels such as ‘used’ and ‘pristine’ are not necessarily exclusive. In the context of forest planning in the Yukon Territory, I argue that it is necessary to embrace the contested nature of place in order to understand local land values and inter-group relations