Integration: Do we really know what it means and how to achieve it?

At the end of March 2026, DIVERSE theme leads and the project management team gathered at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Forestry for two days dedicated to a deceptively simple word: integration.

For a multifaceted project like DIVERSE – a national network spanning six research themes, more than twenty sites, and an array of partners -“integration” is both the essential glue and the hardest task. During the meeting in Vancouver, researchers worked to unpack what integration really meant for them and identified where and it what ways it was already happening.

Moving Beyond Parallel Tracks

“Integration won’t happen by accident.”

“Integration won’t happen by accident.” That reflection, offered by integration facilitator Peter Duinker, set the tone early. The group quickly agreed that DIVERSE’s ambitious objectives – blending ecological, social, economic, and operational knowledge to transform forest management – demand a deliberate design for integration rather than a loose hope that shared outputs will eventually align.

Several researchers stressed that integration must be intentional, structured, and built into the project. This means moving beyond parallel research tracks toward collaborative processes that connect data, results, and people.

Defining What “Integration” Means

The first barrier to integration is conceptual: what exactly are we integrating? The group recognized multiple layers: within themes, between themes, and externally with partners and practitioners.

At the internal level, several themes are already linking DIVERSE sub-projects, methods, and datasets. For instance, Theme 1’s work tying vulnerability assessments to partner priorities shows deep integration from design through development. Inter-theme integration, however, remains uneven, with timing and data availability sometimes out of sync. External integration—connecting research directly to management practice—will also be a crucial step to ensure that DIVERSE’s science truly informs forest decisions.

Each level of integration requires different actions: the creation of shared tools, alignment of objectives, synchronized outputs, and strong communication pathways. How to get there is not crystal clear yet.

Moving Toward Fully Integrated Sites

One practical idea that gained traction over the two days was the concept of developing “fully integrated demonstration sites”

One practical idea that gained traction over the two days was the concept of developing “fully integrated demonstration sites” These would be specific DIVERSE research sites where all six themes converge, from ecological modeling to socio-economic evaluation, to test integration in practice. Such sites could host workshops and field visits that help bridge research, management, and policy, while also providing a living lab DIVERSE and beyond. Selecting one or two such sites would allow the team to build a microcosm of the broader project.

People and Processes: Building the Integration Team

The meeting conversations consistently circled back to people; who, exactly, carries the integration forward? While Duinker’s role as facilitator was warmly welcomed, researchers recognized the need for an integration team that includes coordinators, theme leads, and researchers tasked explicitly with connecting threads.

The coordinators were identified as key facilitators, bridging scientific and administrative dimensions, ensuring information flows, and helping shape integration meetings in the months ahead.

Crucially, a willingness to embrace ambiguity will be necessary throughout this process: not everything can be known from the start, and progress will unfold iteratively as the team learns and adapts. The team agreed that smaller working groups, focused on developing a shared vision and identifying integration flows between themes, would be essential in the next steps.

Learning from Others: Lessons from ASCC and Beyond

Collaboration with networks like the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) program also provided insight. During the meeting, researchers had the chance to connect with Courtney Peterson, project manager in the ASCC network, whose experience implementing adaptive silviculture experiments offered guidance and ideas for science and management co-produce outcomes. Building bridges between ASCC and DIVERSE could help ensure both networks learn from each other’s successes and limits.

Building Bridges: An Operational Playbook

As a part of further establishing external integration, we have been strategizing the development of a resource that puts the results and methods used in DIVERSE directly into forestry practitioners’ hands: an Operational Playbook. This Operational Playbook could be developed as a guide for practitioners, synthesizing the expertise of different DIVERSE themes into a usable, modular tool for decision-makers—from community forests to industrial forest management units.

As several researchers noted, the challenge is not necessarily a lack of knowledge, but accessibility: the tools, frameworks, and models already exist in abundance; what’s missing is synthesis that helps users navigate them efficiently. In this sense, a playbook may become one of DIVERSE’s most powerful integrating vehicles: a living document that embodies the network’s collective knowledge.

A Shared Determination

Researchers acknowledged the risks: misalignment, uneven engagement, and the pull of independent research objectives. But also, a shared determination to bridge those gaps. Integration will not be a single milestone; rather, it will be an evolving process.

As the meeting wrapped up, the group left with concrete actions: defining integration, forming the integration team, selecting potential sites, and scheduling regular follow-ups. Even more importantly, they left with a reaffirmed sense of purpose by recognizing that DIVERSE’s power lies not only in its diversity of research, but in how those parts fit together to shape the future of Canadian forests.

The work of integration has begun.