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The Faculty of Forestry is one of the top institutions globally in forest-related education and research. The unique breadth of expertise we possess allows us to integrate new knowledge across many disciplines. Offering both master’s and doctoral programs, our graduate students learn from a dynamic and diverse group of researchers from around the world.
The Forest Sciences Centre is a showcase for construction using Canadian forest products, and was architecturally designed to mimic the landscape of British Columbia: towering trees, mountains, and blue-green waters. The 17,505-square-metre Forest Sciences complex has 11 classrooms, 2 lecture theatres, teaching laboratories, office space, computer labs, study areas, and a cafeteria, and houses the Faculty’s three departments.
Built alongside the Forest Sciences Centre is the 3,730-square-metre Centre for Advanced Wood Processing. It is Canada’s national centre of excellence for education and research related to wood products processing and advanced wood products manufacturing, and works to advance knowledge that fosters job creation, stabilizes forest-dependent communities, encourages increased value recovery, and ensures the sustainable management of Canada’s forests. This building includes two 25-seat classrooms, a machine lab, a simulator lab and a computer lab.
Within the Faculty of Forestry, there are also several research groups. Visit the website of each project to find out more.
Off-campus facilities include two Research Forests: the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest in Maple Ridge and the Alex Fraser Research Forest near Williams Lake. These are working forests located throughout the province where students and faculty can study in an outdoor setting. Fish and wildlife, silviculture, forest harvesting, forest ecology, forest management, and resources management figure prominently in these field studies.
UBC Forestry is turning out a new generation of foresters, and faculty are committed to meeting future challenges in forestry through in-depth, cutting edge research. In fact, UBC Forestry receives the highest level of forestry research funding of any forestry faculty in Canada.
In the 2017/2018 fiscal year, members of the Faculty Forestry were awarded a total of over $12 million in research funding.
Our wide breadth of research includes topics such as tree rings, integrated remote sensing, bioenergy, forest conservation genetics, landscape visualizations, African forest conservation and development, alpine studies, climate change, and advanced wood processing.
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Forestry.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Dr. Lingua's work explores the opportunities that arise from the analysis of social media images for the study of nature-based recreation. His work shows that by combining machine learning and traditional economic techniques, it is possible to assess forest recreational values. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Hurtado Martinez examined how existing knowledge can be applied to habitat and corridor models and evaluated the importance of forest connectivity for carnivore conservation. This research helps inform the management of carnivores in high biodiversity areas. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2023 | Dr. Park studied the multifunctionality of food forests and community gardens in Vancouver, Canada. She observed synergies among food and cultural benefits. Three important design and management factors including trees, garden size, and management characterized the multifunctionality. Her study informs the design and management of urban green spaces. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Hu tested and validated a model describing how nitrogen movement in plants influences nitrogen isotope composition. He applied it to identify genetic variation in nitrogen use in poplar and willow. This research provides a new way to measure plant nitrogen-use traits, which are often technically challenging to measure. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Huang investigated the impact of soil salinity on willow trees grown for environmental rehabilitation and biomass production. Tailored to North American prairie regions, her project demonstrated the unique toxicity associated with specific salt ions, redirecting this research field with a new perspective. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Jarvis studied how different forms of urban nature influence human health in Metro Vancouver. She found that children and adults living in areas with more vegetation and water had better health outcomes. Her work provides unique insights on how to integrate nature into urban planning and policy efforts for population health benefits. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Arkin developed and demonstrated novel ways to provide fine-scale forest fuel and fire severity information using remote sensing data. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Hacker used drone-based hyperspectral imagery to examine the impact of human activities on ecosystem functioning and biodiversity in endangered prairie-oak savannahs. This research provides quantitative evidence that human activities can alter plant function and introduces a method for detecting a global plant invader, Scotch broom. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Smith investigated how settler forestry and conservation management in British Columbia impact Lil'wat First Nation's processes to recover food sovereignty. Through collaborative community-based research with Lil'wat, Dr. Smith's research produces insights and potential pathways forward for supporting and enhancing Lil'wat Nation food sovereignty. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Scorah examined the nature of risk in wildfire management and how best to use public dollars to reduce those risks. The work emphasizes the need to be humble in the face of natural forces. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |