
Mike Stefanuk
Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD)
Fire regimes from past to future in dry interior forests of the Cariboo region, British Columbia
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.
Name | Academic Unit(s) | Research Interests |
---|---|---|
Aitken, Sally | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | forest genetics, climate change, Climate change, conservation, ecology, genetics, genomics |
Alila, Younes | Department of Forest Resources Management | Hydrology, Flood, Water Resources, Water Structures, Forest Hydrology, Forest management, hydrological engineering |
Arcese, Peter | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | Global change biology; Ecology; Conservation Biology; Evolutionary Biology; conservation finance |
Avramidis, Stavros | Department of Wood Science | Other natural sciences, n.e.c.; Wood-water relations and sorption thermodynamics.; Fluid flow, heat transfer, and molecular diffusion; Modeling steady-state and dynamic non-isothermal diffusion in wood.; Application of fractals and machine learning to modeling wood physical properties.; Molecular modeling of the wood nano-pore network in the cell wall.; Industrial wood kiln drying optimization and development of new drying strategies.; Radio frequency vacuum (RFV) heating and drying of wood and wood products.; Dielectric wood phytosanitation.; Wood thermal modification. |
Barbeito Sanchez, Ignacio | Department of Forest Resources Management | refining novel silvicultural practices; establishment and management of forests under global change |
Benson-Amram, Sarah | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, Department of Zoology | |
Boedhihartono, Agni | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | Forestry sciences; biodiversity; Communities and Livelihoods; conservation; Forest management; Land-use Change; social science; sustainability; Tropical Landscapes and Livelihoods |
Booker, Thomas | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | population and quantitative genetics |
Bulkan, Janette | Department of Forest Resources Management | aboriginal forestry, biodiversity, climate change, communities and livelihoods, conservation, corporate responsibility, forest management, forest policy, international trade, social impact, social science |
Bull, Gary | Department of Forest Resources Management | international forest policy, environmental services markets, carbon markets, Government and economic systems |
Burton, Cole | Department of Forest Resources Management | Forestry sciences; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Ecological Trends; Animal; Biodiversity and Biocomplexity; Landscape and Restoration; Environment Management and Protection; Biodiversity conservation; Ecological Monitoring; Landscape ecology; Mammal Ecology; Population and Community Ecology; Wildlife Management |
Cardinal-McTeague, Warren | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | Earth and related environmental sciences; Forestry sciences; plant biodiversity; Indigenous environmental management and food systems; monitoring of ecosystem health and function |
Carroll, Allan | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | climate change, mountain pine beetle, bark beetles, forest disturbance, integrated pest management, insect ecology, population dynamics, insect-plant interactions, Climate change, conservation, ecology, ecosystems, forest biology, forest management |
Chanway, Christopher | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | Soil microbiology |
Cool, Julie | Department of Wood Science | modelling, wood products, wood science, wood |
Coops, Nicholas Charles | Department of Forest Resources Management | Forestry sciences; Telemetry (Remote Sensing, Radar); Space Techniques; Forestry Technology and Equipment; Plants and Forests |
Cranston, Emily | Department of Wood Science, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering | Nanoparticle synthesis, properties and applications; Bio-based materials and nanocellulose; Atomic force microscopy (forces, adhesion, friction, imaging); Colloid and interface science; Polymer chemistry; Cellulose nanocrystals; Bioproducts; Foams, emulsions, aerogels |
Dai, Chunping | Department of Wood Science | Forestry sciences; Bamboo; Bio-products; Wood Products; Wood Science; Wood Technology |
Daniels, Lori | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | forest plants and trees; forest history; forest management; environmental protection and natural resource use, Climate change, ecology, fire regimes |
Day, Susan | Department of Forest Resources Management | Forestry sciences; urban soils; urban forestry; Landscape and Restoration; urban ecology; Plants and Forests; Ecology and Quality of the Environment; Environment Management and Protection |
Devisscher, Tahia | Department of Forest Resources Management | Forestry sciences; adaptation; climate change; Human Health; Human Well-being; Nature Recovery; Social-Ecological Resilience |
El-Kassaby, Yousry | Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences | Forestry sciences; Applied Genetics; conservation; genomics; Seed orchards’ genetics; Tree breeding; Tree domestication |
Eskelson, Bianca | Department of Forest Resources Management | Natural resource management; Forest Biometrics; Forest Modelling; Disturbance Effects; Management Effects |
Evans, Philip David | Department of Wood Science | Wood anatomy, wood durability, wood products, wood technology |
Feng, Haibo | Department of Wood Science | Forestry sciences; BIM; Construction; LCA; sustainability; Wood Products; Zero energy / caron building |
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. Dickson-Hoyle examined how Secwépemc Nation communities and territories are recovering from recent megafires in British Columbia. She identifies key lessons from joint recovery efforts and describes Secwépemc Elder Ron Ignace's concept of walking on two legs to guide collaborative research and restoration in Indigenous territories. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
2023 | Dr. Chen examined where and how human activities affect mammals by using an extensive camera trap dataset comprising data from 8600 remote cameras. He found that mammal diversity is associated more with protected area coverage than with negative human influences globally, which provide insights into future biodiversity conservation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
2023 | The ancestral territories of the Mapuche Nation were violently reduced to individual properties that today are in the hands of non-Mapuche people, including settlers and commercial companies. Dr. Arias-Bustamante's study showed how Mapuche communities navigate the system in their quest to land restitution in a constantly changing context. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
2023 | Dr. Reich used novel molecular methods to identify airborne fungi that cause diseases in agricultural crops. He found that the air contains many pathogenic and mutualistic fungi for plant health and showed that this information could help predict plant epidemics. His research will help farmers manage field diseases while reducing fungicide use. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
2023 | Dr. Todd studied Canadian municipal parks and their contribution to the urban forest canopy. She provides recommendations on how parks can continue to meet recreational and cultural demands while balancing those with urban forestry objectives for a more resilient city. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
2023 | Dr. Ye designed a series of nanocellulose-based gel conductors for a variety of sophisticated applications. His study would advance the creation of biodegradable electronics, relieving the environmental pollution caused by discarded electronics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
2023 | Dr. Cheng examined the interactions between urban forest policies and climate change (and related urban planning) policies in Canadian cities. Her research revealed key conflicts and synergies among municipal policies and explored solutions to better integrate urban forests into building a compact, livable, and climate-resilient city | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
2023 | Dr. Queinnec examined the ability of novel airborne and spaceborne remote sensing technologies to characterize three-dimensional vegetation structure in boreal forests of Canada. His work provides enhanced knowledge about forest resources in both managed and unmanaged forested ecosystems. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
2023 | Dr. Du Toit used Airborne Laser Scanning to model genetically improved Douglas-fir trees. Descriptors were used to assess tree performance, and predict genetic parameters. He found that ALS is capable of describing trees at multiple scales, and should be used in breeding programs due the cost savings and insights the technology provides. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
2023 | Dr. Milla-Moreno examined the potential use of native trees to restore ecosystems damaged by copper mines in Chile. After assessing several tree species, the evergreen tree quillay was found suitable for this purpose because it keeps copper in the roots, as shown by mass spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence imaging. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |