Mackenzie, Dana-Lyn
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Forests go far beyond British Columbia; they cover 1/3 of the Earth’s land surface. Forestry graduate students learn from a dynamic and diverse group of researchers who educate and communicate how forests and forest products contribute to the well-being of all living things. The health and sustainability of forests and the people who depend on them underlies everything we do.
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.
Research Facilities
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.
Research Highlights
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.
Schools / Departments
Graduate Degree Programs
Recent Publications
This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Forestry.
Recent Thesis Submissions
Doctoral Citations
A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Dr. Jeffries studied the effects of high water temperature and rapid aging on wild adult Pacific salmon, at a genome-wide scale. This research was the first to characterize the cellular changes involved in mortality in wild fish. The study has enhanced our understanding of the effects of future climate warming on Pacific salmon. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Unda investigated the role of a group of carbohydrates in poplar trees. Changes in these carbohydrates resulted in trees with increased cellulose content. Enhancing the characteristics of the wood produces trees which can store carbon more effectively and therefore produce better biofuels. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Hernandez studied the aesthetic disfiguration that reduces the value of wood products when they are exposed outdoors. His work revealed that weathered wood surfaces are grayed by the interactive effects of solar radiation and fungal colonization. This knowledge can be used to develop new and less toxic treatments to stop the graying of weathered wood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Hamilton examined the genomic and phenotypic architecture of a Sitka and white spruce hybrid zone spanning maritime to continental climates in British Columbia. Her research provides insight into the mechanisms underlying adaptation across ecologically transitional hybrid zones, providing new tools for managing these important tree species. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Chi studied the effects of hurricanes on mangrove vegetation on Turneffe Islands, Belize. He showed that, unless humans have intervened, vegetation re-establishes in the same general location after catastrophic hurricanes. He developed a model for formation of islands, or cays, to demonstrate the effects of storm energy on vegetation and coral reefs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Norris examined responses to insects in populations of chickadees and nuthatches. She showed that the reproduction and behaviour of those cavity-nesting birds changed in response to mountain pine beetle outbreaks in British Columbia. This suggests that adaptability in foraging and nesting can make wildlife more resilient in changing forest environments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Kirby worked with three ethnic groups in Panama to explore how farmers from different cultures manage crop choices and farming practices when faced with new market opportunities. She demonstrated that farmers incorporate cultural norms into their practices, which in turn increases crop diversity and food security within the country. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Moss developed a quantitative method for classifying forest structures. Seventeen different classes were used to describe four dominant patterns of forest succession in interior Douglas-fir. Airborne laser scanning data was evaluated for stand structures in class inventory. This work improves our ability to recognize and communicate complex forest stand conditions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. Vahid combined agent-based simulation and optimization techniques to model the economic activities of coastal British Columbia's wood products industry. Her simulation model enables us to investigate the long-term impacts of introducing new facilities and alternative forest management policies on the performance of the industry. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2012 | Dr. De La Torre's research provides new insights into the evolutionary relationships between two species of spruce trees. By integrating molecular and quantitative genetics with climate modeling, Dr. De La Torre has deepened our understanding of the genomic basis of local adaptation to climate. Her work has significant implications for forest management in British Columbia. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |