1921 marked the first formal forestry instruction offered at the University of British Columbia with H.R. Christie becoming the Department of Forestry’s first Associate Professor.
Since then, the Faculty of Forestry was formed and evolved over a century into a world-class leader in research, education and initiatives.
| Year | Notable Event |
|---|---|
| 1915 | UBC officially established with three Faculties: Arts and Science, Applied Science, and Agriculture |
| 1918 | First forestry course implemented at UBC: a four-week course allowing returning war veterans to qualify as forest guards |
| 1920 | Department of Forestry authorized at UBC |
| 1921 | First formal forestry instruction offered at UBC with H.R. Christie becoming the Department of Forestry’s first Associate Professor |
| 1923 | UBC’s first B.A.Sc. degrees (Forest Engineering) awarded |
| 1933 | First M.A.Sc (Forest Engineering) awarded |
| 1941 | UBC Research Forest in Haney, BC obtained - later named Malcolm Knapp Research Forest |
| 1947 | Four-year B.S.F. program authorized |
| 1949 | Master of Forestry and Ph.D programs authorized |
| 1951 | Faculty of Forestry established |
| 1953 | The Canadian Institute of Forestry’s (CIF) main objective is to welcome students to the forestry profession. One way they accomplish this is by offering the Silver Ring marked with a raised tree to each graduating student from an accredited Canadian forestry program. The very first Ring Ceremony was held in 1953 by the UBC Forestry graduating class. By 1967 it became a tradition for all Forestry graduates across Canada to receive a Silver Ring. |
| 1957 | Students of the Sopron School of Forestry in Hungary were forced to flee their homeland when the anti-Soviet Revolution failed and were welcomed to the Faculty of Forestry at UBC to continue their education. The Sopron School had 50% more students and three times the number of instructors than the current UBC Faculty at the time. Learn more about this extraordinary story here |
| 1962 | Forest Engineers degree program suspended |
| 1981 | Departments of Forest Resources Management, Harvesting and Wood Science and Forest Science are established |
| 1983 | Majors in Harvesting and Forest Resources Management introduced to the B.S.F. program. Majors in Wood Science and Industry and Forest Science introduced to B.Sc. |
| 1986 | Faculty of Forestry acquires the Alex Fraser Research Forest in Williams Lake |
| 1997 | Natural Resources Conservation (NRC) program authorized and established |
| 1998 | Forest Sciences Centre completed to house the Faculty of Forestry |
| 2000 | UBC and UNBC enter an agreement to jointly manage the Aleza Lake Research Forest |
| 2002 | Co-op Program is established for all five of the Faculty’s degree programs |
| 2012 | Department of Forest Sciences name change to the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences |
| 2012 | Master of Sustainable Forest Management (MSFM) program authorized and established |
| 2013 | MSFM program accredited by the Canadian Forestry Accreditation Board |
| 2015 | Master of International Forestry (MIF) program established |
| 2016 | Master of Geomatics for Environmental Management (MGEM) program established |
| 2018 | Land One program established |
| 2019 | Forest Bioeconomy Sciences & Technology (BEST) program established |
| 2019 | Haida Gwaii Institute established |
| 2020 | Master of Urban Forestry Leadership (MUFL) established |
| 2020 | Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation Micro-Certificate established |
| 2021 | Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Initiative developed |
| 2022 | Climate Action and Community Engagement, Forest Carbon Management and Co-Management of Natural Resources Micro-Certificates established |
| 2023 | Online Micro-Certificates in Natural Resource Management, Bioeconomy and Mass Timber Building established |
| 2024 | Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources and Bachelor of Indigenous Land Stewardship degrees begin |
Much of this information has been derived from:
Smith, J. Harry G., UBC Forestry 1921-1990: An Informal History. Vancouver : Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 1990.
