Game-changing support is helping keep BC forestry on the world stage
A transformative $1.25 million gift to UBC Forestry from Mosaic Forest Management extends the realm of possibilities of forestry education, student experiences and the forestry profession.
“Mosaic’s gift to UBC Forestry supports our ongoing commitment to students as one of the leading forestry academic institutions in the world,” says UBC Forestry Dean, Prof. Rob Kozak. “This gift also reflects an important and ongoing partnership with members of the local forest industry, helping to ensure that post-secondary education in forestry continues to respond to industry and workforce needs in the province.”
Mosaic’s donation will further enhance UBC Forestry’s research, education and community outreach mandate through various streams, including facility upgrades and experiential learning opportunities, such as field schools and field work.
“UBC Forestry students are the future,” says Domenico Iannidinardo (BSF’01), Senior Vice-President of Corporate Engagement and Chief Development Officer with Mosaic.
Mosaic was created in 2018 through the affiliation of Island Timberlands and TimberWest. Operating as several predecessor companies — including Fletcher Challenge on Coastal BC — for over 100 years, Mosaic is among Canada’s largest private timberlands producers.
Prior to their recent transformational gift to UBC Forestry, Mosaic established many ongoing career-building opportunities for forestry students, such as internships, field classes and summer positions.
Domenico was a summer student with Mosaic around 25 years ago, while studying towards a Bachelor of Science in Forestry at UBC. This opportunity expanded his view of how to apply technologies he had learned about in his course work, such as the role geographic information systems ― then in their nascency ― could play in the future of forest modeling and tree harvest practices.
In fact, the same year that UBC Forestry opened the doors of the then newly minted Forest Sciences Centre, Domenico was among the student body who attended lectures in the very same hall that now bears the Mosaic name.
“Through the support of UBC Forestry professors, I gained exposure to cutting-edge field- and computer-based forest management technologies and tools,” says Lorry. “This, coupled with class time spent outdoors at UBC’s Malcolm Knapp Research Forest and my co-op experiences with Mosaic, set me up for success.”
Collaboration and sustainability
Apart from supporting educational institutions, Mosaic is passionate about giving back to the broader community. Over the past five years, the forestry company has contributed over $10 million to various communities and environmental causes, and thousands of hectares of land for conservation and related non-timber uses, says Domenico. Last year alone, Mosaic donated almost $700,000 to community organizations. Mosaic also funds public campsites and firewood programs, and supports a variety of recreational opportunities from hiking to biking, fishing, game clubs and more “to ensure that we safely share the great outdoors and increase community access,” Domenico says.
Equity, diversity and inclusion inform community outreach and business operations, including close working relationships with over 30 First Nations on the Coast of BC.
A portion of the proceeds from the carbon credits sold on 40,000 hectares of Mosaic’s BigCoast Forest Climate Initiative are now part of a research commitment with the Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas Innovation Program ― lands and waters of which ecosystem conservation and protection rest primarily with Indigenous governments.
Mosaic’s support of voluntary, non-government-required reductions in the carbon footprints of multiple companies over multiple continents around the world is part of their goal to “drive changes in the forestry sector and other sectors that will ultimately benefit communities and the planet,” states Domenico.
This vision for forest management involves sustainable forest operations that protect the long-term viability of the land. Mosaic has replanted millions of hectares of harvested forest with the seedlings of local species, says Domenico. The company is also certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, which requires meeting a multitude of sustainable forest management standards.
“We try to set the bar high in hopes that others in the industry will follow suit,” says Domenico.
This article was originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Branchlines Magazine. View the full issue here.