When: January 15, 2026 | 10 – 11 am Vancouver time (PST)
Where: Online via Zoom
UBC Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship accelerated Professional Master’s degrees offer the opportunity to deepen your technical skills, hone your leadership abilities and expand your professional networks.
Led by world-renowned faculty members and experienced industry professionals, our programs are developed to give students the core foundation in rapidly developing fields – such as climate adaptation, forest carbon management and geomatics – to advance in their careers.
Join us on January 15, and learn directly from program directors, coordinators and advising staff in our exclusive panel discussion, and find out which program is right for you.
The following programs will be discussed:
Master of Geomatics for Environmental Management
Over 9-months, the Master of Geomatics for Environmental Management (MGEM) provides essential training in the use and application of geospatial tools used to plan, develop, manage, and evaluate programs to protect and regulate natural habitats and renewable natural resources.
Dr. Nicholas Coops
Director, Masters for Geomatics for Environmental Management
Co-director, Master of Sustainable Forest Management
Dr. Coops is one of the MGEM faculty mentors and teaches introductory and advanced remote sensing courses. His focus is the use of remote sensing technology to assess forest resources, both for conservation and production applications. He is specifically interested in advanced forest inventory techniques using high spatial resolution optical remote sensing imagery and LIDAR, use of remote sensing for the ecosystem and carbon accumulation modelling for biodiversity, production and greenhouse calculations, and detection of damaging agents in forests using spectral forest condition mapping.
Dr. Kathleen Coupland
MGEM Program Coordinator
Dr. Coupland plays a key role in the MGEM community, coordinating the program’s daily activities and supporting students and faculty. Connected to UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship since 2014 as a graduate of the Master of Sustainable Forest Management program, her research focuses on developing novel forest classification schemes, emphasizing non-timber values. Notably, she has quantified educational values in urban forests at UBC through innovative methods, including a LiDAR canopy analysis of every tree on campus.
Master of International Forestry
The Master of International Forestry (MIF) is an intensive, 12-month program based on a mix of experiential learning and coursework that prepares students to explore, negotiate, and implement solutions to the complex challenges facing the world’s forests, and the people that depend upon them.
Dr. Terry Sunderland
Director, Master of International Forestry
Dr. Sunderland is a professor in the department of Forest and Conservation Sciences focusing on the biological and human dimensions of the sustainable management and utilization of tropical forests. He was previously a Senior/Principal Scientist at the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Indonesia, where he coordinated CIFOR’s work on forests and food security, biodiversity conservation, and integrated landscape management.
Master of Sustainable Forest Management
The Master of Sustainable Forest Management (MSFM) is a a comprehensive 9-month program designed to prepare students for careers in professional forest land management. The program is suited for individuals who are naturally curious, enjoy outdoor work, and have a strong passion for environmental stewardship. It’s designed for those interested in pursuing careers as professional forest land managers in North America and beyond.
Hélène Marcoux
Director, Malcolm Knapp Research Forest & Co-director, Master of Sustainable Forest Management
Hélène is a dedicated lifelong learner with over 20 years of experience as an ecologist, Registered Professional Forester (RPF), and post-secondary instructor. Originally from Manitoba, she began her forestry career as a tree planter in BC, later earning a Master’s in Forest Sciences from UBC. Before joining the UBC Research Forest, she taught for 7 years at BCIT. Hélène is passionate about silviculture, forest health, plant identification, and community-based forestry, and loves getting people outdoors to explore nature.
Anna Tobiasz
Program Coordinator, Master of Sustainable Forest Management
Anna is a Registered Professional Forester with experience in landscape-level planning and forest operations across British Columbia. She holds a BSc from the University of Northern British Columbia and an MSc from UBC, and works with the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest on strategic planning while contributing to teaching and program coordination within the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship.
Master of Urban Forestry Leadership
The Master of Urban Forestry Leadership (MUFL) is a unique, intensive 13-month, in-person program for those ready to shape the cities of tomorrow. As the only program of its kind, MUFL offers a truly interdisciplinary education—blending expertise from arboriculture, forestry, urban planning, landscape architecture, and urban forestry.
Dr. Sara Barron
Director, Master of Urban Forestry Leadership
Dr. Barron brings an expansive background in working with interdisciplinary teams to explore the various aspects of urban green space contributions to climate adaptation and human well-being. She is a member of the Green Infrastructure Research Group at the University of Melbourne and the Collaborative for Advanced Landscape Planning at UBC.
Elisa Kwun
Program Coordinator, Master of Urban Forestry Leadership
Elisa Kwun is an urban forestry professional specializing in community engagement, climate education, and place-based solutions. As Program Coordinator for the Master of Urban Forestry Leadership program, she supports students, events, and academic planning, drawing on experience from climate action projects such as the Oak Bay Coolkit. With a background in teaching and research, she aims to make climate solutions practical and accessible while completing a Master of Education in Adult Learning.