UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship wishes to congratulate Dr. Shawn Mansfield on being named a UBC Distinguished University Scholar!
About Shawn Mansfield
Dr. Shawn Mansfield is a leading expert in tree biotechnology, focusing on the relationship between gene expression and phenotypic traits related to cell wall development. His research spans plant metabolism, including cellulose and lignin biosynthesis, sucrose metabolism, and overall tree metabolism. He also explores how trees interact with their environment, investigating their potential for remediation of anthropogenic contaminants such as phosphorus, salt, and heavy metals.
About the UBC Distinguished University Scholar Award
The Distinguished University Scholar (DUS) program honors UBC Faculty members who have demonstrated exceptional scholarly achievement. Held biennially, the DUS designation is awarded by the President on the recommendation of an adjudication panel. Appointees receive a one-time research grant of $20,000, along with an annual stipend of $20,000 for five years, which may be renewed once for an additional five-year term.
As British Columbians prepare for the holiday season, climate change is reshaping the Christmas tree industry in unexpected ways.
We spoke with Dr. Sally Aitken, a forest geneticist at UBC, about why warming winters may shift which species can thrive on B.C. farms and how extreme weather is affecting the trees we bring into our homes each December.
How is climate change affecting B.C.’s Christmas tree industry?
Dr. Sally Aitken. Credit: UBC.
We’re seeing several challenges. Recent droughts have made it harder to establish young trees, and the heat dome in 2021 killed or damaged young trees at many Christmas tree farms—trees that might have been coming to market now. Douglas fir, the mainstay of B.C.’s Christmas tree farms, is fairly drought-tolerant, but newly planted seedlings are still vulnerable. That early stress alone could push growers to rethink their species mix.
We’re also seeing more insect and disease pressure on conifers, including pathogens like Swiss needle cast, which causes trees to lose needles, and no one wants a sparse Christmas tree.
Are some Christmas tree species more vulnerable than others?
Yes. The “premium trees” (true firs like noble fir) are more sensitive. They’re naturally higher-elevation species, and warming temperatures are making lower-elevation farms less suitable for them.
We’ve seen die-offs of related fir species in other countries during heat and drought events. In South Korea, for example, a fir species experienced widespread mortality linked to warmer, drier conditions.
Could this change what types of trees we see for sale?
Possibly. One interesting candidate is white fir. It’s not native to B.C. but grows in California and Oregon, and climate models suggest it could do well here as conditions warm. That’s not ideal for native ecosystems, but it could create options for growers.
If warming continues, consumers may see more heat-tolerant species and fewer traditional true firs. Economics also matter: Douglas fir reaches six feet in six or more years, while true firs take longer. Growers need to balance production time with demand for premium species.
What’s the biggest climate threat to Christmas trees right now?
Unusually warm winter spells followed by sudden hard frosts can damage trees. We saw the impact of that pattern when B.C. lost most of its fruit and wine grape crop after a warm January was followed by extreme cold. Christmas trees face the same vulnerability. Those abrupt swings can damage or kill young trees.
Are there any climate advantages for Christmas tree farming?
Compared with natural forests, growers have more control. They can irrigate during drought, fertilize when needed and keep inputs relatively low. And importantly, Christmas trees come from agricultural land, not natural forests, so they don’t contribute to deforestation.
What’s your advice for holiday shoppers?
Think of a Christmas tree as a chance to make a thoughtful environmental choice. A real tree is lower-impact than many holiday items that get used once and thrown out. Support local growers, charities and community groups that sell trees. And after the holidays, make sure your tree is composted or mulched. Many communities, including UBC Botanical Garden offer easy drop-off options. Small decisions like that, multiplied across households, make a real difference.
Su Qing’s journey to UBC’s Master of Urban Forestry Leadership (MUFL) program began far from a traditional forestry path. With a background in English and a growing passion for nature, she discovered MUFL as the perfect bridge between communication, culture, and urban greening. In this reflection, she shares how the program has shaped her skills, confidence, and vision for more sustainable, caring cities.
Discovering MUFL Through an Unexpected Path
I’m Su Qing, a current student in the Master of Urban Forestry Leadership (MUFL) program at UBC’s Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship. Before coming to Vancouver, I completed my BA in English at Zhejiang Agriculture & Forestry University in China. Thanks to a partnership between my home university and UBC, I first learned about MUFL and realized it was a rare chance to connect my language background with my long-standing love for nature and forests.
Finding the Right Fit: Interdisciplinary Learning and Leadership
My earlier academic focus was linguistics, but during my undergrad, I kept choosing forestry-related electives and spending time outdoors. When I discovered that MUFL welcomes students from diverse disciplines and is built as an interdisciplinary, leadership-oriented professional program that combines urban forestry, planning, governance, and communication, I felt this program was exactly where I could grow into the kind of “all-round” professional I wanted to become.
Growing Through Coursework and Field Experience
So far, MUFL has helped me grow both professionally and personally. Academically, I’ve been introduced to a completely new field: urban forest governance, arboriculture, geomatics, and urban forest benefits assessment. Practically, I’ve joined field trips around Metro Vancouver to observe street trees and parks, practice tree assessment, and discuss tree risk and management decisions on-site with classmates and instructors. There is nothing more powerful than standing under a real tree with people from all over the world and debating how to care for it in a dense city.
Building Skills in Leadership, Communication, and Cultural Understanding
Some of the most valuable skills I’ve gained include thinking about urban forestry from a governance and leadership perspective, communicating across cultures and disciplines, and working with diverse knowledge systems in sustainable natural resource management. These experiences have also made me more confident in speaking up in English in professional settings.
Looking Ahead: Designing Greener, Caring Cities
After graduation, I hope to continue my studies and explore how urban forests can support mental health and human well-being, especially for students, migrants, and other urban residents. My dream is to help design and manage greener, more caring cities in China and beyond.
Advice for Future MUFL Students
For anyone considering MUFL, my advice is: don’t be afraid if you don’t come from a traditional forestry background. If you’re curious, ready to learn in the field (even in the rain!), and want to become someone who can independently lead urban greening projects, MUFL is an incredibly welcoming and inspiring place to start.
Take part in a tour of the First Nations House of Learning and cedar weaving workshop. This event is open to all UBC faculty, staff, and students.
While the event is primarily aimed at STEM faculties as part of regular EDI.I programming, anyone interested, especially those enrolled in the IDEAL or Cascades of Change programs, is welcome to attend. This experiential opportunity fulfills the Stage 2 requirements for both programs and offers a unique chance to learn directly from Indigenous knowledge and practice.
We are proud to congratulate Dr. Lori Daniels, MSc’94, on receiving this year’s Faculty Community Service Award at the Alumni Achievement Awards. A leading expert in wildfire resilience, Dr. Daniels has made an extraordinary impact through her commitment to community engagement and knowledge sharing.
As a co-founder and the inaugural Koerner Chair of the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, she works closely with Indigenous and rural communities to co-develop science-based, culturally grounded solutions that support wildfire preparedness and long-term forest health. Her dedication to public education, spanning hundreds of media interviews, speaking events, and national forums, has helped shape policy, strengthen stewardship, and deepen understanding of how we can coexist with wildfire.
Awarded the 2023 Association of Fire Ecology Distinguished Leader in Research Award and 2020 Killam Teaching Prize in Forestry, she is a proven public educator, having given over 250 presentations, workshops and field tours to forest professionals and community and school groups. Since 2015, she has conducted close to 300 media interviews as a specialist. In 2022, Dr. Daniels was a panelist on the “Expert Roundtable on Wildfire and Forest Resilience” held in conjunction with the UN General Assembly (UNGA77) release of their report on climate tipping points.
Please join us in celebrating Dr. Daniels’ outstanding contributions to people, place, and the future of wildfire resilience.
Camera trap image of black-tailed deer grazing. Credit: Tara Martin
As ecosystems in coastal British Columbia disappear due to long-term browsing pressures from overabundant black-tailed deer, a new study led by UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship with Coast Salish Nations and regional research partners identifies the most effective solutions to address deer overabundance on the Southern Gulf Islands.
The research, published in People and Nature, finds Indigenous-led hunting to be the most successful and cost-effective strategy for managing hyperabundant deer when considering ecological and cultural needs. Drawing on both Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, the study also highlights the importance of honoring distinct knowledge and value systems equitably in wildlife management.
Sidney Island impacted by deer grazing. Credit: Tara Martin
A growing ecological crisis
Following almost two decades of research led by Dr. Tara Martin from UBC’s Forestry, black-tailed deer populations on the Southern Gulf Islands are now estimated to be up to 10 times higher than they were a century ago, due to a combination of human-altered landscapes, restrictions on hunting, and the eradication of predators.
As deer populations grow unchecked, they overbrowse vegetation, prevent forests from regenerating, reduce biodiversity, and disrupt cultural connections to the land.
“For most people these islands look beautiful and natural, but they are entirely degraded,” says Dr. Martin. “The change has been so slow, most people don’t recognize this shift. We’ve found hyperabundant deer are one of the major drivers of this change.” The consequences are stark. One of B.C.’s most endangered ecosystems, the Garry Oak meadow, is now at risk of irreversible collapse due to overgrazing. Other regions across Canada and the globe are facing similar threats from hyperabundant herbivores including Haida Gwaii, Ontario, Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia.
Ecosystems thriving on the Channel Islands where there is no deer. Credit: Tara Martin
Inclusive approach to decision-making
Developing deer management strategies that address overpopulation and also support the well-being of people and the land—rather than focusing solely on ecology—is inherently complex.
“This study offers a roadmap to help unpack complicated problems where many values and goals compete, often leading to decision paralysis and inaction” says lead author and doctoral student Sofie McComb. “Hyperabundant deer are damaging ecosystems around the world, and we’re offering a framework that gives decision-makers practical, inclusive solutions.”
Working in collaboration with Coast Salish Nations and local land stewards and knowledge holders, Dr. Martin’s group considered a number of strategies for successful deer management. These included Indigenous-led hunting, improving predator viability, hiring deer reduction specialists, using birth control, increasing licensed hunting, and combining approaches.
Indigenous-led hunting was the only strategy with a high likelihood of being successful and achieving ecological and cultural benefits. Compared to the status quo, Indigenous-led hunting was found to increase the likelihood of maximizing human and ecological wellbeing by almost 60 per cent, and was more than 50 per cent likely to maximize project uptake and implementation goals.
Strategies such as increased licensed hunting were cost-effective from a Western science perspective, as they are low-cost strategies with moderate feasibility, but were less likely to achieve meaningful long-term benefits (less than 30 per cent likelihood).
Researcher Sofie McComb on Yellow Island. Credit: Tara Martin
Cost of inaction
Experts agreed that sticking with the status quo will not improve ecosystem functions and will continue to feed the decision-making paralysis fuelled by a fear of controversy. Researchers warn that delaying action is the most harmful option.
“If we don’t do something soon, the ecosystems will not be recoverable, because there will be nothing left” says Sofie McComb. “The deer are also struggling, and have turned to eating starvation foods. Inaction is action – that is the action that has been chosen and the ecosystem is suffering.”
The study provides an inclusive, transparent framework for communities worldwide facing hyperabundant herbivores. By integrating multiple knowledge systems and weighing feasibility and cost alongside ecological and cultural benefits, decision-makers can chart a path toward recovery that is both effective and socially grounded.
“It’s possible to find solutions to complex environmental issues that are good for people, the land and the deer” says Dr. Martin. “This work shows that restoring cultural sovereignty and ecosystem health can go hand in hand.”
Media contact Charlotte Fisher Marketing & Media Relations Strategist UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship charlotte.fisher@ubc.ca
Kiana Rowlands, BSc (Wd Prod Proc) 2025, didn’t expect to find her perfect fit in Wood Products. After starting her degree in Forest Sciences, she realized she wanted a program that blended her love of environmental science with her interests in math, engineering, and design. Now, after graduating in June of 2025, Kiana reflects on how the program reshaped her understanding of wood, engineering, and the future of low-carbon materials.
From Forest Sciences to Wood Products
Kiana Rowlands began her UBC journey in Forest Sciences. She loved the mix of environmental science and hands-on learning, but something was missing.
“I really enjoyed Forest Sciences because it had the environmental aspect, but I also loved math, engineering, and programming,” she explains. “After a guest lecture from the previous program director, I realized the Wood Products program had everything I liked: science, math, engineering, and the environment.”
Now graduating in 2025, Kiana describes the program in three words: design, engineering, and building.
The Hidden Complexity of Wood
Before joining the program, Kiana saw trees as something simple and familiar, just part of the landscape.
“You see trees everywhere, but no one really knows what it takes for a tree to grow or what’s inside the wood,” she says. “Studying wood showed me how intricate it is and how much care goes into working with it. It’s not just cutting and sanding; you need to understand the material.”
More Than Carpentry
When people hear “wood products,” they often picture carpentry or woodworking, but Kiana is quick to set the record straight.
“We are not just carpenters,” she says. “We do engineering, design, and problem-solving. We build furniture and structures, but we’re also creating materials and systems that make those things possible.”
Engineering New Ideas Through Co-op
One of Kiana’s standout experiences was her co-op with Mercer Mass Timber, where she worked as a Detailer on major construction projects.
“I did all the 2D and 3D modelling for our mass timber projects,” she says. “Some of them I can now go see in person. It’s so exciting to see the time and effort I put into drawings and models come to life.”
Her coursework in AutoCAD, design, and wood mechanics gave her the technical foundation to thrive.
That co-op experience also shaped her future, leading to Kiana having a job lined up after graduation.
“I’m going back to Mercer Mass Timber, this time in Project Management,” she shares. “I love working with mass timber and the people there, so I’m really excited to return.”
Wood’s Role in a Low-Carbon Future
Kiana is passionate about the environmental benefits of building with wood.
“Wood is a carbon sink—it stores carbon even after a tree is harvested,” she explains. “When you use it in buildings, especially as mass timber, that carbon stays locked away for decades.”
She describes mass timber as an innovative material that combines layers of dimensional lumber into large beams, columns, and panels.
“Yes, it uses a lot of wood, but it also stores a lot of carbon,” she says. “It’s a great way to remove carbon from the atmosphere and keep it stored for up to 50 years.”
At UBC, Kiana has also seen how research in wood-based products and biofuels can contribute to climate solutions.
“There’s so much innovation happening in the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship, especially in programs like BEST and Wood Products. It’s all about finding new ways to use wood to create sustainable materials and energy.”
A Community That Feels Like Home
What stands out most to Kiana about her time in the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship is the sense of community.
“The program is small, about 30 students per class, so you get to know your professors and classmates really well,” she says. “It feels like a college-sized community within a big university.”
As part of the Forestry Undergraduate Society (FUS), Kiana also connected with students across other programs.
“I loved that I could walk into any building and always find someone I know. Being part of FUS helped me meet people from all over Forestry, not just my program.”
Advice for Future Engineers
For students interested in engineering and sustainability, Kiana believes the Wood Products Processing program offers the best of both worlds.
“It may not be the typical path to engineering, but it’s still all about designing and building with structural materials,” she says. “If you care about the environment and want to help solve climate change by creating beautiful, sustainable buildings, this program is perfect for you.”
Learn more about a major in Wood Products at UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship.
Nearly four billion people around the world rely on agricultural food systems for their livelihoods, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Rows of cassava plants, like the ones pictured here, are commonplace throughout Guyana.
Plants sustain the daily nutritional needs of people around the world, many of whom are also engaged in the cultivation and distribution of these agricultural goods. As the climate changes, so too are the rules of the game to succeed in bringing crops to harvest. Several UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship faculty members are actively engaged in research with communities in BC and abroad to investigate how to support, introduce or adapt food crops to shifting local and environmental landscapes.
Around 30-35% of global food production transpires on fewer than two hectares of land, called smallholder farms. “Smallholders who claim ownership of this land may have worked its soils for generations, carrying with them rich, place-based knowledge of the cultivation of a suite of plants, including agroforestry crops,” says Janette Bulkan, Assoc. Prof. in the Department of Forest Resources Management at UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship.
For decades, Janette has led research with Indigenous peoples in Guyana on the production of food crops, among them varieties of bitter cassava (Manihot esculenta) selectively propagated by Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon Basin long before the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s. The naturally occurring cyanide in the bitter cassava enables the plants to thrive despite myriad fungal pathogens and insects in their habitat.
“Amazonian Indigenous Peoples developed a sophisticated method for separating the cyanide from the rasped and mashed cassava tubers before baking the soft white flour,” notes Janette. “The denatured cyanide is used as a meat tenderiser. Nothing is wasted from this versatile plant.”
Among the Makushi People in southern Guyana, 140-170 varieties of cassava are recognised by women farmers for their distinct plant morphologies, soil suitablilities, flood tolerance, drought resistance and nutritional properties. Cassava plant stem cuttings are actively exchanged between friends and extended families, enabling their swift and wide distribution.
“For people living in parts of Peru to French Guiana, it is common knowledge that, when you have a cassava farm, you won’t starve.” — Janette Bulkan
“Farmers know which cassava varietals are best-suited to different environmental conditions, such as flooding and drought, as well as for different uses,” adds Janette. “Grown on the Guyana shield — among the most nutrient-poor soils in the world — this knowledge could be applied to growing crops elsewhere.”
Shea nuts, like the one pictured here, are primarily exported from West African countries. Dramatic declines in shea forest cover in recent times, amounting to approximately eight million trees per year, are putting pressure on local communities to protect this valuable resource.
On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in the northern part of the Sub-Saharan African country of Ghana, Terry Sunderland, UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship Prof. in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, is leading a project on pressing food sovereignty and economic livelihood barriers facing women smallholders who are unable to gain legal title over the shea parklands that they harvest. The project is being undertaken with UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship graduate students and Ghana’s University for Development Studies, with support from the Peter Gilgan Foundation.
“Women are the guardians of food security in the region,” says Terry. “Empowering women smallholders with shea agroforestry operations can have ripple effects throughout their communities in terms of increased economic opportunities, food security and ecological resilience.”
Native shea predominantly grows along a narrow, semi-arid Sahelian geographic zone that stretches across parts of northern Ghana, Burkina Faso and northern Nigeria. A staple, edible fruit with the consistency of avocado and the flavour of mango, the kernel inside the nut of the shea fruit contains shea butter, which is used locally as a cooking oil and body oil.
Shea butter is also a key ingredient in creams and other commercial products sold on international markets, including in North America. However, most of the profits from shea butter production occur following manufacturing. Women smallholders, who almost solely sell the raw product, realize a miniscule fraction of the gains from their labour.
“Shea parklands present a significant, ongoing opportunity for women smallholders to achieve economic independence, particularly in a region where wider income opportunities and food availability are scarce.” — Terry Sunderland
“Shea is a longer-term, sustainable source of income for Ghanaians,” says Terry. “One approach that we are investigating with women smallholders is identifying opportunities to create value-added shea products locally that can be sold on local and international markets, retaining more of the profits of the production of shea among women smallholders.”
Another challenge facing the region is the decline in shea trees in northern Ghana agroforestry parklands from an estimated average of 230 trees per hectare in the 1940s to fewer than 11 trees per hectare in 2011. The reasons for this decline range from climate change to urban expansion, subsistence farming for annual crops and tree removal for fuelwood or charcoal.
Shea butter and shea oil, which is extracted from shea butter, are used in a variety of commercial plants, including creams, cosmetics and hair treatments.
“Within the past 10 years, the region has experienced significantly more extreme weather in the form of severe storms, droughts and floods that have put increased stress on food and commercial crop production,” says Terry.
Importantly, active cultivation is a necessary ingredient in improved shea tree survival rates. “Without human oversight and husbandry, less than 25% of trees survive long enough to produce commercially viable shea fruit,” Terry explains. “Women smallholders play an integral role in increasing shea tree survival through active cultivation, contributing to a stable source of income for them and their families, as well as addressing issues surrounding food security and ecological degradation.”
Dr. Yazzie joins the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Forests & Conservation Sciences. Kim conducts research across a number of areas: freshwater ecology, climate solutions and Indigenous land and water governance.
Kim earned her Ph.D. in Aquatic and Fishery Sciences from the University of Washington. Prior to joining UBC, Kim was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University at the Woods Institute for the Environment where she worked on climate mitigation and energy transformation in Tribal communities in the U.S. At UBC, she will lead research on ecosystem resilience in freshwater systems and Indigenous land stewardship.
Kim is Diné from the Navajo Nation and grew up in Arizona, Southwestern United States. She enjoys hiking, paddleboarding, experiencing art, meditation and going on long urban walks. Dr. Yazzie also finds joy in baking and painting in watercolour.
What inspired you to pursue your area of research?
Early on, I developed a keen awareness of the urgent risks that climate change poses to humanity and biodiversity, most notably the access to and availability of freshwater resources in the Southwest. As a child, I spent time locating seeps and springs on the tabletop mesa I grew up on and spent a fair amount of time cooling off in the San Juan River in Utah, a tributary to the Colorado River.
Water issues have always been dear to me from water rights, access to water, to water quality. One of my earliest memories of capturing environmental issues on paper was drawing a diagram of an acid rain pathway in grade school. I drew elements of industrial pollution, cars, rain, and plants. I still have this drawing. Since grade school, my career trajectory has intersected with research that informs decision-making for water and energy security.
What do you hope to achieve through your work at UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship?
I plan to employ a water-energy-food-climate nexus approach to understand the present and future impacts of different levels of water and land stewardship and governance, on biodiversity and climate resilience. My research has grown to be interdisciplinary, and I am thrilled to form new collaborations and partnerships to explore scalable projects.
What motivated you to join the Faculty?
There were countless attractions that drew me to UBC, I will share three. One, to be a part of the first-of-its-kind Bachelor of Indigenous Land Stewardship Program in Forestry. Two, the various levels of support at UBC for innovative research at the local and global scales in management, conservation, and policy. Three, the unmatched and immediate access to British Columbia’s stunning natural environment that provides exceptional opportunities for research and teaching.
What are you most looking forward to as a faculty member of UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship?
I look forward to supporting the BILS program and growing new collaborations with colleagues in Forestry and with researchers across campus and internationally.
