UBC Forestry’s new “Notes from the Field” series highlights the work of different community forests in collaboration with the British Columbia Community Forests Association.
If your community forest wishes to be featured in this publication series, please contact Deborah DeLong at deborah.delong@ubc.ca
This November, a delegation of UBC students and faculty will be attending the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Among them are Dr. Guangyu Wang, Professor in Forest Resources Management, and Chunyu Pan, a PhD student in Forest Resources Management. They are scheduled to host a side event titled “Advancing the Quality and Integrity of Forestry Climate NbS: Challenges, Innovations, and Strategies.” We spoke to Chunyu about the event and what they hope to achieve at COP29.
Our event at COP29, titled “Advancing the Quality and Integrity of Forestry Climate NbS: Challenges, Innovations, and Strategies,” will focus on enhancing forest-based nature-based solutions (NbS) as essential tools for tackling global climate change. Our session will explore a broad spectrum of forestry NbS, beginning with holistic forestry solutions for biodiversity, climate resilience, and socio-economic well-being and then narrowing in on the role of bamboo as an NbS for carbon markets. The overarching aim is to examine challenges such as ensuring carbon market integrity, biodiversity co-benefits, and community involvement, as well as showcasing innovative strategies for scaling and financing robust forest NbS. We will bring together a range of experts—from the University of British Columbia (UBC) to partners like the American Forest Foundation (AFF), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Balance Eco, Université Laval, and ZAFU—and provide an in-depth look at forestry NbS within the framework of the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The theme is inspired by the critical need for NbS to be credible, effective, and inclusive. Forests offer remarkable potential for climate resilience, carbon sequestration, biodiversity preservation, and livelihood support. However, to harness these benefits, NbS projects must be well-managed, accountable, and supported by rigorous standards and transparent financing mechanisms. By focusing on “quality and integrity,” we’re addressing some of the main obstacles in implementing NbS effectively at scale—issues such as methodological rigor in carbon accounting, socio-economic inclusivity, and market-driven finance. This theme reflects our dedication to advancing forestry NbS to deliver on climate goals and support resilient, sustainable communities.
Forests are foundational to climate change strategies, as they naturally sequester carbon, support biodiversity, regulate water cycles, and contribute to local economies. Our event will delve into these roles, showcasing how forestry-based NbS can simultaneously address climate, biodiversity, and socio-economic goals. However, several challenges remain. Carbon market integrity is a key issue—how can we ensure that forest carbon projects are credible and truly impactful? Furthermore, ensuring these projects provide measurable biodiversity co-benefits and support local communities requires strong, inclusive frameworks. Financing is another critical challenge; without reliable funding from mechanisms like Article 6 and the New Collective Quantified Goal, scaling NbS becomes difficult. By fostering collaboration and addressing these obstacles head-on, we hope to contribute to the implementation of forestry NbS as an essential climate solution.
My research at UBC Forestry focuses on using bamboo as a nature-based solution (NbS) for climate change mitigation, alongside examining challenges and strategies in forest carbon offset projects. This aligns closely with the themes of our COP29 side event, where we’ll explore innovative NbS in forestry and address key challenges in carbon market integrity, biodiversity co-benefits, and local economic impacts. For COP29 as a whole, I’m particularly interested in learning how international stakeholders are advancing Article 6 implementation to standardize and scale carbon markets, as well as how the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) is progressing in climate finance. I hope to gain insights into global best practices and explore potential collaborations that can further enhance the credibility and impact of forest-based NbS.
We hope attendees will come away with a comprehensive understanding of how forest-based NbS can be scaled to address climate change effectively and equitably. From our first session, we hope they gain insight into the importance of holistic forestry approaches that integrate biodiversity, community well-being, and climate action. In the second session, we want to illuminate the potential of bamboo as a carbon sink and a contributor to sustainable livelihoods. We want attendees to appreciate the importance of maintaining quality and integrity in NbS projects and recognize the critical role that robust financing, transparent methodologies, and community collaboration play in achieving these goals.
We’re honored to represent UBC and our partners at COP29 and to contribute to the dialogue on nature-based solutions for climate action. We’re excited to engage with a wide range of stakeholders and are optimistic about the pathways this event will open for future partnerships, research, and impactful climate action.
Dana-Lyn Mackenzie joins the Faculty of Forestry as Senior Manager for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigeneity. This is a shared position with the Faculties of Applied Science and Land and Food Systems, where Dana-Lyn has already served in this role for several years.
Dana-Lyn (born Wilson) is a member of the Hwlitsum First Nation, based in Canoe Pass, BC, and a lawyer. Dana-Lyn is an elected councillor of her Coast Salish nation, serving since 2021. She is a double alumna of UBC, having obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees.
Dana-Lyn is expected to a play key part in helping to set the strategic direction of the Faculty of Forestry in implementing the Indigenous Strategic Plan across our research, educational, and community engagement programs.
Earlier this year, Dana-Lyn was awarded the 2024 UBC President’s Staff Award for Advancing Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence for her significant contributions through education, advocacy, policy guidance, and the implementation of the Indigenous Strategic Plan (ISP) within UBC.
I’m a mom, lawyer, partner, and daughter. I grew up in Steveston, BC and feel deeply connected to the land south of the Fraser where my family fished since time immemorial.
My daughters inspired me. I wanted to be a role model for them, and show them what they could do with their lives. I went to law school when they were five and two, and they are the reason for everything I do.
I have been a part of the UBC community since I was a child, and my mom went to school and took us to her classes. Later we lived in student housing when my parents separated. Over the years, I have seen many changes here at UBC and moving the dial on how the university responds to calls for reconciliation has been a long-standing passion of mine.
I want everyone who attends, works and lives here to know the history and understand whose land we are on when we are here, and understand why that is important. I want engagement with the Indigenous Strategic Plan to be meaningful and genuine.
UBC is a place I love. I did both my degrees here, and have worked here in different roles on and off since 2012. UBC can be the most progressive, advanced place and the opportunity to do meaningful work here is tremendous. The Faculty of Forestry is an exciting place to be with the new Bachelor’s of Indigenous Land Stewardship beginning, and existing programs such as the Haida Gwaii Institute among others being a draw.
I have worked across several faculties and can bring a lot of institutional knowledge to Forestry.
I lead institutional events such as the Intergenerational March for Orange Shirt Day on September 30th each year, and bringing Forestry into this work benefits everyone.
I am very excited about learning where everyone is at in relation to the ISP and what actions we can take together to work towards reconciliation. I am excited to get to know a new group of people and I hope that I can be in a position to assist where needed, and help showcase some exciting initiatives – such as the IDEAL certificate – to a new audience in Forestry.
UBC Forestry’s new “Notes from the Field” series highlights the work of different community forests in collaboration with the British Columbia Community Forests Association.
If your community forest wishes to be featured in this publication series, please contact Deborah DeLong at deborah.delong@ubc.ca
Forest Access is a directed study course that provides students with the knowledge and decision-making framework to conceptualize, design and manage secondary transportation infrastructure projects in a natural resource context. This course is intended for students in the forestry and forest operations degree programs, and the material covered is directly applicable to the forestry and natural resource sector. The course will draw upon student’s prior knowledge of forest operations and forest access (FOPR264), as well as techniques in mensuration and forest soils. The course is intended to grow skills and knowledge in the areas of:
Students can find the course listed on Workday, and can contact Lee Salmon for more details.
| Course Title | Course Code | Credit Value |
| Forest Access | FRST 449C | 3.0 |
| Schedule | Lecture and Lab | |
| 2024 W2 | Wednesdays 9am -noon | |
| Prerequisites | ||
| FOPR 264 | ||
| Contacts | Contact | Office Hours |
| Mr. Lee Salmon – Instructor | lee.salmon@ubc.ca | TBD |
Undergraduate Researcher; UBC Chemical and Biological Engineering
As an undergraduate researcher at Dr. Rojas’s lab in Bioproducts Institute, I have been working on the project that aims to turn wheat residues into textile fibers. My role in the project is to run experiments to obtain optimal pulp that is well suited for wet-spinning that makes the fibers. This is my first time working in the lab, and I have learned a lot; from planning experiments to learning how to operate equipment, this work term has been full of new inspirations.
Congratulations to Kwang Ho Kim (Department of Wood Science) for being awarded research funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Council (SSHRC) as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Global Centers initiative.
Project title: Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts
Grantee: Amit Kumar (University of Alberta)
Co-grantees: R. Ahmad (University of Alberta), S.K. Agrawal (University of Alberta), K.K. Kim (University of British Columbia)
Kwang Ho’s research primarily focuses on developing sustainable biorefinery processes to maximize the conversion of biomass carbon into value-added products.
Four Canadian research teams were selected to work with international partners to address global challenges through the bioeconomy. These projects will receive $9.95M CAD over five years.
This year’s competition invited international, multi-disciplinary teams to use bioeconomy research to address global challenges. These innovations can impact sectors like agriculture, health, security, manufacturing, energy, and the environment.
Learn more about the funded project on the NSF website.
See attached file for job posting with UBC MKRF. Deadline to apply October 27th, 2024.
Notice: The April 11 event has been postponed and will most likely take place in September 2025. Please check back for updates.
The second edition of Folil Trafün (Joining Roots) will channel the power of films, photography and dialogue to specifically discuss themes of Indigenous Contested Lands and Rights of Nature. We want to learn how film and photography can advance the truth, reconciliation, and decolonization process within the UBC and other communities. We promote these efforts to help heal historical wounds, restore Indigenous rights and sovereignty, and protect the environment through a more holistic, respectful approach that honors Indigenous knowledge and stewardship practices.
From Fall 2024 to Spring 2025, we will organize four dynamic showcases on UBC’s campus and Vancouver Downtown. Although our target audience is mainly the historically, persistently, and systematically marginalized (HPSM) members of the UBC Community, the invitation is open to the public.
All events are free to attend, but space is limited so please register ASAP.
April 11 2025
Date: POSTPONED – please check back for updates
Where: The Centre for Advanced Wood Processing
Case Room – 2916 | Forest Sciences Centre | 2424 Main Mall
November 14, 2024
Date: November 14, 2024 | 4:00 – 8:00 PM
Where: UBC Robson Square Theatre
Main Theatre | 800 Robson St.
November 8, 2024
Date: November 8, 2024 | 4:00 – 6:00 PM
Where: St John’s College
Social Lounge | UBC | 2111 Lower Mall
September 27, 2024
Date: September 27, 2024 | 12:00 – 2:00 PM
Where: The Centre for Advanced Wood Processing
Case Room – 2916 | Forest Sciences Centre | 2424 Main Mall
We would like to acknowledge the following organizations for providing the films that are part of this year’s festival:
Summer Student Resource Assistant; BC Timber Sales
This summer I’ve had the pleasure of working as a Resource Assistant with BC Timber Sales based in Smithers. My role has exposed me to a breadth of studies and field work such as block layouts, silviculture planting and harvesting, riparian assessments, road assessments, and the economic valuation of wood harvests. My individual responsibilities are primarily based on assessing the health of streams before and after forestry activities, as well as checking and assessing forest roads to generate a cohesive road map. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in this role as it provides me with personal tasks and responsibilities which have greatly improved my experiential learning, and I am also given ample opportunities to shadow and work with colleagues in different positions; exposing me to a variety of different jobs and forestry related fields. To me, co-op has been an invaluable learning experience since I have been fortunate enough to visit new sites and participate in different hands-on activities everyday.