Timber Engineering Project Worker – Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship, University of British Columbia
During my co-op term at the Timber Engineering and Applied Mechanics (TEAM) Lab, I have been working closely with graduate researchers to support experimental testing on mass timber products, assist with sample preparation, and manage data collection for structural performance studies. Through this experience, I have strengthened my technical skills in laboratory procedures, quality control, and data analysis, while also gaining a deeper understanding of how material behavior, testing protocols, and experimental variability influence real-world engineering design. This work term has shown me how research directly contributes to innovation in sustainable wood construction, and it has helped me develop greater confidence in problem-solving, analytical thinking, and collaborative communication.
Co-op has been an invaluable bridge between classroom knowledge and industry practice, allowing me to explore my interests in wood engineering and renewable materials. I highly recommend the Co-op Program to any student who wants meaningful hands-on learning, professional growth, and the chance to contribute to impactful research in our field.
Programmes and Administrative Intern – Waterways Watch Society
This term I worked as a Programmes and Administrative Intern at Waterways Watch Society (WWS), a non-profit and non-governmental organization in Singapore. Founded in 1998, WWS creates opportunities for everyone to engage with ownership of Singapore’s waterways, a vital source of freshwater for the country. By hosting volunteer patrols and programmes for corporations and schools, WWS works towards their mission “to bring people together to love our waters and to inspire stewardship for our environment”.
Joining a team of three full-time administrative staff, my routine tasks included scheduling volunteer facilitators, setting up for and cleaning up after programs, and acting as the staff on duty during the weekends. I regularly facilitated programs for both student and corporate groups, especially those on foot, while every so often supporting bike, pedal boat, and power boat programs. A few ad hoc tasks I completed during my work term include making educational content for the WWS learning trail at Lorong Halus wetland, creating an upcycled art installation and activity about pollution’s impact on local butterflies, and being the liaise for a group of students who wanted to collaborate with the organization for their volunteer assignment.
I am very grateful for my first co-op term at WWS because it allowed me to practice my academic and career goal of fostering relationships between people and nature, especially in a dense city such as Singapore. As an international experience I have had the opportunity to see firsthand how natural resources conservation in a different context operates, where it is just as necessary for the lives of residents as it is here in Vancouver. In the work that I did and through the people I met, I learned that conservation needs a wide variety of skills and can be approached from multiple perspectives, exciting me for what comes next in my time at UBC Forestry and the Forestry Co-op Program.
During my co-op term in Bureau Veritas’ Environmental Services Laboratory, I started out doing sample and reagent preparation and have now slowly worked my way up to operating the machine that tests these samples for a wide variety of inorganic compounds. This has allowed me to learn more about interpreting data, and reporting results to clients. It’s been really cool to see how everything fits together, from sample reception, to preparation, to analysis and finishing with reporting. I’ve learned a ton of practical lab skills and gained confidence working with real data and equipment.
For me, co-op has been the best way to connect what I learn in class to real-world work and figure out what parts of my field I actually enjoy. I’d definitely recommend co-op to other students as a great way to get hands-on experience, meet people in your industry, and see what kind of work you might want to do after graduation.
A camera trap image showing a Caribou female and a newborn calf. Credit: Cole Burton, UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship.
Reducing wolves to protect endangered caribou doesn’t always deliver the expected results—and the shape of the land may be the deciding factor.
That’s according to research led by doctoral student Tazarve Gharajehdaghipour and professor Dr. Cole Burton in the faculty of forestry and environmental stewardship, which examined newborn caribou survival in Itcha Ilgachuz Park in west-central B.C.
Using GPS collars to track animals, the team found that B.C. wolf removals boosted calf survival in steep, mountainous terrain, but made no difference in flatter terrain.
“This study is a note of caution,” said Dr. Burton. “Different herds face different conditions. Wolf control may not be reducing calf mortality as effectively as we once thought.”
How land and predators affect calf survival
A camera trap image of a playful calf. Credit: Cole Burton, UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship.
The key factor is which predators can catch calves at different ages. Bears and wolverines hunt newborn calves in the first two weeks, but can’t catch older, more mobile calves. Wolves, by contrast, can catch the older, faster calves.
In rugged areas, this makes a big difference. Bears and wolverines can kill newborns at high elevations, but by the time mother-calf pairs move down to valleys at around three weeks old, the calves are too fast to catch. At this stage, wolves become the main threat.
Before wolves were removed, most calf deaths occurred during this period. Removing wolves eliminated this later cause of death, boosting survival by 41 percentage points—because bears and wolverines cannot hunt the older calves effectively.
In more accessible areas, wolves can reach calving sites throughout the season, including early when calves are young and vulnerable. When wolves were removed, other predators, such as bears and wolverines, simply killed more of these young calves, so overall survival did not improve.
Tracking calves through mothers’ movements
A camera trap image of a collared female Caribou with calf. Credit: Cole Burton, UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship.
This is the first study to use GPS collars to follow newborn mountain caribou survival. The research builds on tracking methods developed by co-author Dr. Marie Auger-Méthé, a UBC associate professor in the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries and department of statistics. Instead of watching the animals directly, researchers analyzed collar data to see when calves were born and if or when they were lost. They found clear patterns: mothers abruptly start moving less when giving birth to stay close to newborns, then gradually increase activity as calves get stronger, or quickly return to normal movement if a calf dies.
“This method lets us watch the critical first four weeks of life, when calves are most at risk. We also used camera traps to see when predators were on the calving grounds,” said Gharajehdaghipour.
The caribou collar data, which this research paper is primarily based on, was collected by B.C. government biologists, and secured through open access.
Conservation beyond predator control
The research also found that calf deaths before wolf reduction—likely caused by wolves—were linked to horseback and ATV trails and treed valleys. This suggests wolves use these areas to reach calves. Limiting trail development could help reduce wolf-caused deathsin places where wolf control isn’t used.
While B.C.’s wolf reduction program now covers 15 caribou herds, Dr. Burton emphasizes it’s critical to protect habitat.
“If wolf control is sometimes ineffective and diverts attention from habitat restoration, it’s a real concern,” he said. “Without recovering habitat, you’d have to keep controlling wolves indefinitely.”
The researchers recommend that wildlife managers consider the landscape, predator communities, and habitat conditions before starting wolf control programs. They also encourage using GPS tracking and camera traps to better understand calf survival across B.C.
Media contact: Charlotte Fisher Marketing & Media Relations Strategist Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship University of British Columbia charlotte.fisher@ubc.ca
In this edition of Coffee Connect, we caught up with Peter Wood, Lecturer and Program Coordinator for the Master of International Forestry (MIF) to learn how the program prepares students to tackle global forest challenges.
What does the Master of International Forestry program cover?
The program looks at all the ways forests and forestry are international issues. Increasingly, it’s recognized that no one country can deal with the complexity of these challenges alone. Issues like climate change and biodiversity loss require international cooperation. We train students for careers in international forestry by helping them understand and navigate these global connections.
How does the program prepare students to deal with real-world complexities?
Some courses are very hands-on and focus on solving problems at the landscape level, where students work through challenges at a local scale. Other parts of the program examine how countries cooperate — or sometimes fail to cooperate — in addressing environmental issues.
In my course on international negotiations, diplomacy, and institutions, students explore how United Nations organizations and other multilateral environmental institutions work together. We also run a mock United Nations simulation, where students represent countries and practice diplomacy and negotiation to address forest-related challenges.
What are the program logistics — how long is it and how is learning delivered?
The MIF is a one-year program that includes:
Seven core courses
Aninternship or directed studies component
A field course in Costa Rica
Students also benefit from many experiential learning opportunities, including local field trips to Pacific Spirit Park, Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, and UBC Farm. We’re lucky to have such a rich “living lab” surrounding the UBC campus.
The Costa Rica field course sounds incredible. How do international experiences like that support student learning?
Costa Rica is an amazing success story. In the 1980s, it was heavily deforested. Today, it has some of the highest levels of reforestation in the world. This turnaround involved local efforts, payment for ecosystem services, and international interventions.
Canada and Costa Rica have a long-standing cooperation in forestry, so students see a real-world example of international forestry in action — and how doing the right things, including international cooperation, can lead to meaningful environmental recovery.
What do you hope students take away from the program?
We’re living in a time when multilateralism is under strain, and there’s a lot of discouraging news globally. I want students to see that there is still hope in international cooperation. There are many examples of how things can get better when countries work together and apply best practices.
It’s a privilege to look around the world and say, “That country is doing something really clever — can we replicate that elsewhere?” Students learn to ask:
What made that success possible?
What conditions enabled it?
How can we adapt those lessons in other contexts?
I hope they leave with higher expectations — for countries, for international cooperation, and for what’s possible in global forestry.
Fore more information about the Master of International Forestry program and how to apply – read more here.
Sussan Agber came to UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship with a vision to contribute to sustainable environmental policymaking in places like her home country of Nigeria.
Born and raised in Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation ScholarKwaghdoo Sussan Agber (MIF’20) arrived at UBC with a vision to make a meaningful difference in environmental sustainability and forestry. While studying toward a Master of International Forestry at the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship, Sussan also discovered her inner strength. She arrived at a newfound confidence to pursue her dreams, enriched by her volunteerism, activism and the supportive circles of people around. This Black History Month, Sussan has made a special commitment to dig deep, building on the stories of other Black immigrants in Canada to elevate her personal journey.
What holds particular significance for you this Black History Month?
It starts with talking about Black history as a whole. In Nigeria, I was the same as my peers. In Canada, there is so much diversity that, even subconsciously, it can make you vulnerable to experiencing imposter syndrome at times, maybe due to your skin colour or culture. I’m lucky that, as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar, I received an orientation that involved visiting historical Black communities, such as Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley, introducing me to the history and life-experiences of other African-Canadians.
While Black History Month is something that I only heard about after moving to Canada, it became a reason to further explore Black history in my adopted country through museums and writings from Black artists and through historical accounts. For me, it has become a way to celebrate every part of who we are. It’s also a reminder that nothing should stop a person from being who they are and achieving their goals. Because this year’s Black History Month celebrates 30 years of the annual month-long event in February: “honouring Black brilliance across generations — from nation-builders to tomorrow’s visionaries,” I am challenging myself to be great, to rise above, get inspired, get educated and connect to creativity, resilience, innovation and leadership.
Sussan (second from left) poses with International Forestry Students’ Association officials during COP22 in Marrakech, Morocco, which she attended as a volunteer with the Women Environmental Program, Nigeria. Credit: Sussan Agber.
Is there one person in particular who has inspired you?
I admire the work and guidance of Dr. Joann Anokwuru (MEd’14, PhD’23). She is a District Resource Teacher of Inclusion with the Vancouver School Board and a vocal advocate of Black education and Black representation in the education sector. I first heard about her through a ‘Nigerians at UBC’ group where she constantly reminds Black parents to get involved in their children’s education. As immigrants, we can become so overly focused on work that we overlook other important areas of our lives. She reminds me to keep one eye on the bigger picture. I am also inspired by Viola Irene Desmond, who appears on the Canadian $10 bill, and Zanana Lorraine Akande, who was Ontario’s first Black female Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP).
Your journey to UBC is an inspiration in and of itself. Take us back to how you came to be among a prestigious cohort of Mastercard Foundation Scholars?
Sussan plants a teak tree (Tectona grandis) during an International Forestry Students’ Association meeting hosted by the University of Agriculture, Makurdi (formerly the University of Agriculturem, Makurdi). Credit: Sussan Agber
It all starts with my Bachelor of Forestry, specializing in Wildlife and Range Management, at the University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. This opportunity exposed me to the world of tree identification, forestry biometrics, forest conservation and threats to forests from pests, disease, deforestation and desertification. I learned the reasons behind some of the forest clearing, burning and desertification I saw as a child growing up in Nigeria. I also envisioned myself as playing a part in preserving nature by working within our national parks.
Desertification is happening at a fast rate in Nigeria, affecting a significant percentage of the land. This has also heightened clashes between farmers and herders over access to resources. In northern Nigeria, forests have been taken over by terrorist groups like Boko Haram. I saw myself as being a voice to help spread awareness about deforestation and to help forest-dependent communities find ways to support their livelihoods over the long-term through sustainable, community-focused approaches to farming, tree harvesting and commercial operations.
I first heard about the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship at a 2014 international forestry student symposium hosted by the Faculty. Through this event, I connected with a group of students at UBC studying forestry and we kept in touch. Near the end of my undergraduate degree, I represented the Women Environmental Program in Nigeria at the 2016 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech, Morocco (COP22). That event sparked my interest in climate change policy, forest policy, governance, diplomacy and negotiation. Then, in 2017, a member of the UBC forestry group I was corresponding with encouraged me to apply for a Mastercard Foundation Scholarship, which ultimately led to me becoming a Mastercard Foundation Scholar and attending UBC to complete a Master of International Forestry.
What were some of your top takeaways from your Master of International Forestry degree?
One of my key learnings from this degree was to not be afraid to be myself. The faculty members were incredibly supportive throughout my studies, which helped prepare me for the job market. I also received a travel grant from the Faculty, which I directed toward attending the 2019 UNFCCC in Madrid, Spain (COP25). Because of how well my professors prepared me, I didn’t feel intimidated at the conference like I did the first time that I attended the UNFCCC. That made me so proud and happy. I also made many good friends through the Master of International Forestry program, some of whom remain among my closest friends today. Even now, whenever I visit a country where one of my many international classmates returned to, they are usually the first to pick me up from the airport or show me around town.
Sussan attending COP25 as an awardee of the UBC Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Stewardship travel grant. Credit: Sussan Agber
What is a piece of advice that you would offer to students wanting to differentiate themselves when applying to academic institutions, for scholarships or for jobs?
Volunteering is an important way to stand out from the crowd. I can say through personal experience that it opens many doors. I currently volunteer with the Pacific Spirit Park Society. In the past, I volunteered with the UBC Zero Waste Squad, as a UBC Sustainability Ambassador, with the ClimatEducate Project as the Director of Education and Advocacy, with the Women Environmental Program, with the Team54 Project International as the Acting Coordinator for Nigeria and with the Mediatrix Development Foundation. I also mentored in Nigeria. One time, a high-grade-point-average student reached out to me about applying for a scholarship. One of the first things that I suggested to them was to gain volunteer experience. They followed this advice and ended up getting a scholarship to study toward a master’s degree at the University of Cambridge.
What are you career goals?
In the near-term, my goal is to contribute to policy analysis with the BC Ministry of Forests or with Environment and Climate Change Canada. In the longer-term, I hope to work for the United Nations on forestry or environmental policy.
Written by Sarah Ripplinger, Writer, UBC Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship.
Yacoub Kassouri is an Assistant Professor of Resource Economics in the Department of Forest Resources Management jointly with the Food and Resource Economics Program. My research builds on the combination of large-scale micro-data and geo-spatial remote sensing data to empirically study population-environment interactions using modern econometric methods for causal inference. My research largely focuses on two themes:
Natural capital valuation: the economic connections between nature, human health, and well-being with a concentration on urban biodiversity, individuals’ preferences for environmental goods, and non-market valuation.
Public policies and natural resource use in low-income countries: improving policies to increase efficiency of resource use; the relationship between conservation policy, agriculture, and economic development.
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Congratulations to the 2025-2026 recipients of the UBC Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship Indigenous and Community Engagement Research Fund (ICERF) for their outstanding contributions in the Collaborative Research with Indigenous Communities stream &Collaborative Research with Non-Indigenous Communities stream.
Collaborative Research with Indigenous Communities stream:
Nikhil Arlikatti | PhD, FRM – Supervisor: William Nikolakis Laurel Thomas | MSc, FRM – Supervisor: Jennifer Grenz Christian DiRado-Owens | MSc, FRM – Supervisor: Tara Atleo Magdalena Reyes | MSc, FRM – Supervisor: Lorien Nesbitt
Collaborative Research with Non-Indigenous Communities stream:
ICERF provides funding for graduate students to build new partnerships with Indigenous communities and community organizations, and fulfill responsibilities relating to community-defined outcomes for existing partnerships and projects.
