To guide reforestation, Miriam’s research discovers and models the adaptive capacity of keystone tree species in Canada’s forests. This research quantifies climate change impacts on forests and tree populations using a variety of tools – from quantitative genetics analyses to species distribution modelling, genomics and tree-ring science. As a Researcher in Quantitative Forest Genetics with the Canadian Forest Service, she works with partners at UBC Forestry and BC Ministry of Forests.
Dr. Wanli Wu is a Senior Ecologist working for Parks Canada Agency. He is responsible for conducting ecological monitoring and assessment, reviewing the state of parks reports and consulting on environmental impact assessments in Canadian national parks. Over the course of his career, Dr. Wu has worked in many national parks and historic sites located in various regions of Canada, the United States of America and China, including the Arctic, the Great Central Plains of North America, Southwestern Deserts, The Western Pacific Coastal Region and the Atlantic Coastal Mountains, the Inner Mongolian grassland and forests mountain regions, etc.
Transitioning into university can be overwhelming. The Land One program, offered by the Faculty of Forestry and Faculty of Land and Food Systems, is a different and immersive way of experiencing your first year at UBC. The cohort option eases your transition to university and builds a strong connection to your home faculty through the relationships you’ll develop with your peers and instructors.
Considering Land One? Continue reading to learn the program’s benefits from current UBC Forestry student, Ronan Sheppard!
Q: Introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about you!
My name is Ronan, I’m 19 years old, from Alberta, and I have a deep passion for the environment! I came to UBC to study in the Faculty of Forestry as I wanted to have a career that could benefit the environment.
Q: Why did you choose the Land One program?
I chose the Land One program because it looked like a great opportunity to create connections with other students and provide a better transition from high school into university with the small class sizes and field trips!
Q: What have you gained from the Land One program?
I have gained many close connections with other students as well as many fun experiences such as a field trip to the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest with the Land One cohort.
Q: How has the program prepared you for the next steps in your academic career?
The program has prepared me for the next steps of my academic career through guest lectures that gave me insight into the later years of university as well as all the unique career paths within Forestry as well as Land and Food Systems.
Q: What are some of your favourite parts of the Land One experience?
My favourite part of the Land One experience would have to be the small classes. They’re like learning with a big group of friends, and the small class experience really improved my learning!
Q: What was the application process like?
The application process took me about an hour and involved me explaining a bit about myself and why I was interested in the program. Overall it was exciting as it was one of the first steps I took in my university journey after being accepted!
Q: Do you have any advice for students who might be interested in this program or are unsure about the transition into university?
My advice would be to try to meet and talk to as many people as you can. Take the opportunity to do Jump Start if possible, as it allowed me to meet so many people and gave me a very relaxed introduction to university life.
Q: What are your future academic plans following the Land One program?
My future academic plans include applying to the co-op program, as well as potentially applying to study abroad as I want to see what work in my field will be like, and also travel while learning!
Interested in Land One?
Incoming students are encouraged to attend the information sessions on May 9 for more information!
Hisham Zerriffi is an Associate Professor in Forest Resources Management at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He was previously an Assistant Professor and the Ivan Head South/North Research Chair in the Liu Institute for Global Issues at UBC. Dr. Zerriffi’s research is at the intersection of technology, energy and the environment, with a particular focus on rural areas of the developing world. Much of his research focuses on institutional factors impacting the diffusion of new technology, determinants and patterns of household energy choice and welfare implications of rural energy use. Prior to joining the UBC Faculty, Dr. Zerriffi was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, Stanford University. Dr. Zerriffi holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in Engineering and Public Policy.
I am interested in how communities assemble and dis-assemble with global change. I draw on theory from temporal community ecology with perspectives from population and ecosystem ecology, evolutionary biology, and climatology. Though I tend to address fundamental questions with hypotheses informed by theory and models my research generally has strong applied angles. In particular much of my work to date has examined the causes and consequences of plant invasions and the effects of climate change on the temporal assembly of plant communities.
Dr. Felix Wiesner is an expert in fire safety engineering, with a focus on the fire performance of timber buildings and infrastructure. He has extensive experience in large-scale compartment fire tests to assess the fire dynamics in engineered timber buildings and their structural response. His research interests also consider the role of fire safety within the context of durability and service life of wood products.
Teaching of graduate communication courses (Forestry 544 and 545)
Teaching of Forestry 547 (Forestry in British Columbia)
Promoting graduate student communications and research
Mentoring of graduate students
I have been working at the Faculty for over 35 years. Prior to this, I received a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from Bangor in North Wales and master and doctoral degrees in forest entomology from the University of British Columbia. I became a Registered Professional Forester in 1981. I have been actively involved in the collection and analysis of data pertaining to forest sector research in British Columbia and Canada (Binkley and Watts, 1992, 1999; Watts and Kozak, 2000). More recently I was involved with updating information on the status of forestry research in Canada (funded by the FIA Forest Sciences Program). I taught the course “Introductory biometrics for forestry” in a distance education format from 1985 to 2013 (Kozak and Watts, 1986). Currently, I teach Forestry graduate courses in oral and written communication skills . In 2005 I co-edited the text book “Forestry Handbook for British Columbia” in its fifth edition (Watts and Tolland, 2005). In 2008 I coauthored a new text book (Kozak, Kozak, Staudhammer and Watts, 2008) entitled “Introductory Probability and Statistics – Applications for Forestry and the Natural Sciences”. This text book is now published in a revised 2019 edition.
Our team’s research interests are focused on applying the principles of ecology, ecological genetics, conservation genetics, and landscape genomics to explore theories and applications for climate change adaptation at different levels, including forest ecosystems, tree species, and populations. The research encompasses the following key aspects:
Development of scale-free climate models – Our team and collaborators have developed scale-free climate models that provide highly accurate climate data for specific geographical locations, surpassing the widely used gridded climate models. These models seamlessly integrate paleoclimate, historical climate, and future climate data into a single application package, generating a wealth of biologically relevant climate variables. With over 3,000 subscribers and more than 3,000 citations, these models, covering North America and the Asia-Pacific regions, have become essential tools for climate change-related research and applications.
Establishment of ecological niche models – As one of the pioneers in this field, our team has developed a range of innovative climate ecological niche models for ecosystems and tree species. These models incorporate advanced techniques such as machine learning algorithms, consensus predictions, and the integration of soil and competition factors. The prediction of fundamental niches has also been explored.
Establishment of ecological genetics models – To effectively harness the genetic variation among tree populations for climate change adaptation, our team has developed the Universal Response Function (URF) model. This model integrates the environmental and genetic effects of climate into a single function, allowing for the prediction of population performance for any provenance planted at any location. The URF model can also be applied to predict the fundamental niche of tree species.
Assessment of tree species genetic conservation – Our team has conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the conservation status of 44 native tree species in British Columbia. To facilitate access to this information, we have developed web-based mapping tools that display the spatial conservation status and enable timely updates.
Landscape genomics – With the rapid accumulation of genomic data for several important forest tree species, our team has been at the forefront of studying spatial genomic variation among populations and its relationship with climatic variables. By employing landscape genomics models, we have successfully predicted spatial genomic variation, delineated seed zones, and quantified genetic offsets in future climates.
