When: September 2, 10, 17 | 10-11 am (PST) Where: Online via Zoom
Online Micro-Certificates
Designed for working professionals, UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship’s wide array of programs offers an accessible opportunity to elevate your skills, engage with industry leaders and advance in your career. Delivered exclusively online, UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship’s micro-certificates are paving the way to providing quality, industry-aligned and accessible forestry education across Canada. Join one of the information sessions below to hear from the program director to learn more.
September 2, 2026 | 10:00 am (PST)
Bioeconomy: Pathways to a Circular and Regenerative Economy
This session will cover the following micro-certificate programs:
With extensive experience in large-scale climate vulnerability assessments across different sectors and organizations, Dr. Andrews-Key brings her expertise in the development and implementation of adaptation, specifically as applied to business cases for adaptation across all sectors. She is passionate about exploring how we can bridge science, theory and action to provide students with the comprehensive and applied knowledge necessary to excel in their careers.
Fish-friendly landing nets are the leading cause of fin damage in released coho salmon. Credit: Scott Hinch.
Coho salmon released by recreational anglers are far more likely to survive when handled without a landing net, according to new research. In salmon fisheries where anglers may be required to release salmon that are undersized, wild or not the target species, post-release survival is critical to conservation efforts.
Researchers in UBC’s Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory, led by Dr. Scott Hinch, found that damage to a fish’s scales and fins was the strongest predictor of whether a released coho survived. Most of that damage occurred when the fish were landed using typical “fish-friendly” mesh nets, while fish landed using smooth, vinyl-coated materials suffered far less fin and scale damage.
“The main takeaway for anglers is that if they are releasing a coho, they need to do so in the water next to the boat, without using a net,” said lead author Quin Johnston, a master’s student in Dr. Hinch’s lab.
The team captured 235 adult coho off the west coast of Vancouver Island and held them in seawater tanks for up to two weeks. Ninety-six per cent of fish with little or no dermal injury survived, while only 62 per cent survived if their fins or scales were heavily damaged.
Not all injuries were caused by landing gear. Researchers found that some fish rolled during the fight, causing the fishing line to wrap around their bodies, stripping away scales or damaging fins. The study also found that tandem hooks caused more severe injuries and made fish harder to release than single hooks.
A coho salmon with a hook wound. Credit: Quin Johnston.
Recommended release practices
When a coho is likely to be released, the authors recommend anglers:
Keep the fish in the water whenever possible.
Avoid using landing nets—release fish at the waterline using pliers or a release gaff.
Do not use tandem or treble hooks as they cause further injury and make it difficult to release fish at the waterline.
Because even careful handling creates some risk, the researchers also encourage anglers to keep their legal coho and stop fishing once they have reached their retention limit.
Catch-and-release impact underestimated
Researchers kept the fish in holding tanks at a lab long enough to detect delayed deaths that shorter observation periods would miss. Most deaths occurred three to eight days after capture, suggesting that studies focusing on 24-hour survival may underestimate the effects of catch-and-release.
“A fish can appear perfectly healthy when it swims away from the boat, only to die days later from injuries sustained during capture and release. Those delayed deaths are largely invisible to anglers,” said senior author Dr. Scott Hinch.
The study is the first experimental test of coho handling recommendations the lab published in 2024, which the researchers said have informed a number of changes to B.C. fisheries regulations governing hook types.
“With hundreds of thousands of coho reported released each year across B.C.’s south coast alone, the findings could help anglers improve coho survival and help fisheries managers predict how many salmon may ultimately return to spawn,” said Dr. Hinch.
The authors note that the study identifies the handling practices that give released fish the best chance of survival. It is not a direct estimate of post-release survival because tanks remove factors such as predation.
The project is the result of a partnership between the UBC lab, the Sport Fishing Institute of BC, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre. The research was funded by the B.C. Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and was conducted in the traditional territory of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation.
Interview language(s): English (Hinch, Johnston)
Article originally posted on UBC News.
Media contact Charlotte Fisher Marketing & Media Relations Strategist Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship University of British Columbia charlotte.fisher@ubc.ca
New research led by the University of British Columbia, Pacific Salmon Foundation, and others identifies mortality-causing disease in wild Chinook salmon.
Researchers have documented tenacibaculosis – a bacterial disease that causes skin and fin ulcers and mortality in fish – in wild Chinook salmon for the first time, according to a new study published in Scientific Reports.
The scientists caught Chinook salmon in B.C.’s Barkley Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, as part of a separate study on the impacts of caught and released salmon. Of the 99 fish sampled, 16 per cent showed signs of tenacibaculosis, with high associated mortality. The study also found that the disease was likely caused by a common type of marine bacterium (Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi) found around the world.
The disease is well known in farmed salmon, but this new study marks the first confirmed case in wild-caught fish.
“This is the first time tenacibaculosis has been diagnosed in wild-caught fish, providing empirical evidence that Tenacibaculum bacteria can negatively affect wild fish health and contribute to disease burden in B.C. wild salmon,” says Dr. Emiliano Di Cicco, a fish health researcher with the Pacific Salmon Foundation and lead author of the study.
Diagnosing marine diseases in wild fish is inherently difficult, he notes. In the ocean, sick fish rarely survive long enough to be observed.
“Once a wild fish gets sick, it’s often caught by a predator quickly, or it becomes too weak to feed and eventually starves. That’s why finding a sick fish in the wild is so difficult,” says Dr. Di Cicco.
These findings provide new evidence that is not accounted for in Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO)’s existing disease risk assessment for Tenacibaculum maritimum (a close relative to Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi), which concluded that the bacteria are unlikely to cause disease in wild fish populations. As a result, these bacteria are currently not regulated in British Columbia as a risk to wild Pacific salmon, while other Tenacibaculum species (like T. dicentrarchi) are not even considered in the assessment.
A Chinook salmon caught in the Barkley Sound for research. Credit: UBC Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Lab
An unexpected discovery
The study wasn’t originally designed to investigate disease. UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship’s Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Laboratory was sampling wild Chinook salmon in 2022 for a study on the impact of recreationally caught and released salmon when some fish started developing skin ulcers and dying unexpectedly.
“This work was novel because it was the first time that marine-captured Chinook salmon had been held for observation longer than three days. A few days into the study, we noticed unusual bacterial lesions developing on some of the fish, just in front of the tail. We reached out to Emiliano, and his team quickly arrived on site to help us determine what was going on,” says Katie Zinn from UBC’s Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation Lab, and co-author of the study.
To determine the cause, UBC partnered with the Pacific Salmon Foundation, DFO’s Pacific Biological Station, the University of Toronto, and the University of California, Davis. Using gill sampling, molecular and genetic screening, and histology, the team diagnosed tenacibaculosis and identified T. dicentrarchi as the likely causative bacterium.
“We spend enormous effort trying to understand why wild salmon die in the ocean. This study gives us one of the clearest pieces of evidence that links bacterial disease to mortality in wild Pacific salmon,” says Zinn.
Tenacibaculosis is one of the most common diseases in farmed Atlantic salmon raised in open-net pens in British Columbia, and a leading cause of farm mortality. It has also been found in farmed and hatchery-origin Pacific salmon in California, Chile, New Zealand, and Alaska. Common symptoms include lethargy, loss of balance, abnormal swimming behaviour, skin, fins and oral ulcers, and high mortality.
Bacterial origins
T. dicentrarchi, one of many Tenacibaculum bacteria species, occurs naturally in the ocean, but previous research has shown it can become more concentrated around open-net pen salmon farms.
The researchers also note that handling fish during capture and the holding stages of the study may have increased their susceptibility to infection by damaging the protective mucus layer on their skin and fins. Previous research led by UBC’s Pacific Salmon Ecology and Conservation lab has identified several best practices for handling fish that improve their chances of survival.
The authors of the study say the next step is to determine what causes the disease in wild salmon and how fish become infected.
Since time immemorial Indigenous Peoples have shared deep relationships with the lands and waters. These relationships remind us that caring for the Earth is also caring for ourselves and those who come after us. This year’s Intergenerational March invites us to listen to the land, learn from its teachings and reflect on our responsibilities to the places we call home.
Join us on September 30 for an Intergenerational March to commemorate Orange Shirt Day (OSD), hosted by the Faculties of Land and Food Systems and Forestry & Environmental Stewardship. The event reflects the Faculties’ commitment to the UBC Indigenous Strategic Plan and welcomes UBC community members, families and those in solidarity.
The March offers an educational and supportive space to learn about Indigenous histories and experiences. Activities will help younger participants connect with the original inhabitants of these lands and encourage conversations at home about this difficult chapter in Canadian history.
Educational Materials, T-Shirts & Food Stop by the open area outside the UBC Bookstore to purchase educational materials and Orange Shirt Day T-shirts. Food trucks and the UBC Bookstore trailer will be on site from 10:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Support Dogs Pacific Assistance Dogs Society training dogs and handlers will be available at the 1956 Main Mall amphitheatre near the Ladner Clock Tower to provide support during the march.
September 30, 2026 | 7:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m. xʷc̓ic̓əsəm, 3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver
The ceremony will be held from sunrise to sunset. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Everyone is welcome.
Agenda
Time
Event
Location
11:45 a.m.
Participants gather at outdoor ‘amphitheatre’ below the clock tower
1956 Main Mall
12:00-12:05 p.m.
Event starts and students introduce speakers and performers
1956 Main Mall
12:05-12:20 p.m.
Opening and Land Acknowledgement – Alec Guerin, Councillor and Musqueam Nation member Remarks – Johnny Mack, Academic Director, IRSHDC Remarks – Wade Grant, Member of Parliament and Musqueam citizen
1956 Main Mall
12:20-12:50 p.m.
Elder Kelly White and Lana Arnold from Moontide Reconciliation drums followed by student drum group
1956 Main Mall
12:50-1:15 p.m.
Indian Residential School survivor and Pacheedaht Elder Bill Jones speaks on his experiences and journey
1956 Main Mall
1:15-1:30 p.m.
Aileen Michel (L’il Bear) and drummer performance
1956 Main Mall
1:30-1:35 p.m.
MC outlines the route, identifies volunteers, and explains the march map and QR code. Volunteers distribute cards for messages of action towards reconciliation.
1956 Main Mall
1:35–1:50 p.m.
March begins with placards and informational signage along the way
From 1956 Main Mall down Main Mall, towards Thunderbird Commons Field
1:50-2:00 p.m.
All participants can add written messages of action and support at tables, handprints to the Engineering cairn on Main Mall
Main Mall, Engineering cairn outside of the Kaiser building
2:35 p.m.
Elder Bill Jones speaks on his book, co written with Karen Moe, Listening Once Again to Our Great Mother
Thunderbird Commons Field
2:50 p.m.
Closing remarks from the Faculties of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship and Land and Food Systems
Thunderbird Commons Field
2:30–3:00 p.m.
Volunteers available to collect messages of support, solidarity and action towards reconciliation, messages and handprints also can be added to Engineering cairn
Thunderbird Commons Field
3:00 p.m.
Intergenerational March concludes
n/a
3:15 p.m
Book signing by Elder Bill Jones and Karen Moe outside the UBC Bookstore, copies available for purchase at the Bookstore Trailer
Lee Plaza in front of UBC Bookstore
4:00 p.m.
Where Have All the Buffalo Gone? Play written by Tai Amy Grauman Produced by Axis Theatre Métis love-story that transcends time to safeguard history. More details & tickets (free): theatrefilm.ubc.ca
Frederic Wood Theatre
More Information
The Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre provides OSD resources and events throughout September.
Take Weaving Relations, a self-directed Canvas course which provides Indigenous awareness training. Available to UBC students, staff, and faculty.
Check out media from years past to learn more about the Intergenerational March to commemorate OSD.
Wellness Resources
Engaging with Indian Residential School histories and legacies can lead to emotional reactions and (unexpectedly) difficult thoughts and feelings. Sometimes these can surface hours, days, or weeks later. This is perfectly normal. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, it is important to respect your needs and to be kind to yourself.
Up to $3,500 Available for Eligible Short-Term Skills Training
The Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship is proud to announce that select micro-certificates now qualify for the StrongerBC future skills grant.
As a key component of the Government of British Columbia’s StrongerBC Future Ready Action Plan, this grant program aims to empower individuals by providing support for short-term skills training and career advancement.
Eligible students have the opportunity to receive up to $3,500 towards their chosen micro-certificate program at UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship. This financial assistance can help to alleviate the financial burden of education and makes professional development more accessible. By combining the industry-aligned education of UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship’s micro-certificates with the support of the StrongerBC future skills grant, individuals can enhance their knowledge and skills in specific areas of forestry, positioning themselves as highly competitive professionals in the industry.
Eligible Micro-Certificates for Oct 5, 2026 start date:
Whether your aim is to advance in your careers, explore new opportunities or contribute to environmental sustainability, these micro-certificates provide a valuable pathway towards achieving your goals.
Student Eligibility
To be eligible for the StrongerBC future skills grant, you:
must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person entitled to study in Canada
are a B.C. resident and currently live in B.C.
must be 19 years or older or have graduated high school by the start of your course/program
need to provide consent for the University of British Columbia to disclose your information to the Province of British Columbia
should not be receiving duplicative and/or overlapping funding to cover eligible costs (i.e. grants, loans, scholarships or other funding that covers the same program costs as the StrongerBC Future Skills Grant)
We are pleased to recognize the UBC Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship faculty members who have received 2026 NSERC grants. The NSERC Discovery Grant supports leading-edge research in the natural sciences and engineering. Congratulations to the following recipients on their success in these highly competitive funding programs:
NSERC Discovery Grants
Carroll, Allan(Forest and Conservation Sciences) Facultative predation by bark beetles: evolution of tree killing as a life-history strategy
Tara Martin (Forest and Conservation Sciences) Disentangling impacts of cumulative threats to inform conservation decisions under global change
Morgan Piczak(Forest & Conservation Sciences)* Fire & Water: Impacts of Wildfire on Freshwater Ecosystems * Also received a Discovery Launch Supplement
Chunping Dai (Wood Science) Environmentally-controlled Universal Testing Machine for Sustainable Material Development
Cristiano Loss (Wood Science) A Data-Driven Framework for Lateral Design of Hybrid Mass Timber Buildings
OrlandoRojas Gaona (Chemical and Biological Engineering) Resilient Bio-Engineered Materials
NSERC Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) Grant
Chunping Dai (Wood Science) Environmentally-controlled Universal Testing Machine for Sustainable Material Development
This event is open to all and will be held in person only.
Seminar Abstract
The lecture will address the role that bio-inspired design, architecture and technology have in the development of material architectures at multiple scales. The boundary between material and structure is challenged by the close interdependence between the processes of material organization, the definition of shape, and the integration of function. The opportunities and challenges that this approach has generated will be discussed through a series of academic and professional projects.
Speaker
David Correa is the Associate Director of Research and Professor at the University of Waterloo whose work focuses on bio-inspired design, material systems, and advanced fabrication in architecture. He holds a Doctor of Engineering from the University of Stuttgart, where he also led research on programmable 3D printed material systems and coordinated the ITECH MSc program. His teaching and research integrate computational design, robotics, and additive manufacturing to explore how material organization can drive form and performance. Correa collaborates internationally on projects ranging from bio-based 3D printing to robotic timber construction, and is a Design Partner at LLLab. His work has been exhibited widely and has received over 35 international awards in architecture and product design.
As you may have noticed on the cover of this issue of Branchlines, not to mention on our website and social pages, as of January 1, 2026, the Faculty of Forestry has now become the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship. This is a monumental step for our Faculty, and one that was a long time coming, following in-depth consultations with students, faculty, staff and alumni. Your feedback reinforced how much this Faculty means to our alumni community, and I am deeply grateful to all who shared their insights throughout this process.
Since the Faculty was first introduced in the 1950s as a program to train professional foresters, our teaching, research, advocacy and extension work have expanded significantly to include an impressive array of interdisciplinary scholarship that is redefining and reimagining how we understand forestry. Twenty-five years ago, discussions began about renaming the Faculty to better reflect this widening scope. Our new name is a more accurate reflection of our breadth of thought and the world-class scholarship taking place at the Faculty.
Forestry remains at our core. However, we are also leaders in innovative, interdisciplinary and solutions-focused research, teaching and community outreach in a broad array of environmental areas. Our work spans biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, the development and commercialization of innovative bioproducts, building healthy and sustainable communities and so much more. Not only are our research and educational programming at the forefront of innovative thought and real-world applications, they are preparing students to be environmental stewards, securing leadership roles in the search for solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges of our time.
Forestry has long been a pillar of healthy and prosperous communities, and our work at the Faculty builds on this longstanding relationship — the theme of this issue of Branchlines. There is much to learn. For example, by partnering with the First Peoples of this land, we are gaining wisdom accumulated over millennia on the use of traditional burns to maintain the long-term health of forests. This ethos permeates our newly launched Bachelor of Indigenous Land Stewardship program, highlighted on page 20.
In this issue, we also explore the role of community forestry in reconnecting communities to the land. Community forestry represents an opportunity to diversify a sector historically dominated by commodity production. It opens new avenues for wealth-generation by Canadians and for Canadians through the localized production of forest products and services. In the following pages, we unpack what smaller-scale forestry might look like in British Columbia, visit the Gallant Enterprises bespoke sawmill at our Malcolm Knapp Research Forest and take a look at a novel research project exploring how to grow food using high-efficiency energy produced from nearby forest residues at our Alex Fraser Research Forest.
As forestry continues to evolve, so too will the trajectory of the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship, pushing the boundaries of inquiry ever further in support of the widely-held vision for more sustainable, healthier, socially responsible and interconnected communities. The many connections between forests and communities can and should afford ample opportunities for our collective prosperity. Underpinned by our commitment to the bigger tent of environmental stewardship, the Faculty will continue to explore innovative means of doing so through nature-based solutions.
We are thrilled to have you along for this audacious journey!
Rob Kozak (BSc(Forestry)’88, PhD(Forestry)’96) Prof. and Dean
Located on X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaayHaida Gwaii, the Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship’s Haida Gwaii Institute (HGI) offers transformative, place-based educational experiences for undergraduate students and continuing education learners both in-person and online.
“At HGI, we offer a unique learning experience that goes beyond traditional academia,” says K’iinuwaas CarrieAnne Vanderhoop, Director of HGI. “Learners can expect to engage with content experts, knowledge keepers and the community.”
The new online “Reconciliation and Resource Management” course is co-instructed by Elizabeth Bulbrook and Nigel Baker-Grenier of White Raven Law, the firm working on the groundbreaking Haida Aboriginal title case. The course examines the interplay between Indigenous and European legal and governance frameworks and offers perspective on what a decolonized government could look like.
HGI offers immersive in-person learning experiences, as well, with full-semester programs taking place on X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay. The new “Semester in Marine Conservation” dives into concepts surrounding responsible stewardship of marine ecosystems and covers perspectives of Coastal Indigenous Peoples. Students deepen their understanding of Yahgudáng • YahguudangRespect alongside local experts and community members, with scenic X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay as a backdrop.
Haida Lands
X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaayHaida Gwaii is a place that holds a long history of triumph over monumental obstacles. In 2024, the Nation was recognized as title holder over their traditional territory by the governments of British Columbia and Canada, making way for Haida citizens and their lands to embark on a new journey of self-determination and reclamation.
“Fifty years after the start of this struggle, our work has just begun,” says Kung K_ayangas, (Stlaaygee Xay Guul) Marlene Liddle, Stewardship Director of Lands and Haida Solutions Table Member with the Council of the Haida Nation (CHN). “This historic and deeply meaningful agreement affirms our inherent rights and responsibilities as caretakers of X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay, acknowledging our governance systems, our laws and our relationship with the land and the waters.”
“This is also about justice, healing and restoring balance.” — Marlene Liddle
An archipelago of some 150 islands off of Siigaay • SiigeeHecate Strait, northwest of Vancouver Island, parts of X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay and its surrounding lands are believed to have escaped the most recent period of glaciation between 100,000 and 10,000 years ago — a time period when ice sheets covered almost all of the Northern Hemisphere. Dubbed the Galapagos of the North, many flora and fauna presently on the islands are found nowhere else, including many species of moss, like Carey’s small limestone moss, and distinctive sub-species of saw-whet owl, black bear, silver-haired bat and pine marten, to name a few. Some trees found here, including western hemlock, Sitka spruce, western red cedar and yellow cedar, have survived for over 1,000 years.
Mostly forested, with more than 54,000 hectares of intact temperate rainforest, X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay is a place of abundant natural resources that have supported the Haida for thousands of years. Today, over 4,500 Haida reside on X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay and other places around the world, including in established traditional villages in Alaska.
“We are now focused on the lands,” says Kung Xyalaas Tyler Hugh Charlie Bellis (BSF’23), who is currently consulting on Haida forest stewardship with the CHN. “What is exciting is that all the lands on X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay are presently recognized as Haida title lands. While we know that X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay has always been Haida land, we are now working towards what a future could look like under Haida laws.”
Negotiations are underway between Haida representatives and the province on strategies to cement Haida values in land management on X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay, including robust environmental protections.
“Logging and the forest industry are still important on X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay, providing important value to the local economy,” Tyler explains. “However, the future of forestry will further reflect Haida values and the values of all island residents who care about the health and wellbeing of the islands and people who live on them, and that’s what we’re working on right now.”
“Through the CHN’s governmental process, which includes Hereditary Chiefs, band councils and citizens, we are listening and learning about what this direction could be,” Tyler adds. “As well, the CHN is meeting with island municipalities, along with island residents, to listen to the views of everyone living on X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay.”
“The Haida Aboriginal title recognition is not only exciting for Haida Gwaii, but, also, if you look at some of the shortcomings that have been found in industrialized forestry in general,” says Tyler. “Hopefully, our approach will be successful at showing that there are other ways to live and work with forests that are based out of Yahgudáng • Yahguudang Respect.”
Some alternatives for the Haida Nation for reimagining forestry on the islands range from building custom-cut mills to providing wood to artisans, carbon sequestration, restoration work and doing more with less through the identification of value-added wood products.
Indigenous tourism is another option that offers an opportunity to share X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay’s culture, history and values with visitors in ways that reflects Haida priorities while also contributing to the local economy, notes Elaine Williamson, an Adjunct Prof. at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. Elaine is also pursuing a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies through UBC’s Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship, focusing on Indigenous studies, business and forestry.
“Indigenous tourism on X̲aadáa Gwáay • X̲aayda Gwaay.yaay can help visitors gain a deeper understanding of Haida culture, values, knowledge and heritage, including the Nation’s relationship with land and sea,” says Elaine. “It also supports the livelihoods of Haida community members on a sustained basis.”
Any new economic or forestry plans would be incomplete without accounting for the changing climate and other human-related impacts, such as increased wildfire risk, biodiversity loss and less snowpack during the winter, notes Marlene.
“The Haida approach to stewardship on the timber harvestable land base is an integrated approach that combines Traditional Knowledge with science,” Marlene says. “Our approach is rooted in respect and responsibility, and the management of our forests not for profit, but for long-term health and resilience — for future generations, not for current generations — and involves our communities in the decision-making of land-based plans and strategies.”
“It is not just about how much to take from the land, but how much we can give back to it and to the community.”
“Many people think of fire as a destructive force that is followed by quiet and death, but this is anything but the case,” says Asst. Prof. Monika Fischer, a mycologist cross-appointed to the UBC faculties of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship and Science who works on fungal biology and ecology. “Fire resets an ecosystem, with life re-emerging from soils within a few days following a wildfire.”
The Fischer Fire Fungi Lab, launched in the fall of 2024, is exploring the emergence of some of the first residents on the post-wildfire landscape: the resilient mushroom. Monika’s lab is stocking a repository of fungal specimens, building on the library that she started in California while completing her postdoctoral studies at UC Berkeley.
The lab analyzes fungi samples at the molecular level. Using a BioTek Synergy H1 machine that measures the light-absorbency of matter, the research team is recording attributes unique to different samples, such as their DNA concentration and biomass. These characteristics could be clues to explain the mechanisms underpinning how fungi perform essential ecosystem functions, such as breaking down tougher types of carbon, like charcoal, making carbon more readily available for other organisms to use, as well. “If these fungi weren’t breaking it down, tougher forms of carbon might sit in the soil forever — and we do see a small portion of charcoal that persists for millennia in the geologic record,” says Monika.
“The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process took me about a month to get the hang of, but it is one of the coolest things,” says third-year UBC Integrated Science undergraduate student and Fischer Fire Fungi Lab research assistant Ciara Foley. PCR is used to copy DNA to assist researchers with analyzing some of the properties of mushroom samples that they collect from the field or source from other labs.
Ciara’s mom works in post-fire recovery and Ciara descended from a long line of Métis foresters on her dad’s side. “I was drawn to plants and fungi from a young age, peering at specimens under the microscope that my maternal grandfather gave to me when I was 13 years old,” says Ciara.
Charcoal is formed when plant matter, and sometimes soils, get baked by wildfire, which can reach temperatures in excess of 500 degrees Celsius and up to 12,000 degrees Celsius. Under this intense heat, matter goes through pyrolysis, condensing carbon compounds into poly-aromatic hydrocarbons — naturally found in charcoal — which are harder for the returning plant life to break down. However, they are a boon for specialist mycelia, such as mushrooms, that transform them into matter that’s easier for plants to digest.
“To offer an analogy, pre-fire, the resident mushrooms like raw materials. Post-fire, the mushrooms that emerge like things cooked.” — Monika Fischer
Because wildfires burn at different intensities depending on their location, moisture level, available fuel, wind velocity and myriad other factors, the landscape left behind can be a veritable patchwork of different post-fire conditions, with some areas fully razed and others containing still-standing trees. As such, the research team is collecting mushroom samples from a variety of sites as well as locations within each site.
Interestingly, despite the variance in forest composition and wildfire intensity, the fungi that repopulate post-wildfire landscapes around the world are surprisingly similar. “We see a lot of Pyronema, Neurospora crassa, liverworts, disc fungi, mosses and Morchella species, such as morels, within about one year following a wildfire,” says Monika.
“What we know less about is how these post-fire fungi interact with one another, how they disperse after a wildfire and the contributions that they make to ecosystem recovery and resilience.” — Monika Fischer
Species of post-fire mushrooms have been shown to play a role in helping other plant life re-establish on post-fire landscapes through a variety of mechanisms, including nutrient cycling along with enhanced soil stability that can help reduce erosion and protect against landslides.
“Mycelia knit together and help moisture infiltrate soils,” Monika adds. “While we have observations of these processes, we need to actually test what is happening and how it is helping plants re-establish better and faster. These are some of the many questions that my lab will explore in the coming years.”
