Environmental Co-op with Teck Resources Limited in Hinton, AB
This term I am working for Teck Resources Limited in their Coal Division as an Environmental Co-op Student at Cardinal River mine near Hinton, AB. Since 2020, the mine has been in closure meaning this once operational open-pit steelmaking coal mine is instead focused on reclamation. As a member of the Environmental team, I am heavily involved in the site’s reclamation projects and water management program. I spend the majority of my time working in the field, sampling, measuring and assessing surface water, soil, sediment, air quality, well depths, and dams. I am responsible for the environmental monitoring of compliance indicators including water and soil quality in support of site reclamation. In this role, I also have the opportunity to assist numerous consultants that visit the site to work on specialized projects. Some of the most notable experiences include conducting bathymetry surveys, fish and wildlife surveys, migratory bird inspections, raptor habitat assessments, bioassay sampling, flow monitoring, water treatment facility testing and monitoring and community engagement with local rightsholders and stakeholders. Working for Teck has opened my eyes to new possibilities for my future career and I have gained a better understanding of what active operational conservation projects look like. This co-op has offered such an incredible opportunity for me to grow professionally, intellectually and personally. UBC Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship co-op program has given me opportunities I would otherwise not have had and has opened doors to work for world class companies like Teck, that are leaders of change in their respective industries.
Wildlife Technicianwith BC Ministry of Forests in Fort St. John, BC
For my forth co-op term, I have been working with BC’s Ministry of Forests in Fort St. John as a Wildlife Technician. My main responsibilities and tasks include biological data collection and management of fish and wildlife to inform management decisions in the Northeast region. I work with a wide range of species, from fish including walleye, northern pike, and yellow perch, to wildlife including stone’s sheep, mountain goats, moose, caribou, and bears. I’ve gained experience working with regional biologists, and supporting working relationships with stakeholders and First Nations. This co-op position has been extremely valuable in terms of the diversity of work, learning, and connections I have been able to gain. As I finish my last work term, I am grateful for the experiences I have gained within the co-op program, and am eager to connect co-op to career.
Forestry Field Technicianwith Apical Forestry in Grand Prairie, AB
For my first co-op term I had the opportunity to work as part of the research crew at Apical Forestry. Through this job I have been able to not only travel across Alberta for work but also to see and be a part of the forestry procedures done from planting all the way to measuring tree planted in the early 2000s . My summer started with progeny planting of genetically modified trees to find the most suitable families of GMO trees to be planted in cut blocks. Recently I have been working on taking vegetation samples and data about vegetative cover for sheep grazing trials, that involves the use of Como plots to assess vegetation in grazed and ungrazed sites. This is to understand how effective sheep grazing can be for brushing recently planted sites. I have also been assigned to some shifts involving RPL maintenance and installations, tree DBH and height measurements for progeny audit and PSPs and verbenone installations. Working for a company that creates an excellent learning environment and being able to get experience in many different projects across Alberta has made this summer worthwhile and I cannot be more excited to see what other project I will be assigned to during the rest of the summer!
UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship wishes to congratulate Professor Younes Alila (Forest Resources Management) and Lydia Braam (Student Engagement Officer) for winning the AMS Just Desserts Award.
About Younes
Younes’ current research program addresses a number of problems related to watershed management using an approach that combines experimental, theoretical, stochastic, and deterministic hydrology across a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. His research focuses on the understanding and modelling of the physical basis underlying the “nonlinear nature” of hydrologic processes as affected by the geometric, temporal and spatial scaling of stream networks, precipitation dynamics, soil characteristics, land use and land cover. Younes research program is designed to provide scientifically-based information, knowledge and expert advice that promote sound policies, solve urgent operational problems and provide a solid foundation on which to build sustainable forest and water resources management in British Columbia.
About Lydia
Lydia’s work focuses on enhancing student life by helping students find and connect with experiential learning, leadership, and career development opportunities that are meaningful to them. She leads the Forestry Orientation and Transition program, the Forestry Tri-Mentoring Program,Peer-Assisted Study Sessions, and also provides one-on-one involvement advising for students looking to get involved, master new skills and take on new and interesting challenges.
Lydia holds a B.A. from the University of Guelph in International Development, with a concentration in Environment and Development, and an M.Ed. in Adult Learning & Global Change from UBC.
About the AMS Just Desserts Award
The Just Desserts Award honours faculty, staff, and/or students who have gone above and beyond in their service to an AMS constituency.
The internet is firmly embedded in human life, but we need to consider its rising physical and non-physical costs to the environment and our ability to address climate change.
That’s according to Dr. Hamish van der Ven, assistant professor in the UBC Department of Wood Science, whose lab investigates how technology impacts the great sustainability challenges of our time. In this Earth Day Q&A, Dr. van der Ven discusses how the internet can harm our hope, attention and ability to recognize the truth, and how disconnecting from the internet could help.
Q: How does using my cellphone contribute to climate change?
“There’s a growing integration of the internet in our day-to-day lives, from cellphones to televisions, to cars. Globally, the information and communications technology (ICT) sector constitutes two to four percent of annual carbon emissions. This is roughly comparable to the aviation sector. Most of the emissions stem from purchased electricity for data centres which consume 220-320 TWh per year. That’s equivalent to the emissions from over 22 million gasoline cars per year.
Power-intensive activities like Bitcoin mining or streaming have correspondingly large carbon footprints. For everyday internet use such as watching Instagram reels, a crude calculation would divide the 1.6 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions estimated to be produced by digital technologies between all internet users around the world, meaning each of us is responsible for about 413 kg of carbon dioxide a year.
What’s worrisome is that this sector is predicted to make up 30 percent of all electricity consumption by 2030. Depending where you are in the world, that power will be supplied by fossil fuel-based sources.”
Q: What are the non-physical climate costs of the internet?
“Some of the greater and arguably more insidious impacts of the internet on the climate crisis are the social and political effects it can have on the very assets we need to find solutions: hope, concern, attention, and truth. These impacts disproportionately affect young people, the most important demographic for climate action.
We know that exposure to social media is correlated with heightened levels of anxiety and depression in young people, and globally these disorders are on the rise. Social media algorithms are programmed to show bad or controversial news to keep people online longer, and it’s like having a beam of negativity into your pocket. This connection between climate despair and social media use by youth is something my lab is researching.
Young people need a personal connection to nature, a sense of why wilderness is valuable, to have the passion to stand up and take action on the climate crisis. When young people spend more time online, they tend to spend less time outdoors. The internet is also a distraction factory that erodes young people’s capability to do focused thinking to address complex challenges, like the climate crisis. And finally, social media has been abundant source of climate misinformation. In order to address the climate crisis, we first need everyone to acknowledge there is a crisis, and that human activities caused it.”
Q: What can we do?
“We can all take designated, lengthy periods of offline time. Whether that’s going on a deliberate vacation from the internet, having a safe spot to check your phone into at the end of the day, creating physical spaces at home or work to be disconnected from your devices, or taking offline weekends. And as much as possible, spend time in nature for the restorative and spiritual benefits.
Policy-makers could take steps to protect young people, including introducing age filters for social media platforms, raising public awareness of the health risks of internet addiction, and subsidizing programs that get youth out into nature. They could also regulate workplaces to ensure people feel safe to disconnect; for instance, France passed regulations prohibiting companies from contacting employees after hours.”
UBC Forestry & Environmental Stewardship wishes to congratulate Dr. Lori Daniels, Professor in the Department of Forest Conservation Sciences, for winning the Association of Fire Ecology Distinguished Leader in Research Award.
Lori’s Research
Lori is a leader in fire ecology research, using novel and interdisciplinary methods to advance knowledge of fire regimes. She studies the interactions between fire, humans, and climate and their impact on forest and community resilience to wildfires. Dr. Daniels’ expertise is trusted by academic peers, government agencies, and the public, and she has contributed to national and provincial fire strategies. Through collaborations with Indigenous communities, community forests, and government agencies, her work has resulted in concrete policy and practice impacts, making her a leader in innovation, knowledge exchange, community-based research, and mentorship in fire ecology.
About the Distinguished Leader in Research Award
This award recognizes individuals who are mid-career and have become exceptional leaders in fire ecology and management research, education, or management.
I am interested in quantifying and forecasting stand and forest dynamics, particularly with respect to uneven-aged and/or mixed species (complex) stands. I also have a long-running interest in designing sampling approaches for various natural resources applications. In the last few years, much of my sampling design work has focused on efficient methods of quantifying downed dead woody material (coarse woody debris). I have been active professionally throughout most of my university career. My professional work has taken place essentially on two fronts: (1) service to the province, via membership on several technical committees and individual or university-based contracts, and (2) service to the forestry profession through my membership on the governing council of the Association of BC Professional Foresters, Board of Examiners of the Association of BC Professional Foresters, as the BC representative on the Canadian Forestry Accreditation Board, membership on the Forest Science and Technology Board of the Canadian Institute of Forestry, and work with two U.S./Canadian growth and yield co-operatives. I am particularly interested in forestry curriculum development and accreditation.
Projects
Validation of CrosBas/PipeQual (ForValueNet)
Dynamics of Interior Douglas-fir stands following pre-commercial thinning
ForestGALES_BC hybrid mechanistic model Empirical windthrow models Diagnostic frameworks for windthrow assessment Integration of windthrow risk into TASS/TIPSY Stand density management diagrams and windfirmness
Drag and mechanical properties of trees, acclimative growth
Instrumentation of trees in wind tunnels Tree-pulling experiments Response of trees to shading, shaking and staking Post-thinning acclimative growth patterns
Wind as a natural disturbance agent in forests
Disturbance and recovery in BC forests Disturbance and recovery following hurricanes in mangrove forests in Belize Windthrow and large woody debris inputs into riparian ecosystems
Windthrow management
Edge windfirming treatments Stanley Park 2006 windstorm, restoration and management plans
My researched is focused on: Climate change planning, outreach, and community engagement; visioning methods and visualization of climate change causes, impacts, and mitigation/adaptation; low-carbon future scenarios visualized in the CIRS’ BC Hydro Decision Theatre; community energy planning, renewables, and energy literacy; public perceptions, aesthetics and sustainability; social aspects of forestry.
Projects
Future visioning of local climate change scenarios with integrated geomatics/visualization systems. (2009-12) PI: Stephen R.J. Sheppard. (Yr 3 2011-12 $169,724)
Geomatics for Informed Decisions (GEOIDE)
Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE)
Awards
Peter Wall Distinguished Scholars In Residence (2009-10) 2009 Wildlife Habitat Canada Forest Stewardship Award (presented to CANFOR and scientists at UBC Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Stewardship for collaborative efforts to develop and implement a Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Framework in BC 2004 ASLA Merit Award 1984 ASLA Honor Award 1983 Spotlight Teaching Award (Sustainability Initiative, UBC, 2010-11) 2011 ICLEI Europe Book fo the Month Award for 2012Institute for Social Sustainability Research Fellow (University of Plymouth, UK, 2011-14) University Sustainability Initiative Research Fellow (University of BC, 2011-13)
