UBC Forestry wishes to congratulate Dan Macmaster, MSFM’13, on being named a recipient of the 2024-25 Alumni Builder Awards.
An exceptionally dedicated volunteer with the Master of Sustainable Forest Management Program, Dan Macmaster has consistently gone above and beyond in advancing the education of future forest managers. His extensive contributions range from serving on the Master of Sustainable Forest Management Advisory Committee and guest lecturing to volunteering at field camps and organizing multi-day field activities for students.
His outstanding commitment is exemplified by the time, effort, and significant travel he undertakes to ensure he can always provide support. His devotion has made a profound impact on the program and the development of forthcoming generations of forestry professionals.
Congratulations Dan!
Read the full list of 2024-25 Alumni Builder Award recipients here.
Dr. Wardell has over 38 years of experience in natural resource governance, capacity development, conservation and finance in over 20 countries in sub Saharan Africa and south-east Asia. He has published 4 books, 90 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and 70 technical reports. He co-edited a CUP book CITES As a Tool for Sustainable Development in 2023. His current research interests include shea value chains, REDD+ benefit sharing, forest landscape restoration and community-based wildlife conservation.
UBC Forestry’s “Notes from the Field” series highlights the work of different community forests in collaboration with the British Columbia Community Forests Association.
This issue explores strategies like assisted migration, species diversification, and thinning to mitigate climate change impacts on British Columbia’s forests.
If your community forest wishes to be featured in this publication series, please contact Deborah DeLong at deborah.delong@ubc.ca
Zelalem leads an interdisciplinary research group working across agricultural, forest, and urban ecosystems, focusing on ecosystem productivity, sustainability, and resilience in the face of global change. His group actively collaborates with experts in soil science, plant science, plant pathology, plant breeding, computer science, statistics, and other disciplines. Their research integrates wet lab and field research with computational and data-driven approaches.
Research Areas
Plant and Soil Microbiome – Investigating microbial assembly processes and the role of plant genotype, management practices and environmental factors in shaping microbial communities and function. Using a One Health research approach, we also explore microbiomes across organisms (e.g insects) across agricultural, forest, and urban ecosystems.
Synthetic Microbial Communities – Designing and testing microbial consortia to enhance plant and soil health and productivity. Our goal is through model consortia to uncover key molecular principles and explore their application in sustainable agriculture and ecosystem restoration.
Plant and Soil Health – Examining biological and environmental factors that influence plant and soil resilience, including microbial communities, nutrient dynamics, and drought stress.
Genomic Tools and Ecological Modeling – Developing genomic and computational tools to support climate-resilient plant breeding programs, conservation strategies, and species distribution modeling. Our work integrates large-scale genomics, biodiversity, trait, and environmental databases to improve decision-making in agriculture and natural resource management.
Non-Wood Forest Products & Sustainable Forest Management – Investigating wild edible mushrooms (ectomycorrhizal fungi) and indigenous knowledge to inform culturally sensitive and ecologically sustainable forest management practices. We examine the impact of land use change, climate change and invasive species on non-wood forest products.
Our group employs ecological concepts, genetics, genomics, microbiology, bioinformatics, GIS and remote sensing, computer programming, and statistical and computational approaches. We welcome motivated students from diverse backgrounds interested in these research areas.
Education
BEd. in Biology (Major) and Chemistry (Minor), Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
MSc. in Biological Sciences (Botanical Sciences), Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
MSc. in Mediterranean Forestry and Natural Resources Management, University of Lleida, Spain
MSc. in Forest and Environmental Sciences, University of Tuscia, Italy
PhD in Plant Science, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
Post Doctoral Fellow, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
PRP Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri Food Canada
Awards & Honors
2020 University of Saskatchewan Doctoral Dissertation Award Nominee
2019/2020 University of Saskatchewan Plant Science Outstanding PhD Student
2020 Teacher-Scholar Doctoral Fellow, University of Saskatchewan
2016-2020 Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission Graduate Scholarship
2016 Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA)
2012-2014 Erasmus Mundus European Master’s Scholarship
Materials made from the building blocks of wood are an expanding area of research at UBC Forestry. Whether fueling jet engines, offering alternatives to concrete and textiles or replacing plastics, the versatility of bio-based materials has opened the door to their possible application in a broad array of industries. In this issue, we explore a few examples of the potential of these bio-based disruptors, particularly in the global bid towards more sustainable and fully biodegradable products.
With a research background in remote sensing, wildlife management, and spatial data modeling, I now focus on education and pedagogy in geomatics. As a lecturer, I specialize in universal design for learning, accessibility, and inclusive teaching practices. My goal is to provide students with a holistic understanding of the intersections between geospatial data, conservation, and climate change. I am passionate about teaching and committed to fostering a safe, supportive, and engaging learning environment.
UBC Forestry wishes to congratulate Dr.Lori Daniels and Marina Melanidis on being awarded the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal!
The Medal, administered by the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall, commemorates individuals who have “made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community of Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada”.
As the inaugural Koerner Chair in Wildfire Coexistence, and with her award-winning teaching, leading-edge research, and dedication to knowledge mobilization, Lori has worked tirelessly to keep our forests healthy and our communities safe.
Marina Melanidis
Marina (BSc ’18, MSc ’22) is an exceptional young scholar and advocate who has launched two very successful youth-led NGOs (Youth4Nature and Climate Guides) focusing on nature-based solutions and climate action, given youth a voice on the international stage at several high-level conferences and conventions, and is currently enrolled in a PhD program at Cambridge.
Dr. Coupland’s role within the MGEM community is multifaceted. She is responsible for coordinating the day-to-day activities of the program and providing dedicated support to both students and the MGEM teaching team. She has been connected to UBC Forestry’s professional master’s programs since 2014 when she was a student in the Master of Sustainable Forest Management program, a sister program to MGEM.
Her research focuses on the application and development of novel classification schemes for forests, with an emphasis on quantifying non-timber forest values. Specifically, she has worked on quantifying the educational values in urban forests for forestry education, using UBC as a case study. This research utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods and included a LiDAR canopy analysis of every tree on the UBC campus.
Selected Publications
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Polinko, A. D., & Coupland, K. (2021). Paradigm shifts in forestry and forest research: a bibliometric analysis.Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 51(2), 154-162.
Coupland, K., Magalhães, J., & Griess, V. C. (2022). Connecting Forestry Learning Objectives to Urban Forest Types.Journal of Forestry, 120(3), 256-270.
Congratulations to the 2024-2025 recipients of the UBC Faculty of Forestry Indigenous and Community Engagement Research Fund (ICERF) for their outstanding contributions in the Collaborative Research with Indigenous Communities stream.
Taz Gharajehdaghpour | PhD, FRM – Supervisor: Cole Burton Josefina Cortés | PhD, FRM – Supervisor: Lorien Nesbitt Morris Prosser | MSc, FRM – Supervisor: William Nikolakis Gabriel Schepens | PhD, FRM – Supervisor: William Nikolakis Sarah Sra – MSc, FCS – Supervisor: Terry Sunderland
About ICERF
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.
Dillon Consulting Limited is looking for qualified post-secondary students to assist in the delivery of the 2025 City of Surrey Salmon Habitat Restoration Program (SHaRP). Please find attached job postings for the three available Team Leader positions including:
· Watershed Enhancement Team Leader (six positions);
· Community Education Team Leader (one position); and
· Media and Public Relations Team Leader (one position).
We have 4-month (May to August) and 7-month (May to November) interim positions available for our 2025 season.
Experienced and interested individuals are invited to submit a cover letter and resume as one file to sharpapplications@gmail.com by Monday February 10, 2025 at 11:59pm PST. Applicants for the Media and Public Relations Team Leader position are encouraged to attach examples of relevant media creations.
