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Chief Forester Forest Management Options for Reducing Slash Pile Burning Best Management Practices
This document outlines best management practices developed by the Chief Forester to reduce the harmful effects of slash pile burning in British Columbia forest management. The core purpose is to minimize waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and max...This document outlines best management practices developed by the Chief Forester to reduce the harmful effects of slash pile burning in British Columbia forest management. The core purpose is to minimize waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and maximize fibre utilization through integrated planning, silviculture, and harvesting techniques. Rather than offering prescriptive solutions, the document presents a range of options, such as promoting partial cutting and scattering woody debris, which must be evaluated based on site-specific factors like fire risk, biodiversity, and economics. This document seeks to treat forest management as a versatile tool to achieve diverse environmental and resource values. -
Our Future with Fire - Barriers and Opportunities for the Revitalization of Fire Stewardship
This webinar highlights the urgent need to shift from aggressive fire suppression in British Columbia to a paradigm that embraces controlled fire and Indigenous fire stewardship. The webinar argues that fire exclusion has created a wildfire deficit d...This webinar highlights the urgent need to shift from aggressive fire suppression in British Columbia to a paradigm that embraces controlled fire and Indigenous fire stewardship. The webinar argues that fire exclusion has created a wildfire deficit disorder, resulting in massive fuel accumulation and increasingly severe, unsuppressable fire events. A core theme is the critical importance of recognizing and integrating the deep expertise of Indigenous practitioners, whose knowledge of cultural burning is often overlooked in favor of expensive and less effective suppression tactics. -
Stock Type Selection and Ordering Guidelines
This document assists silviculturists in British Columbia with the process of stock type selection for reforestation efforts. The document details the characteristics and definitions of both container-grown and field-grown stock, emphasizing that the...This document assists silviculturists in British Columbia with the process of stock type selection for reforestation efforts. The document details the characteristics and definitions of both container-grown and field-grown stock, emphasizing that the correct choice significantly impacts a plantation's survival and early growth. Key sections are dedicated to factors influencing selection, such as species, site limiting factors, and logistics related to ordering and tracking stock types, as well as proper receiving and handling stock upon delivery. This document serves as a comprehensive reference to match specific seedling characteristics with site-specific conditions and cost considerations. -
Tree Wounding and Partial Cut Harvesting
This document is a literature review for British Columbia focusing on the relationship between tree wounding and partial-cut harvesting practices. The primary purpose is to provide a consolidated reference on tree damage, wood-decaying fungi, and the...This document is a literature review for British Columbia focusing on the relationship between tree wounding and partial-cut harvesting practices. The primary purpose is to provide a consolidated reference on tree damage, wood-decaying fungi, and the resulting losses. The document details the physical response of trees to injury, introducing concepts like compartmentalization of decay in trees, which explains how trees attempt to wall off damage. The document explores how harvesting activities, particularly logging injuries to residual trees, create entry points for various wound parasites and true heartrots, with the severity of decay being strongly influenced by factors like wound size and age, and the location of the injury. -
Developing Stand Density Management Regimes
This document outlines a structured decision-making process for stand density management in forestry, emphasizing biological, economic, and forest-level considerations. It delves into the biological responses of timber production to various density m...This document outlines a structured decision-making process for stand density management in forestry, emphasizing biological, economic, and forest-level considerations. It delves into the biological responses of timber production to various density management practices like pre-commercial and commercial thinning, explaining how these treatments impact factors such as yield, timber quality, and tree size. The document also details the economic principles necessary for evaluating the financial viability of such interventions, including cost analysis and future value predictions. Finally, it stresses the importance of aligning stand-level decisions with broader forest-level objectives and introduces various decision support tools and analytical techniques, like sensitivity analysis, to aid in complex forestry planning. -
Can Landscape Fuel Treatments Enhance Both Protection and Resource Management Objectives
This webinar presents results from a simulation study of north-central New Mexico that investigated the relative effectiveness of a variety of fuel treatment strategies and the tradeoffs of implementing fuels programs with competing management goals....This webinar presents results from a simulation study of north-central New Mexico that investigated the relative effectiveness of a variety of fuel treatment strategies and the tradeoffs of implementing fuels programs with competing management goals. -
Foundations of Advanced Silviculture Certificate
The Foundations of Advanced Silviculture micro-certificate is designed to provide a comprehensive education in modern forest management. It consists of four two-week courses covering topics such as silviculture fundamentals, forest ecology with Indig...The Foundations of Advanced Silviculture micro-certificate is designed to provide a comprehensive education in modern forest management. It consists of four two-week courses covering topics such as silviculture fundamentals, forest ecology with Indigenous perspectives, current practices in stand development, and monitoring systems for continuous improvement. Upon successful completion, learners receive both individual course certificates and a final micro-certificate. -
Climate Action Certificate
The SFU Climate Action certificate is an online program comprising of 3 required and 3 elective courses, designed to help learners gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to lead and implement equitable climate action plans. The program foc...The SFU Climate Action certificate is an online program comprising of 3 required and 3 elective courses, designed to help learners gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to lead and implement equitable climate action plans. The program focuses on areas such as applying principles of climate justice and Indigenous knowledge, developing environmental solutions, and building community resilience. -
Sociocultural Dynamics of Wildfire Certificate
The Sociocultural Dynamics of Wildfire program equips students with critical knowledge of the impact of land use from colonial to contemporary times, Indigenous methodologies pertaining to land use and wildfires, and the impact of wildfires on socioc...The Sociocultural Dynamics of Wildfire program equips students with critical knowledge of the impact of land use from colonial to contemporary times, Indigenous methodologies pertaining to land use and wildfires, and the impact of wildfires on sociocultural relationships. -
Wildfire Communications and Media Certificate
Developed in partnership with BCWS, this innovative Wildfire Communications and Media program blends crisis communication theories with practical training in media relations, professional communication and community engagement. Students will develop ...Developed in partnership with BCWS, this innovative Wildfire Communications and Media program blends crisis communication theories with practical training in media relations, professional communication and community engagement. Students will develop strategies to communicate across diverse audiences, analyze media depictions of wildfires and address ethical challenges in real-time. -
Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation (CVA) Certificate
The UBC Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation micro-certificate is an 8 week online program designed for natural resources professionals. It provides training on climate science, vulnerability assessments, and adaptation development, focusing on apply...The UBC Climate Vulnerability and Adaptation micro-certificate is an 8 week online program designed for natural resources professionals. It provides training on climate science, vulnerability assessments, and adaptation development, focusing on applying these concepts to management and business case adaptation within a forestry context. -
Wildfire Science Certificate
The wildfire science program welcomes learners from varied backgrounds who are passionate about wildfire and environmental systems. It serves students aiming for purposeful careers, professionals seeking to expand their skills, and community leaders ...The wildfire science program welcomes learners from varied backgrounds who are passionate about wildfire and environmental systems. It serves students aiming for purposeful careers, professionals seeking to expand their skills, and community leaders working to strengthen local resilience. Centered on equipping people to create meaningful change, the Wildfire Science Certificate prepares graduates to contribute effectively to wildfire management and post-fire recovery. -
Climate Action and Community Engagement (CACE) Certificate
The UBC Climate Action and Community Engagement micro-Certificate is an 8 week online program designed to help learners gain the skills and understanding required to train on local climate change, community engagement techniques, and developing Clima...The UBC Climate Action and Community Engagement micro-Certificate is an 8 week online program designed to help learners gain the skills and understanding required to train on local climate change, community engagement techniques, and developing Climate Action Plans. -
Fire Ecology for Environmental Restoration Certificate
The micro-certificate in Fire Ecology for Environmental Restoration will equip learners with practical skills and knowledge to understand and treat the effects of fire on natural ecosystems, prepare communities to respond to wildfire threats, and cre...The micro-certificate in Fire Ecology for Environmental Restoration will equip learners with practical skills and knowledge to understand and treat the effects of fire on natural ecosystems, prepare communities to respond to wildfire threats, and create ecosystem resilience. This program will prepare graduates to help mitigate the effects of both prescribed burns and wildfire damage upon the environment. A broad range of conditions and habitat restoration will be studied through intensive in-class and on-site learning, partnered with practical online applications. Participants will learn about natural fires and their attributes; fires as an ecosystem process; fire management, regimes and techniques; fire and climate change; prescribed burns; First Nations fire management; restoring burnt sites -
Forest Carbon Management Certificate
The Forest Carbon Management micro-certificate is designed for professionals in natural resource sectors. It provides foundational knowledge in forest carbon accounting, data analysis, project development, and market navigation. Through real-world ca...The Forest Carbon Management micro-certificate is designed for professionals in natural resource sectors. It provides foundational knowledge in forest carbon accounting, data analysis, project development, and market navigation. Through real-world case studies and applied learning, participants will gain practical skills to assess and manage forest carbon initiatives in both domestic and international contexts. The program is ideal for those seeking to diversify their expertise and contribute to climate action through sustainable forest practices. -
CO2, Carbon Storage and Utilization for Storage
This webinar presents an overview of carbon dioxide (CO2) storage options, including geological storage and biochar application. It highlights Western Canada’s favorable geology for long-term CO2 storage and discusses biochar as a stable form of carb...This webinar presents an overview of carbon dioxide (CO2) storage options, including geological storage and biochar application. It highlights Western Canada’s favorable geology for long-term CO2 storage and discusses biochar as a stable form of carbon that can enhance soil health while sequestering carbon for centuries. The webinar emphasizes both technical feasibility and ecological benefits of carbon management strategies in industrial contexts. Presented by Malcolm Wilson -
Canadian Forests Are More Conducive to High-Severity Fires in Recent Decades
This paper investigates the factors influencing wildfire burn severity across Canada. Using statistical models applied to environmental data from 1981 to 2020, the authors identify fuel aridity as the most significant driver of how severely forests b...This paper investigates the factors influencing wildfire burn severity across Canada. Using statistical models applied to environmental data from 1981 to 2020, the authors identify fuel aridity as the most significant driver of how severely forests burn. Their analysis reveals that northern regions and summer months are particularly prone to high-severity fires, and they found a concerning trend of increasingly favorable conditions for severe burning in recent decades, particularly in spring and autumn. The study concludes that changing climates are making Canadian forests more susceptible to intense fires, highlighting the need for improved fire management and preparedness strategies. -
Stand Dynamics After Partial Cutting in Dry Douglas-fir Forests in Central British Columbia Farwell Canyon Research Project
This report details a research project in the dry Douglas-fir forests of central British Columbia, initiated in 2001 at Farwell Canyon. The study investigated the effects of partial cutting on forest stand dynamics, specifically examining how differe...This report details a research project in the dry Douglas-fir forests of central British Columbia, initiated in 2001 at Farwell Canyon. The study investigated the effects of partial cutting on forest stand dynamics, specifically examining how different harvesting methods, coupled with pre-commercial thinning and prescribed burning, could achieve objectives like improved wildlife forage, enhanced residual tree growth, and increased fire resilience. The report presents data collected over 10-14 years following these treatments, analyzing changes in stand structure, tree growth, and regeneration patterns to assess the long-term outcomes of these forest management techniques in this specific ecosystem. -
Toolkit for Applying Indigenous-led Fire Practices and Western Fire Management
The toolkit shares practices and related resources on Indigenous-led fire practices and settler and state-led fire management for Indigenous Peoples and wildlife in the Saskatchewan River Delta in northern Saskatchewan. Many aspects of this toolkit a...The toolkit shares practices and related resources on Indigenous-led fire practices and settler and state-led fire management for Indigenous Peoples and wildlife in the Saskatchewan River Delta in northern Saskatchewan. Many aspects of this toolkit are applicable across Canada. -
Effect of Silviculture Practices on Greenup Delay in the Nelson Forest Region
This technical report investigates the impact of silviculture practices on greenup delay in the Nelson Forest Region, specifically within the Cranbrook and Revelstoke Timber Supply Areas. Greenup delay refers to the time it takes for a newly harveste...This technical report investigates the impact of silviculture practices on greenup delay in the Nelson Forest Region, specifically within the Cranbrook and Revelstoke Timber Supply Areas. Greenup delay refers to the time it takes for a newly harvested forest stand to reach a specified average height, signaling successful regeneration. The report evaluates how enhanced silviculture techniques, such as site preparation, planting, brushing, and the use of genetically improved stock, can reduce this delay and increase the short-term and long-term timber supply to optimize tree growth and forest yield.
