This project targets a major research gap of the recently proposed Sustainable Sites Initiative (SSI), which is a North American green rating system for landscapes; scheduled to be released in 2011. Our research will focus on establishing the characteristics of urban trees that affect their ability to provision habitat to urban biodiversity (insects and birds)- […]

Forest roads can contribute significant amounts of sediment to nearby streams with subsequent impacts on aquatic ecology and water quality (including drinking water quality). This project will determine the triggers for sediment generation from forest roads in the Honna Watershed through controlled experiments using a large and small scale rainfall simulator and continuous turbidity monitoring. […]

The proposed research is a collaboration between the Tree-Ring Lab at the University of British Columbia, Hinton Wood Products and the Foothills Research Institute Natural Disturbance Program to investigate the fire regimes of the mixed-conifer, mountain forests of the Rocky Mountain foothills of west-central Alberta. This pilot study will study the spatial and temporal variation […]

In February 2009, the Ontario Government announced the Feed-In Tariff (FIT)Program which will play a premium for electricity that comes from renewable sources – wind, solar and biomass – to help curb fossil fuel emissions. The goal of this internship is to assess using unmerchantable wood – that which is not useful for traditional forest […]

Mining operations in the Oil Sands area can affect extensive areas of boreal forest. Those forested areas affected by mining are expected to be reclaimed by mining companies to reestablish their natural conditions after the exploitation ends. The long-term success of reclamation plans can be assessed with ecological models that simulate how different environmental factors […]

Ontario is investing $100 Million over 10 years in the process of updating the Provincial Forest Resource Inventory (FRI), which involves the province-wide acquisition of new digital ADS40 aerial imagery to serve as a consistent platform for the photo-interpretation and mapping of forest attributes. Because it is coupled with advanced geographic positioning data, ADS40 imagery […]

This research proposes to investigate spalting (natural wood pigmentation by fungi) as a method for creating value-added wood products.  Specifically, this research will focus on the development of creating naturally colored wood for commercial applications, as well as increasing the value of blue stained pine wood inadvertently produced by the mountain pine beetle.  Industry benefits […]

Ecoatra is applying new developments in nanotechnology to solve the long-standing problem of hazardous substance use in the wood industry- one of our oldest and largest industries. Ecoatra’s formulation uses nanotechnology to enable deeper and more uniform penetration into wood, versatile application,  increased performance and potency at lower material quantities translating to reduced costs, multifunctional […]

  The Overall goal of these internships is to assist LEAF with capacity development concerning data collection, analysis and spatial visualization. Specifically, the internship wil focus on studies that complement my Ph.D dissertation topic ‐ Developing a Spatially Explicit, Multi Criteria Decision Making Approch to Urban Forest Management in the Greater Toronto Area ‐ while at […]

The use of S’ólh Téméxw (i.e., Stó:lō traditional territory) by others impacts Stó:lō cultural heritage, identity, and economic and social wellbeing. At present, the Stó:lō have limited authority to make decisions regarding the use of their territory. However, the courts have mandated that proposed developments on Crown land carry with them the duty to consult […]

Climate change is becoming a factor to be accounted for in forest planning, especially in reclamation activities where the objective is to create a self-sustaining forest ecosystem in areas degraded by human activities, such as open-pit mining activities in northern Alberta Oil Sands. Oil Sands will produce up to 50% of Canadian oil demand in […]

  This project involves UBC, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Kalesnikoff Lumber Co. Ltd.  It aims to quantify the role of historic low-to-moderate severity fires on the forests of NCC's Darkwoods property in southeastern British Columbia.  In summer 2010, I will sample 30 forest stands that vary in elevation and slope aspect that […]