The University of Northern British Columbia is taking the lead in developing a new approach to forest management education that will be more responsive to students, industry, environmental change, and the needs of forest-dependent communities.
 
The new curriculum is being accompanied by a name change – from “Forestry” to “Forest Ecology and Management” – and a substantial increase in the range of course options available to students. New specializations include natural resources planning and operations, earth science, biology and conservation, forest recreation, business, global environmental change, and the social dimensions of natural resource management. The increased flexibility in the degree program has accompanied a reduction in the number of courses required by forestry’s national accreditation body.
 
“Over the past decade at least, the forestry profession had had to adapt to new realities,” says Kathy Lewis, a former BC Forester of the Year and Chair of Ecosystem Science and Management at UNBC. “For example, much more is being asked of working forest professionals, yet fewer students are entering the field. At UNBC alone, our enrolments in Forestry are currently only a quarter of what they were just five years ago. This is just not acceptable in a region that depends on sustainable forest ecosystems for maintaining cultures and economies. It is our location and our existing expertise at UNBC that has helped to shape our new curriculum.”
 
North-central BC is one of Canada’s most productive forest regions and forest exports continue to account for the greatest share of BC’s export wealth. The industry will remain a major economic driver, as new opportunities arise in areas such as bioenergy.
 
“Northern BC’s forests are a tremendous national treasure and we need to be leaders in teaching and research that recognize the role of First Nations and the effects of technology and climate change,” says professor Scott Green, a specialist on the effects of climate change on tree growth. “UNBC is the first university in western Canada to make such sweeping changes to its forestry curriculum.”
 
The new degree program officially takes effect in the fall.

Contact:
Dr. Kathy Lewis, Chair of Ecosystem Science and Management, UNBC – 250.960.6659
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC – 250.960.5622