Forestry 547
Forestry in British Columbia
Fall Session 2017
Instructor: Dr Sue Watts
Teaching Assistant: Meike Siegner
Time: Fridays9am – Noon September 8th– December 1st2017 (Plus 4 full days)
Location: Room 1613 Forest Sciences Centre (see note on schedule for first class)
Course Outline
This 3 credit course is designed as an introduction to forestry in British Columbia for incoming graduate students, international students, visiting students and other Faculty visitors.By successfully completing Forestry 547 you will have an increased knowledge that will enable you to make informed comment on the issues facing forestry in BC today. Your expertise will include professional level writing and oral presentation skills on topics of BC forestry.
The course delivery will include a combination of lectures, field trips, assigned readings, and student presentations. This combination of methods will help you to develop an understanding of the forests of the province, their management, the multiple pressures being imposed on them by natural and human-caused disturbance, and the many different perspectives, paradigms and beliefs about how they should be managed and for what balance of values. See course websites at: and
Course Schedule
Friday Sep 8(Week 1) Introduction to BC forestry. Class room lecture and discussion. Steve Mitchell (UBC Forest and Conservation Sciences).Room 12222pm – 5pm. 1st WEEK ONLY. Come early for pizza and introductions at 1:30pm
Friday Sep 15(Week 2) PartIArrangements for forest management in BC. II BC tree species. PartI:Lecture and discussion. Gordon Weetman (UBC Forestryretired).PartIIWalking tour of the Pacific Spirit Park. Rob Guy (UBC Forest and Conservation Sciences).
Friday Sep 22(Week 3) First Nations and forestry in British Columbia. Class room lecture and discussion. Mariko Molander (UBC Wood Science).
Friday SEP 29 and SAT Sep 30(Week 4) 2-day interior field trip. Lighthouse Park, Squamish area forest management (Dave Southam and Kevin Haberl, BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations), Whistler, Joffre Lakes, Lillooet resource management (Trevor Chandler,consultant), future of forestry from the St’at’imc perspective(Matt Manuel, Lillooet Tribal Council), ecological restoration in Lillooet (Odin Scholz, Splitrock Environmental), wildlife issues (Sue Senger,consultant TBC).Paul Lawson (UBC Research Forests).Accommodation at Hotel De Oro. Dinner (Friday), breakfast and lunch on Saturday provided.
FridayOCT 6 (Week 5) Full-day field trip to Vancouver Island. Parksville, Englishman’s River area and Cathedral Grove. Molly Hudson (TimberWest) and TBA(BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations).
Friday Oct 13 (Week 6) Full-day field trip to the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest. Maple Ridge, various research and operational sites. Paul Lawson (UBC MKRF).
Friday Oct20(Week 7) Urban forestry in British Columbia. Class room lecture and discussion. Cecil Konijnendijk(UBC Forest Resources Management).
Friday Oct 27(Week 8) Pests and diseases. Class room lecture and discussion. RichardHamelinand Allan Carroll(UBC Forest and Conservation Sciences).
Friday Nov 3(Week 9) Part IForest fire-vegetation-climate interactions. Class room lectures and discussion. Lori Daniels (UBC Forest and Conservation Sciences). Part IIGlobal trends of forest products and markets in the emerging bio-economy. Class room lecture and discussion. Chris Gaston (UBC Wood Science).
Friday Nov 10(Week 10) Part I Use of technology in BC forestry. Class room lecture and discussion. Nicholas Coops (UBC Forest Resources Management). Part IIClimate change research and adaptation in BC. Class room lecture and discussion. Sally Aitken (UBC Forest and Conservation Sciences).
Friday Nov 17(Week 11) Sustainable forest management in British Columbia.Class room lecture and discussion. John Innes (UBC Forest Resources Management).
Friday Nov 24/Dec 1(Weeks 12 and 13) Oral presentations by students.
Course Assessment
Student grades will be assigned on the basis of the following maximum scores:
15% for overall participation in the course (contribution to in-class discussion)
20% for first assignment
30% for oral presentation of major term paper
35%for term paper
Instructor/ TA contact information
Sue WattsRoom 2718 Forest Sciences Centre
604.822.6316
604.644.2364 (cell)
Phone, email or drop by for appointment / Meike Siegner
Room 4202 Forest Sciences Centre
778 788 5679 (cell)
Phone, email or drop by for appointment
Updated June 28, 2017
Forestry 547 Fall Session 20171