Forest Science

Meet Robert Wright, new dean of Forestry at U of T

geoff.vendeville — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 10:04:57 +0000

Meet Robert Wright, new dean of Forestry at U of T

geoff.vendeville Mon, 09/11/2017 - 06:04

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Staff

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Our Community

Forestry

Forest Science

Environment

Climate

Sustainability

Robert Wright works in an office lined with reminders of the past, but his thoughts are on the future and mapping a way forward for forest science research and education at U of T.

Wright, a long-time member of U of T’s academic community, is beginning a two-year term as dean of the Faculty of Forestry. A landscape architect, he is also director of the Centre for Landscape Research at the Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design.

He starts his new job as the university considers the best structure for forest science and forestry education to flourish at U of T. Forestry has six full-time faculty members and 111 graduate students and for several years has faced questions about its future. Consultations, led by Professor Elizabeth Smyth, vice-dean, programs, at the School of Graduate Studies, took place this spring and summer. The university plans to release a discussion paper based on those discussions and will start a second round of consultations this fall.

Pointing to a black and white photograph on his office wall of a man seated on a horse – the Faculty’s first dean Bernhard Fernow - Wright says the Faculty has gone through many ups and downs since its founding. What has struck him, he said, is that researchers continue to be on the leading edge of so many complex issues, from battling the emerald ash borer and preserving urban forests, to developing new, wood-based materials and sustainable forestry practices.

“The more I am here, the more amazed I am at all that the faculty and students are doing,” he said.

His goal, he says, is to enable them to devote their attention to that work, without the distractions created by uncertainty.

“There is no hidden agenda here. We are really looking for a positive solution - and what that means and what that requires and how it will unfold is open,” he explained. “I see an opportunity to make things better. Given the right circumstances and structure, forestry can flourish.”

Planning the future of forest science research and education at U of T

lanthierj — Thu, 25 May 2017 17:13:48 +0000

Planning the future of forest science research and education at U of T

lanthierj Thu, 05/25/2017 - 13:13

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Associate Professor Marny Isaac of U of T Scarborough with environmental science students in Durham forest (photo by Ken Jones)

Geoffrey Vendeville

Author legacy

Geoff Vendeville

Topic

Our Community

Forest Science

U of T Mississauga

Subheadline

University launches consultation to chart new path

The ��Ƶ is seeking the community's input on the best way to support and enhance forest science research and education at U of T.

“This is a dynamic and changing field,” said Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr. “With faculty and students now working on forest science research across all three campuses, we need to develop the best structure for supporting that research and education.

“Students today need access to a broad range of professors and research opportunities in this field – and we need to find a model that will ensure these programs can flourish.”

Today, U of T’s Faculty of Forestry has just seven full-time faculty members and 111 graduate students; there is no longer an undergraduate program within the Faculty. Sandy Smith, a forestry professor and former dean of the Faculty, wants the university to maintain a separate Faculty of Forestry after the consultations are complete. She said it is important for the university to continue its tradition of ground-breaking research.

“Forestry is in almost everything,” she said. “It's a key discipline for understanding how the world works.”

But a diverse range of faculties and departments at U of T is now engaged in forest science and related research − and interest among students and researchers across U of T is strong, the provost said.

She pointed to the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, home to U of T’s Pulp and Paper Centre, where researchers are working on converting forest biomass and mill effluents into alternative sources of energy, including methane and bio-ethanol.

“Important work is also underway at U of T Mississauga, at U of T Scarborough – and at the Faculty of Arts & Science, at the School of the Environment, the department of geography and planning, and the department of ecology and evolutionary biology,” Regehr said.

Some of that work takes place at the university’s Koffler Scientific Reserve at Joker’s Hill, a 350-hectare expanse of wetlands, fields and the largest old growth forest in the Oak Ridges Moraine.

Koffler is home to rigorous scientific experiments and a series of publicly accessible walking trails (photo courtesy of Koffler Scientific Reserve)

At U of T Scarborough’s Cadotte Lab, postdoctoral researcher Sebastian Seibold studies the effects of forest management and natural disturbances on biodiversity and how conservation measures can be integrated in forest management. And at U of T Mississauga, assistant professor of biology Ingo Ensminger studies certain varieties of trees at the molecular, leaf, species and ecosystem levels to understand why some adjust to a hotter and drier climate, while others can’t cope with the consequences of climate change.

For a current project, Ensminger is using a sensor-equipped drone to survey several experimental field sites of the Canadian Forest Service near Pickering and Quebec City, each the size of three football fields. The sensor monitors the fitness of thousands of tree seedlings based on changes in leaf pigmentation that are invisible to the human eye. His research could drastically reduce the time it takes to inspect these sites.

“Normally it takes several days to manually inspect how the seedlings compare,” he said. “With the drone, one can survey the site in 20 minutes and instead of going out to the site only once every two or three years, foresters can hopefully afford to go out several times every year. It increases the amount and accuracy of the data, and will improve tree breeding and forest management.”

Assistant Professor Ingo Ensminger is working on a project which involves using a drone to survey areas in Ontario and Quebec, each the size of three football fields, to detect changes in leaf pigmentation (photo courtesy of Ingo Ensminger)

Over the years, the university has developed expertise across a range of forest science disciplines, from silviculture to sustainable forest management and urban forestry – a term said to have been coined by former U of T Professor Erik Jorgensen in the 1960s. Among the researchers studying the growth and management of the city’s forests today is Tenley Conway, an associate professor in the department of geography at U of T Mississauga.

Conway focuses on how residents, community groups, municipalities and others interact with trees. One of her research projects, for example, examined the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics of residents and tree density.

“There’s a lot of interest in growing the urban forest right now, in planting more trees because they have potential to provide a lot of benefits to people in cities,” Conway said. “I hope my research adds some understanding about non-governmental actors and experts and how they interact with trees.

“That information could potentially be used to craft better programs and policies.”

As the world grapples with climate change and its consequences, the importance of forest science is “unquestionable,” Regehr said.

“We want to build on the university’s distinguished record of leadership in this field, and improve our ability to deliver research and teaching that is stable and sustainable.”

Until June 30, U of T students, staff, faculty, alumni and industry partners can submit feedback online in a first round of consultations. Professor Elizabeth Smyth, vice-dean, programs, at the School of Graduate Studies, is also holding a series of in-person consultations. The university plans to publish a discussion paper based on the first community survey, before launching a second round of consultations this fall.

Forest Science

Meet Robert Wright, new dean of Forestry at U of T

Read more about forest science research and education at U of T

Planning the future of forest science research and education at U of T

Visit the consultation web site