UBC experts are available to comment on wildfires, drought, heat and related issues.
Climate change, forests and wildfires
Dr. Lori Daniels
Professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences
Email: lori.daniels@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Forest fires and forest fire management
- Forest fires, past and present
- Impact of climate change on forests
*not available July 13-23
Dr. Greg Garrard (he/him)
Professor, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Phone: 250-863-2822
Email: greg.garrard@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Environmental literature
- Culture and climate change (including skepticism)
- Cultural ecology of forest fire
- Political polarization
Dr. A.S. John Innes
Professor, Faculty of Forestry
Phone: 604-603-5916
Interview language(s): English
- Climate change and wildfires, boreal forests, forest management
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Climate change and heat
Dr. Rachel H. White (she her)
Assistant Professor, Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Email: rwhite@eoas.ubc.ca
Phone: 604-230-3504
Interview language(s): English
*not available July 14-20
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Disaster planning and response
Dr. Werner Antweiler
Associate Professor, Sauder School of Business
Email: werner.antweiler@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, German
- Economic costs of wildfires, including higher insurance costs
Dr. Michael Hooper (he/him)
Associate Professor, Faculty of Public and Regional Planning
Email: michael.hooper@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Disaster response, recovery, cities and risk, disaster planning and management
*away for much of July
dr Sarah Schneiderman (she her)
Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology
Email: sara.shneiderman@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
Dr. Mohamadpour Tosarkani circle
Assistant Professor, UBCO School of Engineering
Phone: 647-551-7732
Email: babak.tosarkani@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Supply Chain Emergency Preparedness
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Drought
Dr. Younes Alila
Professor, Department of Forest Resources Management
Email: younes.alila@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Effects of climate and land use changes on droughts, floods and landslides
- Effects of logging and forestry practice on droughts, floods and landslides
Dr. Werner Antweiler
Associate Professor, Sauder School of Business
Email: werner.antweiler@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, German
Dr. John Richardson
Professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences
Email: john.richardson@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Effects of droughts on natural ecosystems
- Effects of flooding and water supply on streams and lakes, water quality, and debris flows
- Urban impacts on drainage patterns and loss of natural stream networks in many parts of the Lower Mainland
- Ways to save water this summer
* available all day July 18th and the morning of July 19th
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Fire behavior and fire management
Jen Baron (she her)
Doctoral student, Department of Forestry and Environmental Sciences
Email: jenbaron@mail.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Forest fire ecology and management, past and present
- Forest fire behaviour, fire risk and fuel handling
- Impact of climate change on forest fires
Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais
Assistant, Department of Earth, Environment and Geographical Sciences
Email: Mathieu.Bourbonnais@ubc.ca
Phone: 778-583-0272
Interview language(s): English, written French
- Forest fire risk and fire suppression and mitigation
- Firefighting and the use of satellites to detect and monitor forest fires
Dr. Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz (she her)
Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Forestry and Conservation Sciences
Phone: 604-363-9863
Email: kelsey.copes-gerbitz@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Proactive wildfire management, coexistence with wildfires, shared responsibility for wildfire management
- Community resilience to wildfires
- Historic fires and wildfire management
* not available July 15-30
Dr. Kevin Hanna
Associate Professor, Department of Earth, Environment and Geographical Sciences
Phone: 250-807-9265
Email: kevin.hanna@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Vulnerable infrastructure
- Forest fire risk and disaster assessment, management and policy
- Climate change and risk events
Dr. Graf Hoffmann
Postdoctoral student, Faculty of Forestry
Phone: 250-876-8440
Email: kira.hoffman@bvcentre.ca
Interview language(s): English
Dr. A.S. Duane Tannant
Professor, School of Engineering
Phone: 604-801-4301
Email: dwayne.tannant@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Landslides, rock falls
- Flood Mitigation Below Debris Field
- Debris flow reduction after wildfire
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Health impacts of bushfires, heat and extreme conditions
Dr Philip Ainslie
Professor, School of Health and Exercise Science
Phone: 250-878-6171
Email: philip.ainslie@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Heat, pollution and their isolated and combined effects on physiology and health
- Effect of temperature and oxygen availability on physiology, pathology and performance
- Acclimatization, adaptation and maladaptation to environmental stress
Dr. A.S. Jennifer Baumbush (she her)
Professor, School of Nursing
Email: jennifer.baumbusch@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Protecting the elderly and other vulnerable people from extreme heat
Dr. Michael Brewer
Professor, Faculty of Population and Public Health
Email: michael.brauer@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Health effects of extreme heat, approaches to minimize impacts
- Air quality and health effects of smoke
- How to minimize exposure to smoke
Dr. Emily Brigham
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Email: emily.brigham@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Lung health, asthma and COPD, wildfire pollutant exposure, heat co-exposure
Dr. Christopher Carlsten
doctor; Professor and Head of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine
Phone: 604-839-1561
Email: christopher.carlsten@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Adverse health effects related to heat, smoke, ozone and allergens
- How heat, smoke, ozone and allergens are linked to climate change
Dr. Wendy Hall (she her)
Professor Emeritus, School of Nursing
Email: wendy.hall@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Effects of heat on sleep
- Promoting good sleep, especially in children
Dr. Sarah Henderson
Associate Professor, Faculty of Population and Public Health
Phone: 604-910-9144
Email: sarah.henderson@bccdc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Health effects of wildfire smoke and extreme heat and ways to protect health
Dr Mary-Ann Murphy
Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Work and Department of Sociology
Phone: 250-807-8705
Email: mary-ann.murphy@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Dealing with the emotional trauma of bushfires
- Lessons from the evacuees
- What to pack when evacuating
- Elderly care in extreme heat
Dr. Michael Schwand
Clinical Assistant Professor, Faculty of Population and Public Health; Medical Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health
Email: michael.schwandt@vch.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Health effects of forest fire smoke
- Public and personal actions to protect health
Dr. Angela Yao
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Population and Public Health
Email: angela.yao@bccdc.ca
Interview Language(s): English, Mandarin, Cantonese
- Health effects of forest fire smoke
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Urban impacts of fire and heat
Dr. A.S. Melissa McHale (she her)
Associate Professor, Forest Resources Management Department.
Email: melissa.mchale@ubc.ca
Phone: 604–827–3150
Interview language(s): English
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Impact of fire and heat on wildlife and ecosystems
dr William Chung
Professor and Director of the Institute for Oceans and Fisheries
Email: w.cheung@oceans.ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English, Cantonese
- Warming seas
- Effects of extreme heat on marine life
- Impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and dependent human communities
- Climate solutions for the ocean and fisheries
- biodiversity
Dr Sarah Dixon-Hoyle (she her)
Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Forestry and Conservation Sciences
Email: sarah.dickson-hoyle@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Forest fire recovery
- Environmental impacts of forest fires
- Community resilience to wildfires and proactive approaches
Dr. Karen Hodges (she her)
Professor, UBC Okanagan Department of Biology
Phone: 250-807-8763
Email: karen.hodges@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Post-fire habitats
- Impacts on wildlife from heat, drought and fire
- Salvage logging and impact on wildlife
Dr. A.S. Alison McAfee
Postdoctoral Fellow, Michael Smith Laboratories and North Carolina State University
Phone: 778-995-2151
Email: alison.n.mcafee@gmail.com
Interview language(s): English
- Biology and fecundity of the honey bee
- Effect of high temperatures on bee fecundity and survival
Dr. Matthew Mitchell (he/him)
Research Associate, Center for Sustainable Food Systems
Phone: 778-580-8222
Email: matthew.mitchell@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Biodiversity, impact of smoke/pollutants on animal activity, ecosystem services
*not available until September 5th
Dr. David Scott
Associate Professor, Department of Earth, Environment and Geographical Sciences
Email: david.scott@ubc.ca
Interview language(s): English
- Effects of wildfires on hydrology and erosion
- Evaluation of fire rehabilitation methods in relation to controlling erosion and sedimentation
Note: Dr. Scott is available for email interviews only
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