B.C.’s forests and watersheds have taken a beating over the past few years.

Wildfires, floods, landslides, and pests such as the Mountain Pine Beetle have all had significant environmental and socio-economic impacts on communities across the province.

A new initiative from the Interior University Research Coalition (IURC)—the Disaster Prevention, Response, Recovery and Resilience (Disaster PR3) fund—is helping researchers explore the impacts of these forest disturbances. The goal of the coalition is to amplify research that addresses the new realities faced by communities in B.C.’s Interior, where researchers are on the front lines of disaster events.

Faculty and students at UBC’s Okanagan campus, Thompson Rivers University and the University of Northern British Columbia—which together make up the IURC—are collaborating on three research projects that will examine natural disturbances and their impacts on various watershed processes in forests, hillside slopes and crown land.

 

Continue reading at University of Northern British Columbia.

Image via University of Northern British Columbia.