Infrastructure Development
Gas & Electrical Utilities

Trusted environmental, forestry, and risk-management expertise for gas and electrical utility infrastructure projects.

Decades of Experience in Utility Infrastructure

Blackwell Consulting supports gas and electrical utility providers through every stage of utility infrastructure development—from early route planning and environmental assessment to construction support and long-term asset stewardship. With decades of experience working in British Columbia and across Canada, in complex landscapes, sensitive ecosystems, and high-risk environments, we help utilities deliver projects that are regulatory-compliant, defensible, and operationally resilient.

Utility infrastructure projects face increasing scrutiny from regulators, Indigenous Nations, municipalities, and the public. Blackwell Consulting provides clear, science-based environmental consulting that balances project delivery with environmental responsibility and long-term risk reduction.

Our Work is Grounded in:

  • Practical field experience on linear utility infrastructure projects
  • Deep knowledge of provincial and federal regulatory frameworks
  • Proven collaboration with utilities, engineers, contractors, and Indigenous partners

Services for Gas & Electrical Utilities

Environmental & Regulatory Planning

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We provide early-stage and project-specific environmental support to reduce permitting risk and approval delays for utility infrastructure projects.

  • Environmental constraints and opportunity mapping
  • Baseline biophysical and environmental assessments
  • Environmental Management Plans (EMPs)
  • Regulatory strategy and approvals support
  • Environmental monitoring and compliance reporting

Route & Site Selection Support

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Early decisions drive long-term outcomes. We help utilities select routes and sites that minimize environmental, operational, and reputational risk.

  • Alternative route and corridor analysis
  • Terrain stability and forest condition assessment
  • Sensitive ecosystem and habitat avoidance strategies
  • Constructability, access, and maintenance considerations

Forestry & Vegetation Management

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Our forestry expertise is a core strength—particularly for linear infrastructure in forested and wildland-urban interface environments.

  • Right-of-way vegetation management planning
  • Hazard tree assessments and forest health evaluations
  • Integrated vegetation management strategies
  • Long-term corridor and asset maintenance planning

Wildfire Risk & Resilience

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Wildfire risk is now a critical consideration for electrical transmission lines, substations, and gas infrastructure. Blackwell Consulting helps utilities reduce exposure, protect assets, and demonstrate due diligence.

  • Wildfire risk assessments for transmission and pipeline corridors
  • Fuel management and wildfire treatment planning
  • Asset-specific wildfire mitigation strategies
  • Support for utility wildfire risk reduction programs

Construction & Operational Support

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We work alongside construction teams to ensure environmental commitments are met without slowing project delivery.

  • Environmental construction support and field monitoring
  • Adaptive management during construction
  • Post-construction rehabilitation and monitoring
  • Operations and maintenance planning

Why Utilities Choose
Blackwell Consulting

  • Utility-Focused Experience: We understand the realities of linear utility infrastructure, long asset lifespans, and operational risk.
  • Defensible, Science-Based Advice: Our environmental and forestry recommendations stand up to regulatory, legal, and public scrutiny.
  • Integrated Forestry & Wildfire Expertise: Few consulting firms combine forestry, wildfire risk, and utility infrastructure experience at this level.
  • Practical Solutions: We deliver recommendations that work in the field—not just on paper.

Project Types We Support

  • Electrical transmission and distribution lines
  • Natural gas pipelines and compressor facilities
  • Substations and utility facilities
  • Access roads and utility corridors
  • Infrastructure upgrades, expansions, and lifecycle asset management

Partner With Confidence

Blackwell Consulting is a trusted advisor to gas and electrical utilities operating in British Columbia and across Canada. We help our clients move projects forward responsibly, reduce long-term environmental and wildfire risk, and protect critical infrastructure.

Contact us to discuss how we can support your gas or electrical utility infrastructure project.

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Wes
Bieber

BSF, RPF

Wes has worked in the Forest Industry in many capacities for 41 years; on the B.C. Coast (6) and B.C. Interior (34).  He is currently president of Longfellows Natural Resource Management Solutions Inc. and providing strategic and operational solutions to Woodlot and Community Forest Agreement holders in the North Thompson, Prince George, and 100 Mile House Natural Resource Districts.

While Wes currently lives in nearby Salmon Arm, he lived and worked in the North Thompson River valley for over 30 years, providing successful solutions in access development, harvest planning (including salvage of forest damaged by fire and wind), implementing effective silviculture regimes, stakeholder communications, Community Wildfire Protection Planning, Wildfire Risk Reduction. Wes was a strong participating member of multi-jurisdiction tables such as the Kamloops TSA Licensee Committee, Mtn Caribou Recovery Planning, and spatializing Old Growth Management Areas; working toward procedural as well as landscape solutions.  Wes continues to be connected to clients, stakeholders, and the forest professionals working in the Thompson Rivers District through his consulting workload.

Wes has long history of working with the First Nations of the unceded territories that overlap in the North Thompson River Valley. Project include preparing CWPPs and WRR prescriptions on Federal Indian Reserves; working with First Nation crews completing fuel management prescriptions; ongoing information sharing and subsequent field assessments on small, area-based tenures; and assisting in the preparation of a Forest Stewardship Plan for the First Nations Woodlands License N1I, held by Kenkeknme Forest Tenures Ltd. (Canim Lake Indian Band).

Wes has a passion for effectively managing the environmental impacts of forest access roads; effectively planning road locations, supervising best road construction techniques, planning and supervising road reactivation and deactivation activities. Wes has worked on a number of projects managed by Blackwell and administered by PwC under Ministry funded programs including the Cariboo Forests For Tomorrow mountain pine beetle restoration/silviculture program, and ongoing fertilization programs in the interior (Selkirk, Okanagan Shuswap, and Thompson Rivers Natural Resource Districts).

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Thomas 
Corbett

BScF, LFR

Thomas joined Blackwell in October 2024 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of British Columbia. Thomas’ previous work experiences include four years of tree planting in BC, consulting for Cathro Consulting, contract firefighting in Princeton, BC, and volunteer firefighting in Maharashtra, India.

Since joining Blackwell, Thomas has been involved in FireSmart assessments for homeowners on Bowen Island and has completed his training as a qualified Local FireSmart Representative. Moving forward, he will be a part of the firm’s fertilization team, participating in aerial forest health flights and landscape level fertilization plans and implementation in all phases from reconnaissance through operational planning, treatment supervision, quality assurance, and reporting.

Thomas is planning to register as a Forester-In-Training in the near future, working towards a Registered Professional Forester designation.

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Joshua 
Sunderwald

BScF, DipTech, LFR

Joshua graduated from the University of British Columbia Forest Resource Management Program and joined Blackwell in 2024. His previous experience includes a diploma in Forest Resource Technology from Vancouver Island University and 5 years of wildland firefighting with Alberta Wildfire.

Since joining Blackwell, Joshua has been involved with several Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans, fuel management prescriptions, prescribed burn planning, and assessments of Ministry-funded Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction (CL WRR) prescriptions and treatments. Involvement has included field data collection, such as wildfire threat assessments, qualitative and quantitative stand description, riparian assessments, and fuel typing; post-field data compilation; and spatial data organization. Additionally, Joshua is a certified Local Fire Representative and has conducted a number of FireSmart Assessments for the District of West Vancouver.

>Joshua is planning to register as a Forester-In-Training in the near future, working towards a Registered Professional Forester designation.

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Matt
Day

DipTech For, SAS

Matt is an accredited silviculture surveyor with 33 years of experience working in the natural resource sector, including over 28 consecutive years focused on silviculture related field work in BC. Matt began his silviculture career working as a tree planter and taking part in other stand tending contracts outside of the tree planting season before becoming a crew foreman and camp supervisor responsible for the day-to-day field operations of silviculture crews working on various reforestation and stand tending projects.

Matt has extensive experience working with tree planting and manual brushing crews and has been involved in planning, logistics, hiring, training and quality control. Matt started carrying out silviculture surveys in 2003 and has since gained many years of experience working as a silviculture survey contract field supervisor, senior surveyor, and crew leader responsible for daily field operations including preparation, planning, logistics, training, and quality control. Matt is experienced in collecting data and completing compilations and prescriptions for a broad range of silviculture surveys and stand tending treatments for a variety of clients in both the public and private natural resource sectors.

Matt has worked with Community Forests, First Nations woodlands license holders, private industry licensees, BCTS, and MFLNRORD to carry out silviculture field work in numerous Forest Districts. Matt has conducted surveys in the Cariboo annually since 2016 with extensive experience conducting post-wildfire assessment in managed stands. Additionally, he has conducted post wildfire stocking and salvage surveys in unmanaged stands in the DQU under the Forests for Tomorrow (FFT) program, as well as post-wildfire stocking assessments and reforestation prescription and planting supervision in the Chilliwack District (2015-2016).

Matt has a long-standing working relationship with Blackwell, since 2012, including silviculture and wildfire management/rehabilitation project work under PwC recipient agreements.

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Simon
Murray

B.A., RFT, ISA Certified Arborist, TRAQ

Simon is a Registered Forest Technologist with 34 years of forestry experience. He has extensive experience with forest management, project supervision and contract management. Prior to joining Blackwell in 2023, Simon provided professional consulting services ranging from preparation of site plans, stand management prescriptions, and forestry operations management, to tree risk assessments, forest health surveys, and tree health inspections.

Simon’s years of experience on the BC coast has given him expert knowledge of silviculture practices and coastal terrestrial ecology and a well-developed network of colleagues and contractors in the coastal forest industry. Recent urban forestry work for Blackwell has included extensive tree risk assessment (TRAQ) of hemlock looper impacted trees, layout, and arborist supervision of tree removals in Stanley Park; supervision of tree protection and removal related to mountain bike trail development on Grouse Mountain; and preparation of arborist reports and wildfire hazard assessments for new home construction as required by wildfire hazard Development Permit Area (DPA) bylaws and Building permits.

Simon has also completed tree risk assessments (TRAQ) and windthrow hazard assessments for a Streamside Protection and Enhancement Area in the City of Coquitlam including a prescription for tree removals and modifications. He is also a Riparian Areas Protection Regulation Qualified Professional.

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Kasia 
Humphreys

BScF, LFR

Kasia joined Blackwell in June 2024 after graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry Operation from UBC. She has had a number of years of relevant experience prior to joining Blackwell: she has trained and worked as a trail builder in the Kinbasket Region, funded by the Columbia Trust Basin; she was part of a unit crew with BC Wildfire Services in 2020; and, in 2021, she worked as a Silvicultural Assistant, which involved silviculture surveying and report writing for Northpac Forestry Ltd.

Kasia was also an intern for FP Innovations, on their Wildfire Operational Research team, in 2022. In this role, she was responsible for data collection and compilation with their Instand Microclimate project, and research block layout and data collection in Pelican Mountain, Alberta, and Fort Providence, Northwest Territories.

For Blackwell, Kasia has been involved with several Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans, fuel management prescriptions, prescribed burn planning, and assessments of Ministry-funded Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction (CL WRR) prescriptions and treatments. Involvement has included field data collection, such as wildfire threat assessments, qualitative and quantitative stand description, riparian assessments, and fuel typing; post-field data compilation; and spatial data organization. Additionally, Kasia is a certified Local Fire Representative and has conducted a number of FireSmart Assessments for the District of West Vancouver.

Kasia is planning to register as a Forester-In-Training in the near future, working towards a Registered Professional Forester designation.

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Cait
van Vliet

B.A., DipTech, TFT, LFR

Cait joined Blackwell in May 2023 after completing a technical diploma from the Forest and Natural Areas Resource Management program at BCIT. Prior to joining the forestry sector, Cait earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Victoria.

Her previous forestry experiences include an internship at UBC’s Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, as well as field work for Infinity Pacific Stewardship Group. These experiences provided her opportunities in public education; silviculture surveying; field data collection and compilation; report development; harvest block design and layout; planting prescription development; site plan development; and fire plan preparation.

For Blackwell, Cait has been involved in the development of multiple fuel management prescriptions and Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans. She was also participated in field work for the fuel treatment assessments of the BCWS Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction program. These projects involved: field data collection, such as wildfire threat assessments, qualitative and quantitative stand description, riparian assessments, and fuel typing; post-field data compilation; spatial data organization; map preparation; and document drafting and finalization. Cait has applied experience in various phases of wildfire management, including pre- and post-treatment data collection, fuel typing, FireSmart compliance, access/egress and evacuation corridors, fuel treatment prescription development, structure vulnerability, plan production, and spatial data preparation.

Cait is qualified as a Local FireSmart Representative and currently enrolled with FPBC as a Trainee Forest Technologist, working towards her Registered Forest Technologist designation.

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Zachary
Spencer

MSc, MF, ISA Cert. Arb., TRAQ, WDTA, LFR

Zach holds a Master of Forestry (MF) from UBC, a Master of Science (MSc) in Forest Science from the University of Padua in Italy, and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. He is an ISA Certified Arborist, a qualified tree risk assessor (TRAQ & WDTA), and a Local FireSmart Representative. He also holds a micro-certificate in Forest Health Management from UBC. Prior to joining Blackwell, he worked as a production arborist and plant healthcare technician for the Davey Tree Expert Company in Vancouver, working on a variety of urban forestry projects, including a tree removal contract for the City of Vancouver and tree maintenance on the UBC endowment lands. He joined Blackwell in March 2025 and has since been involved in tree risk assessment, wildfire hazard assessments, forest health assessments, tree inventories, and development permit applications (DPAs) on the North Shore. He has had the chance to engage in supervision, tree planting, and tree inventories for Blackwell’s management of the hemlock looper outbreak in Stanley Park and to provide technical support for a forest health assessment of Delta’s Watershed Park.

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Marissa
Hallaway

BScF, RPF

Marissa joined Blackwell in May 2023 and is based on Vancouver Island. She is a Registered Professional Forester with the Forest Professionals of British Columbia and a graduate from UBC with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resource Management.

Prior to joining Blackwell, Marissa gained over 10 years of forest industry experience with Western Forest Products/Tsawak-qin Forestry Limited Partnership in Port Alberni as a Silviculture Forester. This work involved site plan and cutblock development, silviculture surveys, planting and brushing project development and supervision, as well as higher level planning and landscape reserve designs.

At Blackwell, Marissa has been a part of the firm’s aerial forest fertilization programs on Vancouver Island and the Mid Coast. This has included helicopter assessments of areas to determine treatment suitability, conducting ground assessments to identify potential prescription areas and assisting with operational planning and implementation, including monitoring and supervising. This work also includes referrals with licensees, collaborating with Ministry staff and First Nation information sharing. She has also been involved in aerial surveys for the Ministry of Forests’ annual aerial overview forest health survey program in the Coast Region.

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Max
Catt

BScF, FIT, LFR, TRAQ

Max joined Blackwell in May 2021, after graduating from UBC with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resource Management. Max has over five years of forestry and parks experience. His previous experience includes forest development/environmental field assessments and layout; silviculture surveys in various locations throughout BC; and two seasons with Metro Vancouver Parks, including extensive public relations/education.

Max’s recent work at Blackwell has been focused on all aspects of fuel management and community wildfire resiliency including Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans (CWRP) for Sts’ailes and the District of Kitimat (plan development lead), Squamish Nation, Township of Langley, Village of Belcarra, City of Coquitlam, Strathcona Regional District Electoral Area D, Quadra Island, and We Wai Kai First Nation (plan development technical assistance). Max has completed the following tasks throughout CWRP document development: field data collection (wildfire threat assessments, fuel typing, fuel type change plots, identification of proposed treatment areas, and qualitative assessments regarding the seven FireSmart disciplines); document preparation; stakeholder and/or First Nations consultation; and GIS activities.

Max has also been involved in field data collection and compilation for several fuel management prescriptions, including the Village of Sayward, the City of Delta, and the Resort Municipality of Whistler, and prescription document development for the Village of Gold River, Klahoose First Nation, and Galiano Island. He has also been involved in operational supervision of fuel treatment implementation for the Resort Municipality of Whistler.

Max also has experience completing field work and extensive data collection for a large-scale multi-phase project on post-wildfire regeneration in Old Growth Management Areas. His wildfire-related experience is complemented by two seasons of operational forestry experience completing silviculture surveys, timber cruising, block layout, and riparian assessments in the Okanagan with Ntityix Resources LP (Westbank First Nation) and prior experience conducting block and road layout, stream assessments, silviculture surveys, and wildfire salvage layout throughout BC. He is also a Local FireSmart Representative and has conducted numerous Home Ignition Zone and Critical Infrastructure assessments.

Max has conducted silviculture surveys and forest development field work for Ntityix Resources in the Westbank First Nation Community Forest where he completed regeneration, free to grow, and stocking surveys for Quesnel. More recently, Max’s role in Blackwell also includes various urban forestry projects, involving tree risk and arborist assessments, project management support, and site supervision. He is a qualified tree risk assessor (TRAQ).

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Brin
Farrell

BTech, DipTech, ASFIT, SAS, LFR

Brin joined Blackwell in June 2020, after graduating from BCIT with a Bachelor of Technology in GIS and a Technical Diploma in Forest and Natural Areas Management. During her technical diploma, Brin specialized in wildland and community fire management and community resource planning. Brin has a background in natural resource management and has five years of operational experience as a tree planter for numerous clients and forest tenures.

Through her work at Blackwell, Brin has gained experience in community wildfire management. She has led the development of multiple Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans (CWRP) / Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) for local government clients throughout BC. Brin has experience in various phases of wildfire management, including pre- and post-treatment data collection, fuel typing, FireSmart compliance, access/egress and evacuation corridors, fuel treatment prescription development, structure vulnerability, plan production, and spatial data preparation. Brin is a Local FireSmart Representative certified through FireSmart BC.

As part of her community wildfire planning work, she has facilitated Community FireSmart Resiliency Committees and supported local government in all aspects of FireSmart program delivery, including FireSmart assessments, workshops, presentations, and funding application guidance. Brin supports GIS activities for all CWRP and fuel management projects, producing spatial data and maps and conducting spatial statistics. She has also managed and/or contributed to numerous fuel management prescriptions and two operational treatment projects. Brin played a leading role for a multi-year post-wildfire regeneration research project in coastal Old Growth Management Areas from 2020 to 2022.

Brin has training and skills in TIPSY. Her recent work at Blackwell is focused on silviculture surveys and wildfire risk reduction projects. She has also conducted permanent sample research plot measurements. Brin is an accredited silviculture surveyor and has completed survival, regen delay, and free growing surveys for BCTS. She has participated in all phases and activities from survey plots and rationales for block determinations/recommendations to survey report compilations and map development.

Brin is registered in the Allied Science Forester-in-Training program, working towards her designation as a Registered Professional Forester.

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Emma
Law

DipTech, TFT, SAS

Emma graduated from the Forest and Natural Areas Management program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology in 2022 and joined Blackwell in June of 2022. She has previous experience as a summer intern at the Burns Lake Community Forest where she participated in the preparation and implementation of prescribed burn treatments in partnership with Dr. Sonja Leverkus of Northern Fire WoRx and the BC Wildfire Service. She was also involved in silvicultural surveys, site plans, block boundary layout, and the development of their Forest Stewardship Plan.

At Blackwell, Emma has been an integral part of the firm’s aerial forest fertilization program. This has included helicopter assessment of areas to determine treatment suitability, collecting field data, developing maps, generating prescription documents and supporting report writing. She has conducted ground assessments to identify potential prescription areas and assisted with operational planning and implementation, including water quality monitoring and supervising. She has also been involved in aerial surveys for the Ministry of Forests’ annual aerial overview forest health survey program in the Coast Region.

Emma is an Accredited Silviculture Surveyor. With Blackwell, she has several years of surveying experience, which has included western redcedar juvenile spacing surveys in the Arrowsmith TSA to identify potential candidate stands for treatment and survival, regen delay, and free growing surveys in the Shuswap Lake area.

Emma is currently a Trainee Forest Technologist working towards her Registered Forest Technologist designation.

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Ali
Rahi

PhD Forestry, RPF, ISA Certified Arborist, TRAQ, WDTA, LFR

Ali has a PhD in Forestry and Soil Science from UBC and is a Registered Professional Forester, an ISA certified arborist, wildlife danger tree assessor (WDTA), and qualified tree risk assessor (TRAQ). Ali has worked for the Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario as a forester and as an independent consultant on numerous projects across BC and Alberta.

Ali joined Blackwell in early 2020 and, since then, been involved in numerous tree risk assessment and windfirming and windthrow assessment projects across the Lower Mainland and in the Sea to Sky corridor. Project work has included tree inventories and tree risk assessments along the Resort Municipality of Whistler Valley Trail system, advanced tree risk assessment and windthrow assessment for the City of Coquitlam and ongoing arboriculture assessments for municipal and private clients. He has also conducted field assessments of hemlock looper infestation and associated tree risk in North Vancouver for Metro Vancouver (Lynn Headwaters Regional Park) and for the District of North Vancouver.

Most recently, Ali conducted survey design, detailed site / forest health evaluations, and TRAQ assessments for the Stanley Park Hemlock Looper impact and Wildfire Risk Assessment, an i-Tree Eco Analysis for the City of Colwood, BC. In addition to his urban forestry experience, Ali has contributed to a number of community wildfire plans and fuel management prescriptions. Ali is also a certified Local FireSmart Representative and has conducted multiple FireSmart home assessments for the District of West Vancouver and several fuel treatment prescriptions for municipal parks in the City of North Vancouver.

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Jeff
Fisher

BScF, RPF

Jeff is an operations specialist at Blackwell with over 40 years of experience in forest management. With Blackwell, Jeff has planned and supervised various forestry and restoration operations throughout the Sea to Sky corridor and within Metro Vancouver, and performed wildfire hazard assessments for various property owners. Jeff has performed slash burning for woodlot licensees, a BCTS licensee, and private property owners, and facilitated and supervised fuel management prescription projects for N’Quatqua and other municipal clients.

Prior to joining Blackwell, Jeff was the President and Forestry Manager for Sqomish Forestry LP, overseeing all aspects of forest management for the Squamish First Nations-owned forestry and logging company. Jeff also spent 20 years with Interfor, where he supervised all facets of forest operations and planning in the Squamish area, including broadcast burning. Jeff was the previous President of the Sea to Sky Woodlot Association, member of the Spotted Owl BMP Working Group, and a forestry representative on the Sea to Sky Land and Resource Management Plan Public Planning Forum.

He also served as President/Board Chair of the Cheakamus Community Forest which is a partnership between the Squamish Nation, Lil’wat Nation, and Resort Municipality of Whistler. Through this work, he has planned and supervised forestry development, fuel treatment, and tree removals in urban interface and industrial forestry operating areas, including areas of high recreation value and public use in the Sea to Sky corridor. He has also facilitated numerous stakeholder engagement processes, including site visits, open houses, and meetings. Jeff has extensive experience in environmental and safety management systems. He supported Interfor’s process to achieve SFI and ISO 14001 certifications and developed a comprehensive safety program for Squamish.

Since joining Blackwell in 2021, he has played a key role in project management and site supervision of tree removal and fuel treatment contracts and has conducted and supported a variety of wildfire risk reduction project work. Jeff is intimately familiar with the range of considerations in planning, budgeting, and implementing projects in visually and environmentally sensitive urban interface areas, including measures to protect public safety, environmental, cultural and recreational values, and managing highly constrained work sites.

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Rob
Sandberg

BScF, GDBA, RPF, ATE

Rob is a Registered Professional Forester, Accredited Timber Evaluator (ATE), and Licensed Scaler with over 30 years of experience in BC forestry. Rob has been an Associate at Blackwell since 2005.

From 2007-2010, Rob managed Blackwell’s 5-year Forests for Tomorrow (FFT) Recipient Agreement. Rob provided fiscal and professional leadership to a broad group of forest professionals and practitioners as the program developed. Under Rob’s leadership the program explored and implemented several innovative silviculture treatments for the rehabilitation of pine beetle impacted stands. This also included the development of unique survey standards, prescriptions, and the implantation of large planting projects. In addition to FFT, Rob also provided strategic advice and managed the original forest tenures for Tall Oil Canada Inc., as it developed its bioenergy business in the Chilcotin and BC central interior.

Rob has worked in a variety of senior management roles for major licensees on the BC coast and in the interior. In the past 12 years, Rob has been practicing forestry throughout coastal BC, primarily in the Fraser Valley and on Haida Gwaii. There, he was also responsible for the corporate silviculture programs of two large licensees. Using his extensive business skills and financial knowledge, Rob has also conducted timber and tenure valuations for private land owners, tenure holders and First Nations. Rob has acted as an expert witness in the BC Supreme Court with respect to private land timber valuation.

Since 2009, Rob has completed valuations in support of Huu-ay-aht First Nation and Nanwakolas Council for treaty land, tenure acquisitions, and other business affairs.

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Tove
Pashkowski

BScF (Hons.), BA Econ., RPF, LFR

Tove is a Registered Professional Forester with over 15 years of experience with a focus in wildfire risk reduction, complemented by diverse experience in forest operations, silviculture surveys, arboriculture, and wildland fire suppression. She started working with Blackwell in 2009 and is based in Rossland, BC.

Since 2018, Tove has acted as a Wildfire Technical Advisor and subject matter expert for the Columbia Basin Trust’s Community Development and Wildfire Programs, as well as the Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction – Columbia Basin Economic Recovery Initiative and the Community Resiliency Investment Program – Columbia Basin Wildfire Resiliency Initiative (funding partnerships with BCWS and Ministry of Forests).

Further in the area of community wildfire resilience, Tove has extensive experience developing Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans and Community Wildfire Protection Plans, in multiple capacities, including project lead, technical advisor, and co-author. Tove has also developed numerous fuel management prescriptions in a wide range of ecosystems for municipal, First Nation, BC Wildfire Service, and industry clients in BC. She applied her technical expertise to develop a draft provincial fuel data and survey collection standard for BCWS in 2020. Tove also has extensive experience managing fuel treatment projects/programs (operational planning, fuel treatment prescription development and implementation supervision) including for the City of Rossland, City of Fernie, District of Elkford, City of Delta, District of North Vancouver, Town of Creston, as well as Kootenay Tri-Regional and Cariboo fuel management programs, Teck Metals private lands, and numerous other projects across BC.

In 2021, Tove developed a silvopasture pilot plan/multi-year program in collaboration with agricultural and livestock experts with the objective of fuel management. Through this diverse project work, Tove has engaged extensively with municipal clients and Ministry staff in all stages of wildfire management/risk reduction projects and conducted extensive consultation with First Nations, the public, land managers, and a wide range of stakeholders. She has provided advisory services to local governments, First Nations, non-profit societies, and community groups within the Columbia Basin and has demonstrated her ability to build relationships with diverse parties to support collaborative wildfire prevention.

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Quentin
Schmidt

BScF, RPF, LFR

Quentin joined Blackwell in May 2021, after obtaining a degree from the UBC Faculty of Forestry in 2016, graduating from the Forest Resource Management program. He had previous work experience with the Alberta Wildfire, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), and the Ministry of Forests, gaining seven years of operational experience as a wildland firefighter working on numerous interface fires in different forest types across BC and Alberta. Quentin often led fuel management and prescribed burn efforts for various municipal and Provincial Parks projects while with the BCWS. He spent two winters working with the Crown Land Wildfire Risk Reduction team at the District of Okanagan-Shuswap, in which he reviewed various fuel management prescriptions and prescribed burn plans, many of which were in sensitive sites.

As a Registered Professional Forester at Blackwell, he has assisted and led numerous Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans, fuel management prescriptions, and operational supervision of fuel treatment implementation projects. His involvement in these projects includes reconnaissance, fuel and stand structure data collection and data compilation, performing Wildfire Threat Assessments, using GIS analysis and mapping, and technical writing. These projects include extensive consultation with stakeholders, land managers, the public, and First Nations. Quentin has also completed various Fire Risk Assessments for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, a feasibility study on interface wildfire suppression for the City of Nelson, and prescribed / cultural fire scoping projects for the Ministry of Forests. He is also a Local FireSmart Representative and has conducted critical infrastructure and neighbourhood FireSmart assessments for multiple municipalities, First Nations, and regional districts.

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Monica
Nederend

BScF, RPF, LFR

Monica Nederend joined Blackwell in May 2019 after graduating from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science degree in forest resource management, specializing in community and Aboriginal forestry. As a Registered Professional Forester at Blackwell, she has focused primarily on silviculture and fire management, including fuels management prescription work. She has managed numerous fuel management programs and Community Wildfire Protection Plans and Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans for local governments, First Nations, and BC Parks. She also led the development of a fire management plan for the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area.

Monica has conducted several silviculture surveys, including survival, regen delay, and free growing surveys. She has also been involved in aerial surveys for the Ministry of Forests’ annual aerial overview forest health survey program in the Coast Region and was the technical co-lead for Canadian Forest Service chronosequence research trials investigating carbon sequestration in second growth forests.

Prior to joining Blackwell, Monica helped conduct research projects evaluating FireSmart strategies and the effects of prescribed burning in northern Alberta. She is a certified Local FireSmart Representative and has conducted FireSmart critical infrastructure and neighbourhood assessments.

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Matthew
Thompson

BScF, RPF

Matthew Thompson is Registered Professional Forester and a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s Forest Resources Management program, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. He began working for Blackwell during the summer of 2018, before completing his degree, and joining the company full-time in May 2019.

Prior to working at Blackwell, Matthew gained field experience with Western Forest Products in both silviculture and timber development on northern Vancouver Island, including cutblock layout and silviculture surveys.

Matthew’s work experience at Blackwell has been diverse, with field and office duties for aerial fertilization projects, forest health overview surveys, large-scale hazard tree removal projects, cutblock layout, and timber cruising.

Most recently, he has been working on the development and implementation of detailed site-level prescriptions for hazard tree removal and ecological restoration of hemlock looper impacted areas in Stanley Park and Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. His work on these projects has included extensive onsite coordination and supervision of contractors and operational treatments, inspection and documentation of completed works, project cost estimating, expenditure tracking, and progress reporting.

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Louis
Orieux

B.A. (Hons.), Dipl. Tech. (SRMT Distinct.), RPF

Louis joined Blackwell in July 2013 as a graduate from BCIT’s Sustainable Resource Management program. Prior to that, he also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography from UBC. When he first joined the firm, Louis' work focused on forest development planning and layout (full-phase cutting permit and road permit approvals and site plans), forest health (aerial overview and ground surveys), silviculture (aerial fertilization prescription development and implementation), and forest ecology (technical field sampling support for Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping projects). His more recent focus is on community wildfire resiliency planning, fuel management prescription development, treatment monitoring and post-treatment assessment, emergency access planning, FireSmart assessment and extension, and development of policy. He has a strong understanding of the application of FireSmart principles and practices in diverse municipal contexts and is a certified Local FireSmart Representative. Louis leads the firm’s wildfire and fuels management department, and has lead the development of over 500 ha of fuel management prescriptions and 13 Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans (CWRPs) for municipal and regional governments, First Nations, and BC Parks clients.

Most recently, Louis has been leading a multi-year program that assesses the efficacy of fuel management prescriptions and treatments (prescription development and treatment funded through various sources – CLWRR, FNESS, FESBC, CBT) across BC and developed program recommendations for improvement, as well as leading the development of multiple BCWS Wildland-Urban Interface Wildfire Risk Reduction projects. Through all this project work, he has conducted extensive information sharing with First Nations and stakeholders, as well as engaged with the public. He has led multiple Community FireSmart Resiliency Committee planning meetings and stakeholder consultations, and delivered presentations to the public, regional Boards, and municipal Councils.

Louis’ fire management and forestry operations experience are complemented by the completion of several BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) fire suppression rehabilitation projects and Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping projects in Haida Gwaii, Eskay Creek Mine, and the Capital Regional District’s drinking water watershed.

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Jane
McMahon

B.Sc., RPF

Jane is a Registered Professional Forester with over 30 years of experience in quality assurance and standards administration, contract administration, forest management, digital data management, GIS and resource mapping, GIS analysis, and silviculture surveys implementation. As a project manager, Jane oversees quality assurance and standards administration for data, reporting, and GIS deliverables for a range of small to large multi-year forestry projects for government and industry clients.

Most notably, Jane was the standards administrator for the Forests for Tomorrow (FFT) Program. She provided project contract administration, developed and implemented comprehensive QA/QC processes and managed extensive submissions, including government reporting and spatial submissions. Jane also managed contract administration standards for the large contingent of subcontractors employed by Blackwell ranging from clearing operators, planting operators, through to consulting foresters, ensuring the project was completed to FFT standards and to third party audit standards She has also acted as the standards administrator and quality assurance manager for all Blackwell silviculture survey projects completed since 2007, including a multi-year BC Timber Sales survey program.

Jane has extensive experience working with a range of provincial information systems. She manages project administration and reporting procedures (FESIMS, RESULTS and FIRS submissions) for the firm. This includes an in-depth understanding of RESULTS submissions, Government Funded Silviculture Activity Standards and Specifications, GIS analysis, and resource mapping techniques. Additionally, with extensive experience in GIS analysis, map production and ArcMap spatial data, Jane also provides GIS support.

Jane also has 10 years of experience managing Ministry and BCTS multi-year silviculture surveys contracts in 100 Mile House, Quesnel, and Cariboo Chilcotin TSAs completing projects to government standards while establishing good working relationships with local Government representatives. Prior to joining Blackwell, Jane worked with Weldwood of Canada Ltd., Williams Lake as a planting and site preparation supervisor and field research assistant. She managed silviculture contracts and supervised field crews, including field layout, planting, survey quality checks and surveys for a range of silviculture activities. She was also responsible for developing a digital data reporting and mapping process with ArcInfo and GENUS systems. Jane has held positions with the MFLNRO as a planning and inventory assistant in Horsefly and a recreation technician in Squamish, as well as a position with the Department of Northern Affairs, as a planning GIS technician in Whitehorse.

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Debrah
Zemanek

BSc (Hons), MASc., MSFM, RPF, SAS, LFR

Debrah joined Blackwell in May 2019 after graduating from the Master of Sustainable Forest Management (MSFM) program at the University of British Columbia. She has a background in research and the natural sciences, having completed an honors degree in Environmental Science from Queen’s University followed by a Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering with a focus on renewable fuels.

Debrah has four years of operational experience as a wildland firefighter with the BC Wildfire Service in the BC Interior, contributing to her understanding of fire behavior and emergency response. Through her work with Blackwell, Debrah has extensive experience in the wildfire risk reduction field. She has led the development of numerous community wildfire plans, fuel management prescriptions, and operational treatment projects for local government clients throughout BC. As part of her community wildfire planning work, she has facilitated several Community FireSmart Resiliency Committees, and provided support for local government clients in all aspects of FireSmart program delivery, including FireSmart assessments, workshops, presentations, and funding application guidance. Debrah has conducted First Nations and stakeholder consultation, data analysis and mapping for these and other projects.

Debrah is an Accredited Silviculture Surveyor and has completed silviculture surveys for governmental and private clients in the Cariboo and Shuswap regions since 2019, including survey compilation. In 2023, Debrah was the signing forester and survey design lead for a 28-block post-harvest site plan project in the Williams Lake area. She has also contributed to Blackwell’s urban forestry work, including assessment and reporting for Stanley Park in the City of Vancouver.

Debrah also played a leading role in the development of a Fire Management Plan for Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park, a Wildfire Strategy for the Vernon Fire Zone, and developed a prescribed burn monitoring plan for Natural Resources Canada located on southern Vancouver Island. She is currently engaged in WUI WRR planning for the Thompson Rivers and Chilliwack Natural Resource Districts.

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Avram
Sandor

BScF, Advanced Diploma GIS

Avram joined Blackwell in 2006. He is a senior GIS analyst with an Advanced Diploma in GIS and a Bachelor of Science in Forestry. He has over 22 years of experience in resource management and GIS, with an exclusive focus in GIS since 2014. He has wide-ranging capabilities in analysis, programming, and cartography, and is highly qualified in the acquisition and management of large spatial databases and conducting complex spatial analyses.

His extensive data analysis of spatial and non-spatial information and GIS modeling experience includes, but is not limited to, fire behavior and risk assessments; land cover mapping and accuracy assessment; LiDAR data processing and analysis; strategic wildland/urban interface plans; spatial decision support model design and GIS tools development; web-based mapping application development and deployment; and database design, program reporting, monitoring, and evaluation. His experience in applying spatial analysis involves a wide range of areas, including forestry, agriculture, municipal government operations, urban planning, transportation, and energy.

Avram has expertise in wildfire risk and behaviour modeling to generate spatial risk mapping systems, including extensive experience using Burn P3, the Canadian Fire Behaviour Prediction System, Prometheus, US Behave Plus, FARSITE, FlamMap, and WindNinja. He has conducted GIS analysis and fire behaviour modelling in support of numerous landscape-level wildfire risk assessment and management planning projects for the BC Ministry of Forests, BC Wildfire Service, the Alberta Government, and local governments.

At the provincial level, Avram developed the raster dataset for the provincial Head Fire Intensity, conducted spatial fire risk analyses using Burn P3 modelling for all provincial Natural Resource Districts, and produced provincial fire weather zone layers for a new Provincial Fire Weather Zone Classification System. He has also has provided GIS services in support of infrastructure wildfire risk modelling for BC Hydro and other energy sector clients. 

Avram currently oversee the firm's GIS activity and IT infrastructure. His GIS expertise, complemented by his previous forest engineering and wildlife research experience, provides him with a good understanding of the application of GIS in a wide range of natural resource sector projects.

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Alyssia
Yang Yu

CPA, CGA

Alyssia Yang Yu graduated from Dalian University of Technology in China and worked as Chemical Engineer for Japan Toyota Group before immigrating to Canada. She completed a Financial Management Diploma from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in 2010 and received her CPA and CGA designations in 2015. She joined Blackwell in 2020 and currently heads the accounting department for the firm.

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Agnieszka (Aga)
Duszynska

BScF, RPF, SAS

Agnieszka (Aga) joined Blackwell  in May 2019 as a graduate from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Forest Resource Management. She has recently earned designation as a Registered Professional Forester.

Prior to joining Blackwell, Aga gained experience working in tree planting camps in northern B.C. and as a forest technician with Forsite in the Southern Interior of BC. There, she completed block and road layout and data collection for silviculture prescriptions in Mule Deer Winter Range (north of Likely) and in the Elephant Hill fire for BCTS, as well as for Tolko in the Barriere area and for the Simpcw First Nations in the Little Fort area.

Her early work at Blackwell focused on silviculture surveying, fire management, and urban forestry projects where she has assisted with fieldwork, data compilation and report writing. Since 2020, Aga has contributed to the planning and implementation of numerous silviculture projects in all field and office capacities throughout all project phases. This includes programs on the coast in TFL 37 (Woss), TFL 19 (Nootka Island), the Chilliwack, Sea to Sky, and North Island Natural Resource Districts. She is also an accredited silviculture surveyor with five field seasons of experience with Blackwell and has completed numerous silviculture surveys both on the Coast and in the Southern Interior. She has completed survival, regeneration delay, free growing and brushing surveys, conducted quality control and quality assurance and compiled field data for RESULTS submission and made silviculture recommendations and provided rationales for block determinations, treatments, and future recommendations.

Currently, her focus in the firm has shifted to forest fertilization and forest health projects, in addition to operational silviculture and surveying, where she has contributed to landscape level fertilization plans and implementation in all phases from reconnaissance through operational planning, treatment supervision, quality assurance, and reporting.

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Ben
Andrew

B.S.F., RPF.

Ben has over 22 years of experience in the environmental sector in the fields of terrestrial ecology, wetlands assessment, risk modelling, fire ecology, and forestry. He has managed projects from small-scale research programs to large complex projects involving multiple subcontractors and stakeholders.

Ben has worked throughout BC, as well as in Nunavut, in the mining, forestry, and energy sectors. He has been involved in Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) on over 1.5 million hectares in BC, and on projects such as sensitive ecosystem inventories and mapping, rare and invasive plant assessments, wetland classification projects, ecological research projects, and ecosystem restoration planning.

Previously, as manager of the Terrestrial Ecology and Soils department at Rescan – ERM, Ben was the lead terrestrial ecologist on a dozen major projects in the mining and energy sectors. He has been involved in all aspects of environmental assessment including developing and implementing baseline field programs, authoring and reviewing environmental assessments, participating in stakeholders and regulator meetings, completing project permitting, and completing third party reviews for First Nations. Ben has developed environmental sensitivity mapping and management plans for wetlands, riparian areas, wildlife, and culturally sensitive areas, ensuring compliance with company sustainability goals and permitting requirements.

Ben has extensive experience in community wildfire planning. He has completed plans for over 20 communities in BC and has developed and implemented numerous fuel treatment projects throughout BC, including restoration treatments and prescribed burns in BC Parks. He has also completed numerous projects for multiple First Nations, including woodlot planns, community forest plans, guidance documents related to forest management in traditional territories, and third-party environmental reviews.

To help municipal clients and clients in the mining sector to identify and manage risk, Ben has developed probability and consequence models to conduct ecological risk assessments. The model was recently presented at the Mineral Exploration Roundup convention, the world’s largest annual technical mineral exploration conference.

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Aaron
Bigsby

B.S.F., RPF.

Aaron is a Vancouver Island-based Blackwell Associate with 26 years of experience in forest resource management, including 12 seasons of field sampling for Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) and over 20 years of experience in operational ecology. He also completed research trial establishment and monitoring for the Canadian Forest Service and, prior to joining B.A. Blackwell in 2002, gained extensive experience supervising tree planting and thinning crews, working as a wildland firefighter, and conducting beetle probes and implementing beetle salvage.

Aaron has managed numerous multi-year projects and has extensive experience in contractor supervision and quality assurance. Since 2013, Aaron has led the firm's forest development planning and layout team in contract with Aspen Planers, Lillooet Division. Under his supervision, over 100,000 m3/year has been planned for development, from reconnaissance through to full Road Permit and Cutting Permit approval. Aaron was also a project lead for a five-year contract to administer, plan, and implement a comprehensive silviculture program and restoration planning in the Cariboo region under the Forests for Tomorrow Program. This included the responsibility to recruit subcontractors and to supervise and conduct surveying, prescription development, and implementation of treatments related to damaged plantations impacted by the mountain pine beetle. Aaron has also played a key role in operational planning and implementation of aerial and manual coastal and interior forest fertilization programs, from strategic planning and prescription development to contractor supervision for both public and private sector clients.

In the areas of operational ecology, he has conducted extensive site plan and stand-level prescription development for operational forestry applications, including completion of ecological plot data collection and ecological site identification and classification in diverse coastal ecosystems. This has included helicopter aerial assessments and ground plot data collection (stand attributes, site index, soil pits, and vegetation analysis) to determine fertilization treatment suitability. Work has been conducted in a wide range of terrain and ecosystems (including remote marine or helicopter access only sites) on the coast.

His extensive forest management experience includes a specialization in forest health, post-disturbance restoration/rehabilitation, combined with applied experience in ecology, silviculture, and forest development planning and operations. Aaron brings a deep understanding of coastal forest health agents and trends to the team. He has been a lead forest health specialist and project manager for annual provincial forest health aerial overview surveys, including ground checks and reporting for the Ministry of Forests, Coast Forest Region, since 2007.

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Jeff
McWilliams

B.S.F., RPF.

Jeff is a senior Associate at Blackwell. with over 37 years in forest resource management and wood processing operations, both as a consultant and in private enterprise. His main areas of expertise are in strategic assessment and planning for various forest resource applications, silviculture practices and operational planning audits, silviculture and stand management prescriptions, and management of harvesting and silviculture operations. Jeff has extensive experience managing large projects with multi-disciplinary teams, most recently as acting General Manager of the McBride Community Forest, and supporting the management of a Forests for Tomorrow project in the Cariboo to restore mountain pine beetle-damaged forests.

Jeff has broad experience in all stages of forest development in both coastal and interior BC forests from planning through to implementation. This includes permitting, site plan development, block and treatment layout, supervision, and monitoring. Working for a large coastal sawmill, he acquired experience in log purchasing, byproducts sales and the supervision of all phases of operation of a sawmill and planer.

Jeff is well-versed in silviculture best management practices in BC. At the landscape level, he has contributed to a number of integrated management plans and silviculture investment strategies involving complex trade-offs. At the operational level, Jeff has prescribed and implemented silviculture and stand management prescriptions for a range of treatments including reforestation, fertilization, juveniles spacing, and commercial thinning in both coastal and interior BC. Previously, as an operational forester with International Forest Products Ltd., Jeff was responsible for planning and implementing all phases of a major industrial silvicultural program, including planting, silviculture surveys, site preparation, spacing, pruning, vegetation management, and silviculture prescriptions.

In the area of forest ecology, Jeff has provided technical field sampling support for Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) projects since 1996 and operationally applies his ecology knowledge in site plan and silviculture prescription development. As a consultant, Jeff has specialized in auditing of industry and government forest operations as well as operational planning and management. He provides sound management solutions in the way of quality assurance and quality control programs and processes. Since 1999, Jeff has led Blackwell’s forest fertilization program in BC.

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Bob
Green

M.Sc., RPF

Bob is a Senior Associate at Blackwell with over 40 years of experience in forestry and environmental planning. He is a recognized provincial expert in forest ecology and played a key role in the development of the provincial Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) system. A specialist in Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) with a focus on the management value of this data, he has mapped over 6 million hectares of B.C. since 1996 from small urban parks to large wilderness areas.

Bob has developed a number of GIS-based applications to address, from landscape-level forestry to municipal park planning, management issues including conservation planning and tree species suitability. He has designed applications focusing on ecosystem‐based management, including identification of sensitive ecosystems, mapping habitats for species at risk, and ecosystem restoration planning. These include site index adjustment for forest-level yield analysis, operability and trafficability analysis, landscape-level tree species suitability, and fertilization planning.

Bob was a major contributor to City of Vancouver and the City of London urban forest strategies, as well as tree protection and stream side protection area policy reviews (City of Vancouver, City of Coquitlam), and municipal park windstorm restoration planning (Stanley Park).

Bob has extensive experience in training operational staff in applying ecological principles to forestry decision-making, and has frequently provided advice on complex forest management issues. He has also planned and conducted all phases of research studies related to forest productivity and ecological factors, site preparation, and high elevation reforestation.

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