Wildfire suppression planes work on a fire in the Okanagan earlier this spring.
This week, the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations downgraded many evacuation orders to alerts—but every resident in the region knows the wildfire situation continues to evolve and will leave a lasting impression both on the landscape and in the Okanagan’s collective psyche.
While fire crews continue to work the frontlines, a team of UBC Okanagan experts can provide information on fire growth, habitat loss, post-fire spreading and even the emotional turmoil of being evacuated due to wildfire.
Mathieu Bourbonnais, Assistant Professor, Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Areas of expertise:
- Wildfire risk
- Wildfire suppression and mitigation
- Firefighting and use of satellites for wildfire detection and monitoring
Email: mathieu.bourbonnais@ubc.ca
Tel: 778 583 0272
Greg Garrard, Professor of Environmental Humanities, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies
Areas of expertise:
- Environmental literature
- Culture and climate change (including skepticism)
- The cultural ecology of wildfire
- Political polarization
Email: greg.garrard@ubc.ca
Tel: 250 863 2822
Karen Hodges, Professor of Conservation Biology, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Areas of expertise:
- Conservation biology
- Habitat loss
- Extinction risks
- Wildfires and wildlife
- Climate change and wildfire
- Endangered species
- Boreal forests
- Mammals
- Birds
Email: karen.hodges@ubc.ca
Tel: 250 807 8763
Alessandro Ielpi, Assistant Professor, Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Areas of expertise:
- Watershed processes
- Rivers and floodplains
- Post-fire flooding
- Stream widening and bank erosion
Email: alessandro.ielpi@ubc.ca
Tel: 250 807 8364
Mary-Ann Murphy, Associate Professor, School of Social Work and Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Areas of expertise:
- Dealing with the emotional trauma of wildfires
- Lessons from evacuees
- What to pack when evacuating
- Caring for seniors in extreme heat
- Aging and demographics
Email: mary-ann.murphy@ubc.ca
Tel: 250 870 2632
David Scott, Associate Professor, Earth, Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Areas of expertise:
- Effects of wildfire on hydrology and erosion
- Evaluation of fire site rehabilitation methods in terms of controlling erosion and sedimentation
Email: david.scott@ubc.ca
John R.J. Thompson, Assistant Professor, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science
Areas of expertise:
- Statistical fire growth modelling and simulation
- Fire image analysis
Email: john.thompson@ubc.ca
Tel: 289 776 9678
Babak Tosarkani, Assistant Professor, School of Engineering
Areas of expertise:
- Supply Chain Management
- Operations Management
- Sustainability and Circular Economy
- Risk Management
- Strategic Sustainable Development
Email: babak.tosarkani@ubc.ca
Tel: 647 551 7732
