This study was conducted to fill a knowledge gap in forest ecosystem carbon (C) stocks for managed/harvested and unmanaged old-growth stands of Interior Cedar Hemlock (ICH) biogeoclimatic zone forests, also known as Inland Temperate Rainforests' (ITRs), in central British Columbia (BC). Carbon stocks of live tree (with accounting for heart-rot and hollow) and dead organic matter (snag, coarse woody debris, and forest floor excluding mineral soil) were quantified in three study sites designated as ICHwk3 or ICHvk2. The C stocks were evaluated among stands treated with three different harvesting methods: clear-cutting (CC), group retention (GR, 30% retention), group selection (GS, 70% retention), and uncut (UN, 100% retention). Mean total forest C stocks (excluding mineral soil) in old-growth stands were 455 ± 156 Mg C ha⁻¹ (± 95% confidence interval) similar to regional average forest C stocks for the Pacific Northwestern USA, demonstrating the important C reservoirs in this ecosystem despite the high incidence of heart-rot in cedar. Live-tree and dead-organic-matter C stocks accounted for 76 and 24% of the total C, respectively. Tree biomass allometric equations were the largest contributor to total uncertainty in live-tree C stocks. This indicates the need to develop ITR-specific tree allometric equations for more accurate assessment of live-tree C. Old ITRs were found to be vulnerable to intensive harvesting (CC and GR), losing the total C stocks of 78 and 65% below those of uncut old-growth stands. In contrast, low-intensity harvesting (GS) reduced the C stocks of only 13% below those of uncut old-growth stands and thus provides a good compromise between forest harvesting to provide wood products and maintenance of forest C stocks at all sites. High spatial variability observed in the total forest C stock also stresses the importance of recognizing landform-related productivity gradients (i.e., toe slopes) in the old ITRs. In the face of continued greenhouse gas accumulat
There is an innate human drive to share stories of self. In this thesis, I explore the idea of creating autobiographical fiction through written and visual art forms. A key challenge is how to tell a story based on a life event without disrespecting actual people or distorting recollected events. I begin by considering the concept of autobiography, the nature of memory, its close relationship to fiction, and the relationship between these, identity, and storytelling. I discuss the possibility of a more complete understanding of the story being told when an author also employs an alternative narrative form. Using myself as a subject, I engage in a form of autoethnography to create fictional short stories that have an autobiographical thread. Each story is accompanied by a work of visual art as further narration of the same story. I conclude by suggesting that using the two narrative forms of written and visual art provides an individual with the opportunity for an alternative perspective, which allows for a more clear understanding of self and position in the world. --Leaf ii.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from civil aviation contribute to anthropogenic climate change and are expected to increase significantly in the future. GHG emission inventories exist for civil aviation at the global scale but not subnational scale. In this thesis, I present what seems to be the first detailed analysis of the carbon footprint (CF) of civil aviation at a subnational level together with an assessment of what key stakeholders are doing to mitigate their CF. I calculated the CF of civil aviation in British Columbia (BC), Canada, determined what efforts airlines and airports in BC are engaging in to mitigate it, and make recommendations on how to further decrease future GHG emissions. The annual CF of civil aviation in BC that is subject to the BC Carbon Tax is approximately 524,000 tonnes of CO2. Passenger flights account for 197,000 tonnes (38%), airport operations for 148,000 tonnes (28%), and passenger travel to and from airports for 179,000 tonnes (34%). Large airlines and airports, as well as small airlines in southern BC, are generally proactive in reducing their CF, while small airlines in northern BC and small airports are generally not. To further reduce the CF of civil aviation in BC, I recommend a major effort to reduce emissions from passenger travel to/from airports, improved stakeholder cooperation including better technology dissemination, enhanced passenger and employee education and awareness programs, high quality and more transparent offset programs, and incentives by the provincial government for airlines and airports to reduce their CF while remaining economically competitive. --P. ii.
