University of Northern British Columbia. Natural Resources & Environmental Studies

The Nechako Watershed is a large system in northern BC that exemplifies the challenge of integrating information across climate, environment and well-being. This research responded to this need with the goal of enhancing how information about the Nechako Watershed is communicated and shared. Informed by the development of a geospatial ‘portal’ tool in northern BC, this research sought to establish the Integrated Watershed Research Group (IWRG) Portal, gain insight on establishing accessible knowledge exchange strategies, and identify its perceived benefits and limitations. The research had two phases. Phase I involved working with a development team to understand this tool, testing, establishing the IWRG Portal, finding and formatting content. Phase II brought members of the Portal User Research Group together to further refine the IWRG Portal and content through scoping discussions, workshops, and a focus group. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the transcribed focus group. The research identified benefits of the portal with how it dealt with complexity and its integrative features. Limitations were also found, including the need for intentional framing of data, a steep learning curve, and the need for an internet connection. Analysis also identified the need to tailor content for specific audiences. The research has shown that tools such as the IWRG Portal can create new pathways to understanding and finding information. The research has also identified paths for further refinement and development of the portal tool by expanding the user base and continuing to evaluate the effectiveness of this tool in various contexts.

This thesis documents and examines recent changes observed in anadromous Arctic char (Iqalukpik) (Salvelinus alpinus) in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada, including how these changes are being experienced and responded to by community members. Ulukhaktomiut identified a need to document their knowledge and observations of Arctic char to help inform comanagement. The analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews with Ulukhaktomiut revealed six main concerns about Arctic char linked to changes arising in the local environment: (1) presence of salmon, (2) increasing temperature, (3) inconsistent sea and lake ice conditions, (4) changing weather patterns, (5) fluctuating water levels, and (6) the recent presence of tunicates in the ocean. Ulukhaktomiut respond to these changes at the individual and community levels, including altering fishing practices and temporarily halting commercial fishing. The results show that Ulukhaktomiut are astute observers of their local environment and are able to share highly detailed knowledge and observations of Arctic char. Environmental changes are emerging quickly, and there is a great deal of uncertainty among Ulukhaktomiut about why these changes are occurring and what impact they may have on Arctic char. Fisheries management structures will need to be flexible and responsive to ongoing local observations and the best available science to sustain a viable Arctic char fishery now and into the future.

Policy mobility and transfer play a role in larger policy development and implementation processes, as actors look elsewhere for policy solutions to local issues. Conducted in collaboration with the Nadleh Whut’en First Nation and guided by an Indigenous methodology based on the Too Declaration with support from constructivist grounded theory, this research explores the mobilization and transfer of the Yinka Dene Water Law. Conversations with participants representing First Nations and interest groups reveal that the Water Law is being mobilized by individuals and groups at a variety of scales, and use varies from adoption and implementation, to inquiring about its transfer. This research also discusses factors influencing Water Law transfer, including shared policy problems and its function as a communication tool. There are few empirical examples of policy transfer processes between Indigenous contexts. This research contributes to filling this gap in the policy transfer literature by exploring such transfer between First Nations, and advances Nadleh Whut’en’s stewardship and implementation related objectives.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from progressive loss of β-cell insulin secretion frequently on the background of insulin resistance. T2DM, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes, accounts for more than 90% of all cases of diabetes. Insulin resistance (IR) refers to the reduced sensitivity of peripheral tissues to insulin and is one of the important triggers of type 2 diabetes. Sargassum fusiforme polysaccharide exhibits diverse biological activities, and more and more studies have shown it has a significant effect in improving insulin resistance with almost no side effects. Sargassum fusiforme fucoidan (SFF) is one of the main active components with active ingredients such as antioxidants and hypoglycemic lipids. However, the ameliorative effects of SFF on high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance mice and its underlying physiological mechanisms are not clear. Hence, the polysaccharides were extracted and purified from Sargassum fusiforme, and fucoidan (SFF), which has good antioxidant activity, was screened using a drosophila melanogaster aging model. The effect of SFF on the amelioration of insulin resistance in mice was investigated with a high-fat obese insulin resistance mice model. By gut microbiota and metabolomics techniques, the effect of SFF on intestinal metabolites and its mechanism of alleviate IR were investigated. After treatment with 200 mg/kg SFF for 8 weeks, it was found that SFF could reduce body weight, fasting blood glucose and homa-IR in insulin resistance mice. SFF could effectively activate Nrf2/ARE antioxidant signaling pathway in the liver and promote Nrf2 entry into the nucleus and downstream gene transcription. Metabolomics and intestinal microecology revealed that SFF could upregulate TUDCA level and downregulate ceramide level in mice colon and serum, and this change was dependent on gut microbiota. TUDCA effectively inhibits the FXR/SHP signaling pathway activated by a high-fat diet, thereby reducing the biosynthesis of enteric-derived ceramides. In addition, TUDCA in the liver could compete with Nrf2 to bind Keap1 to reduce the formation of the Nrf2/Keap1 complex, reduce Nrf2 ubiquitination, and thus contribute to Nrf2/ARE signaling activation. In conclusion, fucoidan from S. fusiforme was able to modulate gut microbiota, increased the levels of the intestinal metabolite TUDCA, reduced biosynthesis of entericderived ceramides and activated the Nrf2/ARE pathway, which in turn significantly improved insulin resistance induced by high-fat diet in mice. This study provides a new research idea for the study of brown algae fucoidan in metabolic diseases.

Systematic Conservation Planning (SCP) is the practice of comprehensively assessing a landscape for its conservation value via geospatial analysis. This research project applied SCP principles and tools to Tsay Keh Dene Nation Territory in north-central British Columbia, Canada. Working with the Tsay Keh Dene community, we articulated conservation goals and determined important features on the landscape that helped attain those goals. This effort also examined climate change and connectivity impacts on conservation, comparing which lands are most worth conserving today versus 30 and 60 years from now. Finally, this work explored the interweaving of Traditional Ecological Knowledge with the Western science-based SCP framework to ensure a more holistic and inclusive outcome. Our findings both validated ongoing conservation efforts in the Territory and identified additional high-value areas for future consideration. This research can also serve as a guide for other accessible TEK-focused or community-led SCP efforts.

‘Just transition’ is a burgeoning policy goal, as well as an academic and social justice concept. Governments are increasingly operationalizing just transition policy approaches as they realize the scale and scope of industrial transition needed to meet climate targets, recognizing the impact this transition will have on workers and communities. However, there is little consensus on what is considered ‘just’ and ‘fair’. Through interviews with over 40 participants in the Cariboo Regional District (during the COVID-19 pandemic), this thesis will provide insights into the concept of a just transition according to forestry-dependent workers and communities. This research examines the Government of British Columbia’s ‘Supports for Interior Forestry Workers’ programs in response to the 2019 forest sector downturn and describes lessons about how impacted workers and community members evaluate transition management based on their perceptions and values. This work also offers principles and practices for delivering just transition policy and program supports. This research suggests that the Government of British Columbia must adjust existing supports and proactively develop policy measures to manage and mitigate the negative consequences of future transitions in collaboration with other key actors.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) continues to establish a stronger footing in the Canadian construction industry, also as an option for lateral load resisting systems, such as shear walls. Recent modifications to the Canadian Standard for Engineering Design in Wood (CSA O86- 19) allow only rocking kinematics as energy dissipative mechanics for CLT shear walls, whereby hold-down must remain elastic. These provisions necessitate the development of novel hold-down solutions. In this report, the performance of a hyper-elastic high-capacity hold-down was investigated at the component level through tests on: (1) hold-down steel rod, (2) CLT housing, and (3) hold-down assemblies with different sizes of rubber pads. The tests demonstrated that: i) the rubber hold-down can remain elastic under a rocking kinematics provided that the elastic limit of the steel rod is not exceeded; ii) failure of the rod is the subsequent desired ductile mode; iii) the CLT width influences the failure mode; iv) the shape factor influences the achievable deformation of the rubber pad; v) increasing the rubber pad thickness reduces the hold-down stiffness; and vi) increasing the rubber pad width increases the hold-down stiffness. Numerical modelling and optimization suggested that using an intermediate steel laminate between layers of rubber pads could improve its performance. Based on the results of the investigations presented herein, a capacity-design procedure for the hyper-elastic hold-downs was proposed.

Plastic pollution, a global problem, contributes to detrimental impacts on the environment. To mitigate plastic pollution locally,farmers’ market scan play a role in reducing plastic consumption. Many studies have suggested that customers and vendors are aware of environmental problems. Yet vendor environmental awareness does not always result in appropriate actions, as many vendors still rely on plastic packaging. To investigate the reasons for such reliance, I conducted vendor interviews and a customer survey at the Prince George (B.C.) Farmers’ Market. The results show that the barriers to reducing plastic include packaging availability, characteristics, functions, and price. Based on interview results, I developed a manual to support vendors interested in reducing plastic packaging at their stalls. I also offer recommendations as to how policy makers can motivate vendors and customers to reduce plastic consumption, such as offering customers reusable bags and organizing plastic-free events.

The Muskwa-Kechika Management Area (M-KMA) in northern British Columbia is globally significant for its size, special resource management, and cultural and ecological values. These characteristics were secured in perpetuity through the British Columbian Government’s M-KMA Act in 1998. However, today low public awareness and engagement are seen as threats to the M-KMA’s effectiveness and longevity. Using a mixed-methods approach, this research examined the role of awareness and engagement in safeguarding the M-KMA by conducting semi-structured interviews and a media analysis, both of which informed a public survey. Informing the research design were underlying theories in sense of place, place branding, and the relationship of planned behaviour to place-protective behaviour. Additionally, resource management practices like ecosystem-based management informed the research design and methods of public participation in policy formation.

Currently, mineral fiber or cellular plastic insulation materials dominate the building construction market because of their relatively competitive price and low thermal conductivity properties; however, the environmental impacts of cellular plastic insulation materials during their whole life cycle are significantly higher. Additionally, the forestry sector in Canada generates approximately 5.38 × 106 oven-dried tons of wood product residues per year and there are opportunities to further process and use them as the raw materials for producing wood-based fiber insulation boards. The purpose of this study is to investigate the methods to utilize the woody residues and process them into wood fibers to form insulation boards. Additionally, an eco-friendly casein adhesive was chosen to bind the wood particles together. The boards were successfully formed and have thermal conductivity values ranging from 0.057 to 0.078 W/mK, based on different board densities and moisture contents, which satisfy the minimum requirement of the ASTM insulation standard. Thus, this study of forming wood-based fiber insulation boards shows opportunities of reducing the environmental impacts and reducing the building energy consumption due to heating or cooling at the same time.

Ascaphus truei, an ancient species of frog, migrated into British Columbia, Canada, following the last ice age. A. truei is of conservation interest because forestry practices, and the associated infrastructure, may reduce habitat quality. There is also concern that a warmer and drier climate will change the distribution and abundance of this species. I used two genetic methods, microsatellites and next-generation sequencing, to compare the genetic diversity of A. truei from the northern extent of its range in British Columbia, CA to southern Washington, USA. Both methods suggested a dramatic reduction in diversity across the northern portion of the species’ range. The phylogeography suggests a northern range expansion from a single refugium. I used DNA metabarcoding to compare the gut contents of larvae across three stream reaches and two development classes near the northern extent of A. truei's range. Gut contents differed between stream reach but did not differ among development class. Wetted width and ultimately stream volume may influence differences in gut content among stream reaches. I also quantified the relationship between an index of larvae density and environmental factors hypothesized to influence population density near the northern extent of the range. I assessed the segregation of larvae at various developmental stages. Wetted width and wetted depth correlated with differences in the abundance of larvae. Older developmental stages were captured in stream reaches with greater slopes than younger stages. Management should minimize modifications of stream structure, such as in-stream siltation due to road building. We should maintain habitat connectivity and gene flow to ensure the continued migration and adaptive capacity of A. truei.

I evaluated how intra- and inter-specific competition affects the development of eleven wood attributes of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) over 34 years. My analysis was conducted in a mixedwood trial site in Northern British Columbia, Canada, that included treatments consisting of 0, 1000, 2000, 5000, and 10000 stems per hectare of aspen. Competition was found to negatively influence wood attribute development in aspen and positively impact spruce (at low levels of competition). Plot level competition indices were the best predictor of variation in aspen wood attributes, while stand level competition (population density) best explained the majority of spruce wood attributes. Maintaining aspen at lower densities in intimate mixture can have a positive effect on spruce wood quality, while incurring relatively small reductions in spruce volume production and also retaining the ecological benefits associated with managing for mixed stands.

At a long-term experimental trial in northern British Columbia, Canada, I analysed the impact of varying amounts of timber retention: 0% (clearcut), 40%, 70%, 100% (unharvested) on CWD volume, decay class, and inputs from windthrow over 27 years. I used attributes (diameter, length, decay class, and height above the ground) known to be favourable to marten to create an index for assessing the impact of harvesting intensity on CWD habitat features. I then used airborne laser scanning (ALS) to predict CWD volume, habitat value, and piece attributes over the landscape. Stands with 70% retention had CWD attributes that resulted in CWD habitat features similar to unharvested stands. Clearcuts contained pieces that were smaller, more decayed, and closer to the ground, which contributed less valuable habitat, compared to stands with higher retention. Windthrown trees were the majority of CWD inputs and volume change was positively related to percent retention.