Green, Scott

Understanding forest growth and resilience under global climate change is crucial for forest management, to maintain wood supply for future. In this research, I focused on the response and resilience of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nut)) growth to climate variables and severe drought events at five stands located along northern slopes of the Rockies in northern BC, Canada. Results revealed that temperature (especially summer and previous fall) was the most important climate factor controlling growth of subalpine fir trees at study sites. The lower the latitude, the more summer temperature negatively effected tree growth. Also, results showed that subalpine fir trees were resilient to very dry conditions at study sites, when considering the growth recovery period to drought was between 1 to 2 years. The lower the latitude, the faster the trees recovered from drought. However, subalpine fir trees located at higher latitudes were more resistant to the effects of drought.

This thesis examines the 2018 wildfire season in Cheslatta Carrier Nation territory through the lived experiences of community members. It details how sustained wildfire suppression contributed to changes to the social, political and the physical landscape. Using a qualitative methodology and ten semi-structured interviews with community members, it describes how historic events, including flooding and forced relocation, shaped the ways community members felt about wildfires and their management. This research found that the 2018 wildfire season impacted Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in physical, economic, and spiritual ways. The loss of timber and livelihoods as well as displacement due to evacuation orders were challenging. While many individuals felt disempowered by the wildfires and their management, wildfire was also a catalyst for political and social change. This thesis explores the ways that wildfires can unite, divide, and transform individuals and communities.

Wildfires pose a significant economic and social challenge to communities throughout British Columbia. For some Indigenous communities, a large landscape fire has the potential to change their traditional territory and communities permanently. To allocate limited resources to the costly effort of wildfire mitigation, communities need a baseline for the spatial distribution of risk. For the Xáxli’p and their community forest, the wildfire risk is an urgent concern, locally effected by forest fuels, human ignition, and wind. Local knowledge of community members gathered through workshops were used to validate existing forest, wind, and access data. Using existing data and community data, areas of higher risk and other landscape considerations were identified and mapped to support planning by the Xáxli’p Community Forest to create a fire-resilient landscape.