Photo: Bobby Jo Love, project lead and grad student of Dr. Lori Daniels, Co-Director of the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence
New weather and soil monitoring stations track forest recovery in wildfire-impacted Twaal site
The UBC Faculty of Forestry’s Mother Tree Project & Program (MTPP) and the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence have joined forces with the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band of the Nlaka’pamux Nation to launch a pioneering forest research collaboration.
Next generation weather and soil monitoring stations have been installed on Cook’s Ferry territory at the Twaal Valley Research site, which was heavily impacted by the 2024 Shetland Creek wildfire that burned more than 23,000 hectares in the Thompson-Nicola region.
This installation of the METER Group’s top-of-the-line weather stations are among the first of its kind in B.C., bringing together UBC Forestry’s future-focused ecological research with the local knowledge and leadership of the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band and the nłeʔképmx (NLX) Guardians Program.
The stations will measure key metrics including but not limited to temperature, relative humidity, precipitation, wind, and solar radiation, along with soil moisture and temperature. By collecting data in a recently burned watershed, the project will provide valuable information on forest recovery and soil conditions, while also helping track post-fire risks such as runoff, debris flow, and erosion.
“Installing these world class instruments in a naturally burned landscape allows us to monitor the succession of the forest to track recovery immediately after the disturbance. By combining real time weather data with soil conditions, we can begin to understand how forests regenerate after disturbance as well as the factors that negatively and positively affect succession. That knowledge is essential for building resilient forests in an ever-changing climate.”
— Bobby Jo Love, project lead and grad student of Dr. Lori Daniels, Co-Director of the Centre for Wildfire Coexistence
“This partnership is about healing — of land and of relationship. Working alongside the Cook’s Ferry Land Guardians reminds us that recovery isn’t just a biological process; it’s a cultural one. Together, we’re learning what resilience really means for forests and for the people who are interdependent with them.”
— UBC Forestry ecologist and Mother Tree Project & Program Director Dr. Suzanne Simard
