Forest conservation alumni celebrate 50th class anniversary

Celebrating 50 years since obtaining their Bachelor of Forest Conservation (BSCF) degrees from the University of Toronto, members of the “Class of 7T5″ recently gathered with current and retired forestry faculty and Master of Forest Conservation (MFC) students for a lunchtime discussion and tour, followed by an evening dinner with their guests at Hart House.

During their visit, Professor Sandy Smith, an internationally recognized expert in the ecology and biological management of invasive forest insects in urban forest restoration and conservation, reflected on the university’s decision to move from an undergraduate to a graduate-level degree program in the mid-1990s.

“It allowed us to take all that knowledge and expertise we taught in ‘75 to a different level,” she said, noting other accredited disciplines, such as architecture and landscape architecture soon followed suit with graduate degree programs. “The faculty members [here] were excited to do this; no one willingly makes these big changes. We reimagined what our program could be”

She added that forestry at the time was also changing, especially in the more populated areas of the country.

“It wasn’t about timber as much. A lot of the issues were about urban development and conservation and [those issues] have only grown.”

She added, “I have seen so many young people interested in the environment over the last decade, but they don’t have a skill set to effect real landscape change. Foresters develop that skill set, one they then apply to promote healthy landscapes.”

In 2015, U of T’s MFC became the first program to be professionally accredited by the Canadian Forestry Accreditation Board (CFAB).

As part of the event, alumni also shared their career paths and achievements with four MFC students: Hannah Ezwawi, Richard Laurie, Shreya Roy and Sam Sedgewick. The students, in turn, shared their program experiences and future career aspirations. MFC students will present their final capstone projects this December.

Thank you to the Class of 7T5 and their guests who joined us!