Stories from Women in Wood

By Heidi Walsh, Owner & Director of Operations, DR Systems Inc. When I decided to attend UBC’s Faculty of Forestry, it felt like a leap of faith. I had grown up in Vancouver and did not know anyone in the forestry industry. I was looking for a science degree that could lead to interesting career opportunities, but I had very little understanding of what forestry work would actually look like. Looking back now, that uncertainty ended up being one of the best things that could

When people ask me how I ended up with a career in forestry, I always say “it was never my plan, but I am so happy I ended up here”. Although I grew up in Toronto, my childhood was filled with nature. Being outside was always one of my favourite things. My family and I spent nearly three weeks camping every summer, we did multiple month-long road trips across Canada and the United States, I backpacked and hiked in some beautiful places, and dedicated lots of time to our famil

Women in Wood – a network created to bring together passionate women from across Canada and around the world who work in, with and for the woods – celebrated its 10th anniversary with over 100 women from across the forest sector at an event at Fleming College on October 18. Read the full article →

Kia ora! My name is Phoebe, and I am a Woman in Wood. I am a forester from New Zealand, in Ontario as part of the Young Professional Foresters Exchange Program. This industry initiative is designed to foster international forestry connections and is facilitated by the Institutes of Forestry in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. As a participant, I have spent March through May working with the Ontario Woodlot Association (OWA), contributing to their current

Long before I knew forestry was more than lumberjacks and big machines, I felt drawn to nature. Growing up in Toronto, this wasn’t something instilled in me by family, it was more like a gaping hole in my heart that I didn’t know how to fill. I spent my teenage years trying to fill that void with relationships, substances, and anger, but nothing worked. It turns out people need to be shown how to enjoy spending time outdoors. As a young adult, life got even harder for me. I l