Louise King

University of British Columbia Wood Products Processing Student

 

Why did you choose to start a career in forestry?

I was looking through University of British Columbia (UBC) programs and Wood Product Processing (WPP) was listed. I enjoyed woodshop in high school, so WPP seemed like a cool program to get into.

In my program, I work in the UBC woodshop with high-end machines and learn about wood species and the anatomy of wood – it was similar to woodshop in high school. We also learn about the business and marketing side of products. My favourite part about the program is the hands-on work in the shops. We built nightstands in a class which all had custom tops.

 

What is your experience in forestry?

I’m currently in my 5^th year in the Wood Products Processing program at UBC, I’ll be graduating this May.

I was a Wildland Firefighter in Washington, my role on the crew was hands on with fire suppression tactics and water handling.

I was also an Assistant Development Technician at Strategic Natural Resource Consultants supporting senior timber engineers with cutblock layout, road flagging and marking, mapping stream, and protecting cutblock.

 

Are there any accomplishments that you are really proud of? 

I’ve seen so many different sides of forestry from wildfire to management to wood products. It’s cool to see how all the sectors interact with each other.

 

What advice would you have for other women who might be considering a career in forestry?

The community of women in forestry is amazing and always growing. When you meet other women there’s a shared sense of camaraderie. The work can be extremely fun and challenging but there’s always a community you can share everything with.