A professor at the University of Northern British Columbia has been elected President of the Canadian Botanical Association (CBA). Dr. Hugues Massicotte, a forest biologist and professor in the Ecosystem Science and Management (ESM) Program, commenced his two-year term at the head of the Association in June. Botany is a branch of biology that concentrates on all aspects of living plants.

“I’m very proud to have been elected president of the Association,” says Dr. Massicotte, who has been at UNBC since the opening of the Prince George campus in 1994. “UNBC offers many courses with strong botanical connections, such as plant systematics and dendrology, plant ecology and physiology, ethnobotany, mycology and lichenology as well as a variety of forestry courses. This is part of the reason we are increasingly known as Canada’s Green University.”

Dr. Massicotte joins two other UNBC professors on the board of the Association. Ecosystem Science and Management Professor Jane Young serves as CBA Treasurer and ESM Professor Art Fredeen is its Western Director.

“It’s exciting that both the University and northern BC are gaining this sort of recognition,” says Dr. Massicotte. “Plants are critical for sustaining life on this planet and this region is home to some of the most passionate botanists in Canada. Our involvement gives us a stronger voice nationally.”

The Canadian Botanical Association was formed in 1964 and serves as the national organization for botanists in Canada, including professional botanists at universities, colleges, schools, government and industry as well as students, technicians and amateurs. The preservation of botanically significant natural areas is of special interest to the Association.

Click on a thumbnail to access an image Dr. Hugues Massicotte.