Dr. Susan Wood-Bohm, Executive Director of Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Biological GHG Management Program, is the keynote speaker at UNBC’s 2016 Doug Little Memorial Lecture at 7:30 p.m.

Dr. Wood-Bohm, who works closely with stakeholders in agriculture, forestry and waste management sectors as well as those in energy, biofuels and materials, will give a lecture titled BioCleantech: New Opportunities for Canada’s Forest Sector.

BioCleantech – the sustainable use of biogenic carbon in industrial applications such as biopower, biofuels and chemicals and bioproducts -- may help Canada meet new goals in ambitious emission reductions and development of a low carbon economy.

Linking big data, GIS, drones and other high-tech tools to the drive for non-fossil carbons brings both fresh opportunities and potential risks for forest ecosystems, timber communities and traditional pulp and dimensional labour markets.

“Sustainably sourced biogenic carbon from municipal wastes, agriculture and forestry may play a critical role in helping Canada to address its unique GHG emissions profile while supporting rural economies,” said Dr. Wood-Bohm.

The use of Canada’s natural endowment of forest biomass has been a cornerstone of growth and development since long before Confederation.

Each generation has witnessed changes in forest landscapes, the demand for specific products and the rules that govern management.

Emissions Reduction Alberta’s Biological GHG Management Program is delivered in partnership with Alberta Innovates.

The mandate of the program is to discover, develop and deploy technologies that will reduce GHG emissions from agriculture, forestry and municipal wastes and to use biological products and processes to reduce emissions in other sectors.

Wood-Bohm holds a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) from the University of Guelph, a Master’s in Biology (Queen’s University) and an industrial PhD in molecular genetics (Performance Plants Inc/Queen’s University) and has worked in a number of academic and research administration positions.

The Doug Little Memorial Lecture series was initiated in 1996 by the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies at UNBC and named for the late J.D. Little. Little, a former executive with Northwood Pulp and Timber Limited, was a founding supporter of UNBC. The lecture series is supported with an endowment from Northwood Pulp and Timber Limited (now Canfor).