University of British Columbia President Martha Piper joined Chancellor
William Sauder, Board of Governors Chair Harold Kalke, students
and members of the Faculty of Forestry to officially open the new
Forest Sciences Centre building today.
“We all believe that new knowledge will be the key to the growth
of B.C.’s forest industry,” said Piper. “This facility will be the
engine of that growth, leading the province and the nation by educating
the future leaders in forestry, by conducting interdisciplinary
research, and by developing the value-added technologies necessary
to compete in a global economy.”
“Beyond its important role as the new home of the Faculty of Forestry,
the Forest Sciences Centre reflects the value and continued relevance
of forest research and education to this province,” said Prof. John
McLean, acting dean of Forestry.
Minister of Advanced Education, Training and Technology, Andrew
Petter said the centre will provide British Columbians with the
knowledge they need to contribute to a changing forest sector.
The spectacular $47-million building comprises 15,268 square metres
of teaching, laboratory, office space and includes the new Centre
for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP).
Flanking the towering atrium are state-of-the-art laboratory spaces
and Power Smart offices housing faculty members from the departments
of Wood Science, Forest Science, and Forest Resources Management.
The building is also a showcase for the use of wood products in
non-residential construction, featuring massive Parallam tree columns
in the atrium, and the extensive use of wood for interior finishing.
The Forest Sciences Centre houses a faculty that has seen undergraduate
enrolment double in less than a decade, from fewer than 300 undergraduate
students in 1990/91 to more than 600 in 1997/98. Students enrol
in one of five programs: Forest Resources Management, Forest Operations,
Forest Science, Wood Products Processing or Natural Resources Conservation.
Funding for the construction of the Forest Sciences Centre and
CAWP was provided by the governments of British Columbia and Canada.
The Government of Canada and Forest Renewal B.C. also contributed
funding for the Advanced Wood Processing Education Program. The
first class of 10 students will graduate from the program in April
1999.
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