Interior British Columbia Research Articles

Risk of bloodstream infection in patients with renal dysfunction: a population-based cohort study.

Although patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are known to be at high risk for developing bloodstream infections (BSI), the risk associated with lesser degrees of renal dysfunction is not well defined. We sought to determine the risk for acquiring and dying from community-onset BSIs among patients with renal dysfunction. A retrospective, population-based cohort study was conducted among adult residents without ESRD in the western interior of British Columbia. Estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR) were determined for cases and incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated using prevalence estimates. Overall, 1553 episodes of community-onset BSI were included of which 39%, 32%, 17%, 9%, 2% and 1% had preceding eGFRs of ≥90, 60-89, 45-59, 30-44, 15-29 and <15 ml/min/m2, respectively. As compared to those with eGFR ≥60 ml/min/m2, patients with eGFR 30-59 ml/min/m2 (IRR 4.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.9-4.9) and eGFR <30 ml/min/m2 (IRR 7.0; 95% CI 5.0-9.5) were at significantly increased risk for the development of community-onset BSI. An eGFR <30 ml/min/m2 was an independent risk factor for death (odds ratio 2.3; 95% CI 1.01-5.15). Patients with renal dysfunction are at increased risk for developing and dying from community-onset BSI that is related to the degree of dysfunction.

Population-based risk factors for community-onset bloodstream infections.

Although a number of comorbidities have been associated with development of bloodstream infection, actual risk factors have not been well defined and quantified in nonselected populations. We sought to quantify population-based risk factors for development of community-onset bloodstream infection (COBSI). Surveillance was conducted among all residents of the Western Interior of British Columbia, Canada, during 2011-2018. Risks were expressed as incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The annual incidence was 147.1 per 100,000 and older individuals, and males were at overall higher risk. The median Charlson score was 2 (IQR, 0-3), and this was higher among those with healthcare-associated (2; IQR, 1-4) as compared to community-associated (1; IQR, 0-2; P < 0.0001) COBSI. Risk factors for development of COBSI included (IRR; 95% CI): HIV infection (8.89; 5.17-14.27), cancer (6.80; 6.13-7.54), congestive heart failure (4.68; 4.00-5.46), dementia (3.31; 2.82-3.87), diabetes mellitus (3.10; 2.80-3.42), cerebrovascular accident (2.79; 2.34-3.31), renal dysfunction (2.75; 2.33-3.22), chronic lung disease (2.03; 1.79-2.28), peripheral vascular disease (1.68; 1.39-2.01), and rheumatic disease (1.44; 1.14-1.79). Patients with multiple comorbid illnesses were older, more likely to be male, and have healthcare-associated BSI, higher rates of antimicrobial resistance, and different clinical foci of infection. A number of demographic and comorbid conditions significantly increase the risk for development of COBSI.

Eighteen-year growth responses to thinning and fertilization of a height-repressed lodgepole pine stand in interior British Columbia

Challenges to the mid-term timber supply in interior British Columbia resulting from losses to insect outbreaks and wild-fires have prompted interest in silvicultural interventions to hasten growth of regenerating forests, including high-density(overstocked), height-repressed stands of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.). A trialwas established in a dense (4000 to 30 000 trees ha-1) 36-year-old wildfire-origin pine stand in the Cariboo-Chilcotinregion of interior BC to assess the efficacy of thinning, fertilization and a combination of the two treatments for improv-ing tree growth and stand development. Height and diameter of the 36 crop trees in each plot was greater in fertilizedplots then control plots for six years following fertilization, while the height and diameter responses to thinning and thin-ning + fertilization were sustained throughout the 18-year measurement period. Cumulative basal area and volumegrowth of crop trees and all stand trees over the 18-year period was significantly greater in thinned and thinned + fertil-ized treatments than control plots. Projections based on the TASS growth and yield model suggested that total stand vol-umes in thinned plots would surpass that of the control at age 74 and would surpass that of the fertilized treatment at 89years. Unthinned stands (i.e., control and fertilized treatments), did not accumulate significant merchantable volume; inthinned stands (i.e., thinned and thinned + fertilized treatments), the minimum harvest criteria of 80 m3 ha-1 for pine-leading stands in this region was reached at age 102 years. Repeated fertilization would be needed to further hasten standdevelopment. The potential long-term benefits of these silvicultural interventions for timber supply must be weighedagainst treatment costs and risks of mortality related to wildfire, insects and disease. These results highlight the value oflong-term research trials for informing silviculture decisions.

Occurrence and determinants of Klebsiella species bloodstream infection in the western interior of British Columbia, Canada

BackgroundKlebsiella species are among the most common causes of bloodstream infection (BSI). However, few studies have evaluated their epidemiology in non-selected populations. The objective was to define the incidence of, risk factors for, and outcomes from Klebsiella species BSI among residents of the western interior of British Columbia, Canada.MethodsPopulation-based surveillance was conducted between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2017.Results151 episodes were identified for an incidence of 12.1 per 100,000 population per year; the incidences of K. pneumoniae and K. oxytoca were 9.1 and 2.9 per 100,000 per year, respectively. Overall 24 (16%) were hospital-onset, 90 (60%) were healthcare-associated, and 37 (25%) were community-associated. The median patient age was 71.4 (interquartile range, 58.8–80.9) years and 88 (58%) cases were males. Episodes were uncommon among patients aged < 40 years old and no cases were observed among those aged < 10 years. A number of co-morbid medical illnesses were identified as significant risks and included (incidence rate ratio; 95% confidence interval) cerebrovascular accident (5.9; 3.3–9.9), renal disease 4.3; 2.5–7.0), cancer (3.8; 2.6–5.5), congestive heart failure (3.5; 1.6–6.6), dementia (2.9; 1.5–5.2), diabetes mellitus (2.6; 1.7–3.9), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (2.3; 1.5–3.5). Of the 141 (93%) patients admitted to hospital, the median hospital length stay was 8 days (interquartile range, 4–17). The in-hospital and 30-day all cause case-fatality rates were 24/141 (17%) and 27/151 (18%), respectively.ConclusionsKlebsiella species BSI is associated with a significant burden of illness particularly among those with chronic co-morbid illnesses.

The nature and origin of furrows in lake-bed sediments: Okanagan Lake, British Columbia, Canada

Recent sonar surveys of Okanagan Lake, in the central interior of British Columbia, revealed the presence of linear, contour-parallel furrows at depths of 50–130 m. Underwater video imagery shows these furrows to be approximately 0.5–1 m wide by 0.5–1 m deep with variable lengths extending 1–100 m. Their cross-sectional topology varies from semi-rectangular features with steep-walled sides that expose weak laminations in the sediments to shallow U-shaped troughs that appear to be infilled by lacustrine mud. The most likely origin of the furrows is extension deformation (i.e., tension fracturing) caused by periodic failure along the steeply inclined marginal slopes of this deep, glaciated lake basin. A positive feedback mechanism leading to arrested downslope movement, based on the recent findings reported in Carey et al. (2019), is suggested to apply. Less likely alternative explanations are considered and dismissed. The furrows highlight the nature of long-term geomorphic processes in lacustrine environments that contribute to sediment transport and deposition on the lake bed but are not directly linked to the action of surface waves and currents.

Fossil Coryphoid Palms from the Eocene of Vancouver, British Columbia

Premise of research. Fossil fan palm fronds are well known from Eocene sites in the United States; however, although they are also known from the Paleogene Huntingdon Formation of British Columbia for over 100 years, these are poorly studied. There are early anecdotal reports of Eocene “Sabal” or Sabalites leaves from the Vancouver area, pollen from Vancouver and the interior of British Columbia, and a single megafossil palm described from the Princeton Chert, indicating past warm climates in the region. Leaves of coryphoid palms (Arecaceae) from British Columbia are described formally here for the first time.Methodology. We analyze morphologically the Eocene palm frond fossils from the Vancouver area (Huntingdon Formation) and the Ashcroft area in British Columbia.Pivotal results. The Sabalites fossil fronds from the Vancouver area represent fan palms (subfamily Coryphoideae, cf. tribe Sabaleae) and are assigned to the new taxon Sabalites dawsonii. These and other Eocene palm fossils from the Pacific Northwest demonstrate that—based on prior paleoclimate analyses—coryphoid palms were growing under paleotemperatures close to their modern cold limits. Palm fossils reported from near Ashcroft are not Arecaceae, as key diagnostic characters are absent.Conclusions. These and comparable palm fossil records, coupled with analyses of paleoclimate, corroborate an early Paleogene origin of temperate climate adaptation by Coryphoideae, likely as part of the initial Sabaleae and Trachycarpeae diversifications.

Stand growth responses after fertilization for thinned lodgepole pine, Douglas-fir, and spruce in forests of interior British Columbia, Canada

This study was conducted to quantify growth responses of three major commercial conifer species (lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson), interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco), and spruce (white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and hybrid spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm. × Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière))) to various fertilizer blends in interior British Columbia, Canada. Over 25 years, growth-response data were repeatedly collected across 46 installations. The fertilizer blends were classified into three groups: nitrogen only; nitrogen and sulfur combined; and nitrogen, sulfur, and boron combined. The growth responses for stand volume, basal area, and top height were calculated through absolute and relative growth rate ratios relative to a controlled group. Fertilizer blend, inverse years since fertilization, site index, stand density at fertilization, and their interactions with the fertilizer blend were used as explanatory variables. The magnitude and significance of volume and basal area growth responses to fertilization differed by species, fertilizer-blend groups, and stand-condition variables (i.e., site index and stand density). In contrast, the response in top height growth did not differ among fertilization blends, with the exception of the nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer subgroup for lodgepole pine. The models developed in this study will be incorporated into the current growth and yield fertilization module (i.e., Table Interpolation Program for Stand Yields (TIPSY)), thereby supporting guidance of fertilization applications in interior forests in British Columbia.

Juvenile thinning can effectively mitigate the effects of drought on tree growth and water consumption in a young Pinus contorta stand in the interior of British Columbia, Canada

Large-scale forest disturbances including mountain pine beetle infestation and forest fires have generated overstocked lodgepole pine stands in the interior of British Columbia. A critical need is to determine sustainable management strategies to ensure their healthy growth and provision of various ecological functions under increased drought risk due to climate change. In 2016, a field experiment was established to study the effects of juvenile thinning on carbon assimilation and water use at the both tree- and stand-scales in a 16-year old lodgepole pine stand from June to October in 2016 and 2017. This study located northeast of Penticton, British Columbia, included two thinning treatments (T1: 4500 stems per ha; and T2: 1100 stems per ha) and one control (C: 27,000 stems per ha), randomly assigned in three blocks. Sap flow and microclimatic variables were continuously monitered in one plot of each treatment in one block, while tree diameter at breast height were measured across the three blocks. The results showed that C had the lowest tree radial growth (0.14 mm2/d), sap flow velocity (64.61 g/cm2d), and highest stand transpiration (4.36 mm/d), while T2 had the highest tree radial growth (1.28 mm2/d), sap flow velocity (149.14 g/cm2d), and lowest stand transpiration (0.36 mm/d) over the two-year study period. Significant differences of tree radial growth and sap flow velocity between T1 and T2 only occurred under the drought condition (in the summer season of 2017), with T2 having a significant higher resistant index of sap flow velocity than C and T1, by taking advantage of the change in microclimatic conditions following intense thinning. At the stand-level, only the stand transpiration of T1 statistically decreased in the drought year. We conclude that the thinning plays a significant and positive role in maintaining tree growth and water consumption in the short term, and the more heavily thinning (T2) would be more effective to mitigate the drought effect in young overstocking lodgepole pine forests in terms of water consumption. These findings improve our understanding on how thinning can be used to manage ecological responses to forest practices in a changing climate.

Effects of forestry on summertime low flows and physical fish habitat in snowmelt‐dominant headwater catchments of the Pacific Northwest

AbstractPeriods of summertime low flows are often critical for fish. This study quantified the impacts of forest clear‐cutting on summertime low flows and fish habitat and how they evolved through time in two snowmelt‐dominant headwater catchments in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. A paired‐catchment analysis was applied to July–September water yield, the number of days each year with flow less than 10% of mean annual discharge, and daily streamflow for each calendar day. The postharvest time series were divided into treatment periods of approximately 6–10 years, which were analysed independently to evaluate how the effects of forestry changed through time. An instream flow assessment using a physical habitat simulation‐style approach was used to relate streamflow to the availability of physical habitat for resident rainbow trout. About two decades after the onset of logging and as the extent of logging increased to approximately 50% of the catchments, reductions in daily summertime low flows became more significant for the July–September yield (43%) and for the analysis by calendar day (11–68%). Reductions in summertime low flows were most pronounced in the catchment with the longest postharvest time series. On the basis of the temporal patterns of response, we hypothesize that the delayed reductions in late‐summer flow represent the combined effects of a persistent advance in snowmelt timing in combination with at least a partial recovery of transpiration and interception loss from the regenerating forests. These results indicate that asymptotic hydrological recovery as time progresses following logging is not suitable for understanding the impacts of forest harvesting on summertime low flows. Additionally, these reductions in streamflow corresponded to persistent decreases in modelled fish habitat availability that typically ranged from 20% to 50% during the summer low‐flow period in one of the catchments, suggesting that forest harvest may have substantial delayed effects on rearing salmonids in headwater streams.

Bottom-Up Forces Drive Increases in the Abundance of Large Daphnids in Four Small Lakes Stocked with Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Interior British Columbia, Canada

The introduction of salmonids into lakes of western North America for sport fishing is a widespread phenomenon. While numerous investigations have documented cascading trophic interactions upon the introduction of fish into naturally fishless systems, little research has been done to investigate the importance of natural fish status (fishless vs. fish bearing) in modulating historical food web response to dual forcing by bottom-up (resource regulation from nutrients) and top-down (planktivory from stocked fish) processes. We used the paleolimnological record to reconstruct food web changes in four lakes in interior British Columbia that have been stocked with rainbow trout since the early to mid-1900s. Analysis of pigments, diatoms, and Cladocera was undertaken in cores from all lakes. We predicted that if fish were important in structuring cladoceran abundance and composition, we would document a decline in the abundance of large daphnids post-stocking in our two naturally fishless lakes, and little change in the two fish-bearing lakes. Instead, we documented increased abundance of large daphnids after stocking in all lakes in the early to mid-1900s, a finding inconsistent with size-selective predation from planktivorous fish. Further, our data suggest that deep, low-oxygen refugia may be important in sustaining populations of large Daphnia, a process which was enhanced by increased nutrients and lake production according to sub-fossil diatom and pigment analyses. This study shows that fish stocking does not invariably result in a decrease in large-bodied Cladocera and that nutrients and lake type can modulate the response of invertebrate planktivores.

Bloodstream infection due to β-hemolytic streptococci: a population-based comparative analysis.

Although the burden of illness due to Streptococcus pyogenes is widely recognized, other β-hemolytic streptococci are also important causes of invasive infections. The objective of this study was to compare the population-based epidemiology of groups A, B, and C/G β-hemolytic streptococcal bloodstream infection (BSI). Population-based surveillance was conducted in the western interior of British Columbia, Canada, 2011-2018. A total of 210 episodes were identified for an incidence of 14.4 per 100,000; the incidences of groups A, B and C/G streptococcal BSI were 4.2, 4.7, and 5.5 per 100,000, respectively. There was an increasing annual incidence of β-hemolytic streptococcal BSI from 2011 through to a peak incidence in 2016 that decreased thereafter. Fifty-two percent (110) of BSIs were community associated, 43% (91) were healthcare associated, and 4% (9) were hospital onset. Patients with group A were younger, more likely to be female, and have fewer co-morbidities than patients with groups B and C/G streptococcal BSI. The most common focus of infection was soft tissue (109/52%), followed by primary (33; 16%), and bone and joint (20; 10%) and these varied by streptococcal species (p < 0.001). The 30-day all-cause case fatality rate was 11% (24/210) and did not significantly vary by group (p = 0.7). Although the determinants vary, the overall burden of disease related to BSI is similar amongst groups A, B and C/G β-hemolytic streptococci.

Early response of understory vegetation to wood ash fertilization in the sub boreal climatic zone of British Columbia

Wood ash can be used as a soil amendment in forest ecosystems to alleviate nutrient loss, ameliorate soil acidity, increase tree growth, and reduce landfilled waste. Two hybrid spruce (Picea glauca X engelmannii) plantations in interior British Columbia were treated with two types of bioenergy-produced wood ash (high carbon boiler ash and low carbon gasifier ash) with or without nitrogen fertilizer in a two-way factorial block design. Ash and nitrogen treatments were applied to 8.0 m radius plots at a rate of 5000 kg ha-1 loose ash (dry basis), and 100 kg N ha-1 of urea in pellet form. Changes in understory vegetation cover were observed. There was a significant (p<0.05) effect of nitrogen and wood ash plus nitrogen application on understory vegetation community composition, with nitrogen application having the greatest effect. Discriminant function analysis indicated a differential response of species group to ash/ nitrogen treatments, though the effect size was small. We conclude that short-term changes to understory vegetation are minimal when these two ashes were applied at a rate of 5000 kg ha-1. Continued monitoring will determine if any long-term effects become apparent with time.

Syilx Perspective on Original Foods: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

First paragraphs: We’re a part of this land, and a necessary part of it. The land needs us, and the planet loves us, and we don’t know how to be a part of that anymore, in a real sense, in a physical sense. A coming back to that is something that we as humans have to figure out together. —Laxlaxtkʷ, Dr. Jeannette Armstrong (quoted in Hall, 2007) Where It All Begins What is your first memory of being on the land? Is it picking berries? Digging up carrots in the garden? Maybe it’s fishing with your dad. Take a moment and let the memory fill your senses. This is what “place-based” means. It means remember­ing where we come from so that we may under­stand more fully where we are today. I come from the Okanagan Nation. My people, the Syilx/Okanagan, are a transboundary tribe sep­arated at the 49th parallel by the border between Canada and the United States. Our Nation com­prises seven member communities in the Southern Interior of British Columbia and the Colville Confederated Tribes in Washington. We share the same land, the same nsyilxcәn language, culture, and customs. We are a distinct and sovereign Nation. We are deeply rooted in our land and waters. Our territory is a diverse and beautiful landscape of deserts and lakes, alpine forests and endangered grasslands that extends over 17 million acres (69,000 square kilometers) from just north of Revelstoke, BC, south to the vicinity of Wilbur, Washington. Today we con­tinue to assert our juris­diction and responsibility over the stewarding of our lands. Our nsyilxcәn language and our Syilx/Okanagan culture respect­fully honor the natural laws of the tmixw[1]—that which gives us life. . . . [1] tmixw is the sacred life force of all living things. See the press release for this article.

Plant Species Composition and Forage Production 14 Yr After Biosolids Application and Grazing Exclusion

This paper examines the effects of a single surface application of biosolids (at 20 dry Mg ha−1) on plant species composition, forage quality and quantity, and C stocks after 14 yr of rest in rangelands of the Central Interior of British Columbia. More than two times the aboveground biomass of grasses and the percent cover of plant litter were found in the biosolids treatment relative to the control, along with reductions in bare soil and microbiotic crust cover. Significantly greater plant uptake of all macronutrients (C, N, P, K, S, Ca, and Mg); most micronutrients (B, Cu, Mn, Mo, and Zn); and Al occurred in the biosolids treatment. P and Cu were the only two nutrients to be more concentrated in the biosolids-treated forage relative to the control forage, while N, Mg, and protein were more concentrated in the control forage. No significant difference in forage digestibility was found between biosolids and control treatments. Bluebunch wheatgrass, the late-seral native grass species, had significantly increased cover and aboveground biomass in the biosolids treatment relative to the control; however, between 2006 and 2016, non-native Kentucky bluegrass had reached > 25% cover in the biosolids plots, perhaps restricting the full recovery of bluebunch wheatgrass. Our findings indicate that biosolids application to ungrazed rangeland can increase long-term forage production and reduce bare soil. However, at our study site biosolids application also led to a long-term shift in the plant community composition away from the late-seral (i.e., bluebunch wheatgrass) trajectory, and the effects of this shift on rangeland health and productivity require further investigation.

Drivers of lodgepole pine recruitment across a gradient of bark beetle outbreak and wildfire in British Columbia

Seedbanks are essential for forest resilience, and disturbance interactions could potentially modify seedbank availability, subsequent forest regeneration patterns, and successional trajectories. Regional mountain pine beetle outbreaks have altered forest structure and seedbanks in fire prone-landscapes across western North America and could influence forest regeneration. We examined the drivers of lodgepole pine recruitment across a gradient of fire severity from fire that burned through gray-phase outbreak conditions in central interior British Columbia, Canada. We considered ten potential drivers of lodgepole pine recruitment including: fire severity, mountain pine beetle outbreak severity, cone abundance, branch retention, open cones, exposed soil, snag fall, snow accumulation, climate moisture deficit, and frost events, as well as the contribution of unburned fire refugia to lodgepole pine recruitment. In 2016, we inventoried 83 plots that spanned gradients of outbreak severity, burning conditions, and fire severity across three fires that burned through lodgepole pine dominated forests with gray-phase conditions that had moderate to high mortality. We used generalized linear models to evaluate drivers of variability in seedling recruitment. Our analyses affirm that wildfire is a critical mechanism for lodgepole pine seedling recruitment. For plots that burned as crown and surface fire, recruitment densities were two or six times greater compared plots that experienced light surface or were fire refugia, respectively. Recruitment was driven by cone abundance indicating the importance of an available seed source. In fire refugia, recruitment was three times greater during the post-outbreak period compared to before outbreaks, suggesting cone senescence from mortality and/or xeriscent-cueing of cones. The unevenness in recruitment across gradients of outbreak and fire severity contribute to the heterogeneity of stand initiation across these landscapes that may be important for mediation of subsequent outbreaks.

Fostering immigrant settlement and housing in small cities: Voices of settlement practitioners and service providers in British Columbia, Canada

International migration is a feature of contemporary society. Because the impacts of international migration and immigration are experienced locally, there is a need to better understand how settlement and integration activities can be tailored to the local context. While many immigrants have settled in metropolitan areas, there is need to better understand how immigrants settle in small cities outside large urban areas. A study was undertaken in Kelowna and Kamloops, two small cities in the interior of British Columbia (BC), Canada, to learn about immigrants’ settlement and housing experiences from the perspective of settlement practitioners and service providers. Unaffordable housing, limited employment opportunities, and language barriers were found to be the most significant challenges. Implications and recommendations for immigrant-receiving countries and small city contexts are discussed.

"I Will Not Leave My Body Here": Migrant Farmworkers' Health and Safety Amidst a Climate of Coercion.

Every year more temporary migrant workers come to Canada to fill labour shortages in the agricultural sector. While research has examined the ways that these workers are made vulnerable and exploitable due to their temporary statuses, less has focused on the subjective experiences of migrant agricultural workers in regards their workplace health and safety. We conducted interviews and focus groups with migrant workers in the interior of British Columbia, Canada and used a narrative line of inquiry to highlight two main themes that illustrate the implicit and complex mechanisms that can structure migrant agricultural workers’ workplace climate, and ultimately, endanger their health and safety. The two themes we elaborate are (1) authorities that silence; and (2) “I will not leave my body here.” We discuss the implications of each theme, ultimately arguing that a number of complex political and economic forces create a climate of coercion in which workers feel compelled to choose between their health and safety and tenuous economic security.

Researching and devising youth theatre: Loss of voice and agency through parachute theatre

ABSTRACT This paper explores the process in which applied theatre workshops were utilized to research and devise a theatre performance with a group of young people in a rural town in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. The project explored the topic of gun violence and specifically took its stimulus from the 2011 terrorist attack in Norway where 77 young people were gunned down at a summer camp by white supremacist Anders Brevik. The paper explores many facets of the project, including the importance of creating spaces where the young people would feel safe to work and how applied theatre strategies were utilized during this process for both data collection and devising processes with the intention of creating social change. The writer shares how as part of the project's plan, an invited external theatre practitioner came to direct the final portion of the project and in this step the intention of the project quickly changed from the way the young participants had intended. The article reflects on the many lessons that came with the process and changes the writer might implement for the future.

Dead forests burning: the influence of beetle outbreaks on fire severity and legacy structure in sub‐boreal forests

AbstractRecent regional mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreaks have generated unprecedented tree mortality across the fire‐prone landscapes of western North American forests and could potentially modify fire severity and postfire ecological effects. In 2012, 2013, and 2014, three fires burned through high mortality, gray‐phase lodgepole pine‐dominated forests in the plateau regions of central interior British Columbia, Canada, providing an opportunity to test for interactions between MPB outbreaks and wildfires. We inventoried 63 plots that spanned gradients of outbreak severity, fire severity, and burning conditions in a wilderness setting. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of outbreak severity on fire severity by assessing typical first‐order fire effects as well as legacy structure related to the consumption of woody biomass on snags/trees. We found no evidence of a relationship between outbreak severity and fire severity for six of seven first‐order fire effects, with the exception of deep charring. We found evidence that legacy structure in the form of consumed branch structure and deep char development had greater odds of occurrence on MPB‐killed snags compared to trees killed during wildfire. Our results indicate two key findings. First, fire severity as it relates to most first‐order fire effects measures is not influenced by outbreak severity, instead it is more strongly influenced by the interaction of fuels, weather, and topography during fire events. Second, our results highlight how the interaction between outbreak severity and fire severity alters postfire structural legacies and their functional attributes, which could have important ecosystem implications.

Decolonizing field education

This article shares our reflections and learning on decolonizing field education programs based on exploratory research in the Interior of British Columbia (BC). Because there is no existing research on field education by or with urban Aboriginal people this article aims to contribute to the development of new literature on the process of decolonizing field education practices through cultural safety and intersectional frameworks. The findings call for a transformation in social work and human service field education policies and practices.