Ché Elkin

Dr. Ché Elkin is an Associate Professor in the Ecosystem Science and Management Program at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), Faculty of Environment. He holds the FRBC/Slocan Mixedwood Ecology Chair and leads the Mixedwood Forest Ecology Lab. His research integrates climate science, disturbance ecology, and forest management to understand and predict forest dynamics and ecosystem services under global change.

His research interests include forest resilience, climate change impacts, landscape ecology, disturbance interactions (fire, insects), and ecological modeling. He uses tools such as LANDIS-II and LiDAR data to simulate and analyze forest responses across spatial scales. His work emphasizes sustainable forest management and the maintenance of ecosystem services like carbon storage, biodiversity, and timber production.

Dr. Elkin's recent publications show a strong trend in modeling forest responses to climate and disturbances, with a focus on uncertainty, resilience, and cross-scale interactions. His work spans mountainous and boreal systems in Europe and North America, often employing dynamic simulation models to assess long-term outcomes under changing conditions.

• FRBC/Slocan Mixedwood Ecology Chair

He actively supervises graduate students and collaborates internationally, including with researchers at Northern Arizona University. His lab supports MSc and MNRES students working on topics such as forest structure, carbon dynamics, and wildfire fuel mapping. He teaches courses in population ecology and statistical methods for ecologists, emphasizing quantitative approaches and real-world applications in British Columbia’s forest ecosystems.

The Mixedwood Forest Ecology Lab conducts research on mixedwood forests in northern British Columbia, focusing on how climate, disturbances, and management influence forest composition, structure, and function. The lab uses a combination of empirical data and modeling to inform sustainable forest management strategies under climate change.