Wildfire & ecosystem scientist leads new research group at SFU

Sophie Wilkinson, assistant , REM & founder, Fire and Ecosystems Research Group With a record-breaking wildfire season in full swing, wildfire scientist Sophie Wilkinson joins Simon Fraser University to launch a new lab addressing how increasingly volatile fire seasons are impacting communities and ecosystems. Wilkinson is founder of the new Fire and Ecosystems Research Group and an assistant professor in the School of Resource & Environmental Management (REM). She-ll head SFU-s Fire and Ecosystems Research Lab , where researchers will study wildfire behaviour and impacts and the conditions that fuel them, including the importance and management of peatlands (bogs, fens and swamps). -The effects of climate change are a contributing factor to this record-breaking wildfire season and now more than ever, there is a need for scientists to work with community partners to understand and mitigate the impacts,- says Wilkinson. -The creation of this new Fire and Ecosystems Research Lab responds to the need to study and apply up-to-date knowledge for the protection of our ecosystems and communities. As head of SFU-s Fire and Ecosystems Research Lab, Wilkinson and her group are developing ecosystem management strategies that reduce the negative impacts fire can have on all aspects of the environment and society. She applies an interdisciplinary approach to her research by incorporating field assessments and experimental fires with remote sensing and ecological modelling to understand the resilience of ecosystems to wildfire.