The Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia (FESBC) recently added a new operations manager to its team. Meet Chris McGourlick, a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) and licensed interior and coastal scaler with over 25 years of dedicated work in the forestry industry.
As a second-generation forester, Chris’s interest in forestry was a product of his upbringing.
“My dad worked in forestry for 40 years, and I grew up in logging communities on Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii. I grew up with the woods as my backyard in several remote corners of the coast and finding a career in forestry was a natural fit. I love the outdoors and problem-solving which sums up forestry in a nutshell,” he explained.
After graduating from the University of British Columbia’s Forestry Program, Chris spent most of his career working on the coast of British Columbia, spending some time near the Southern and Central Interior of the province.
“My career has been focused on the harvesting side of the industry,” he said. “I started in harvest planning and operations, which I did for about 15 years before moving into the fibre supply side of the business. I have spent the last 10 years working in a variety of roles starting with log quality to log procurement and then finally logistics.”
These experiences have equipped him with a broad background in operations, ultimately leading Chris to FESBC, and making him the perfect person for the job.
As FESBC’s operations manager, Chris is responsible for overseeing the management of projects for its two main intakes – fibre utilization and wildfire risk reduction.
“This usually involves working with our project proponents and our partners at PwC to address changes in plans, finalizing submissions, problem-solving, and generally keeping things moving forward,” explained Chris.
Within this new role, Chris is looking forward to seeing the benefits that FESBC can bring to different parts of BC and its potential growth as forest management in British Columbia evolves with a renewed focus on managing the many values found across the landscape.
“Working with FESBC provides me an opportunity to work across a diverse geographic area and to become involved in projects that wouldn’t have been options in my past stops,” he said.
Over the years, he has found the most rewarding part of his career to be the opportunity to work alongside exceptional individuals. As he begins his journey with FESBC, he is confident that this experience will offer a similar enriching environment.
When not at work, Chris finds solace and adventure in nature, spending most of his time flying fish, mountain biking, paddle boarding, and skiing.
With his wealth of experience, passion, and dedication to responsible forestry practices, Chris is set to make a positive impact on FESBC and contribute to the continued well-being of British Columbia’s forests.