Fergus McSween loves the outdoors. Growing up in Calgary, he spent much of his youth outside the city, roaming Alberta's forests as a scout, on school outdoor education trips or camping with friends and family.
"Nature is so peaceful and tranquil. It's a place where I can be myself, turn my brain off and just enjoy the outdoors. I feel I belong out there."
And he has found just the right field to fit that feeling. He graduates June 15 with a bachelor of science in forestry, as well as a job and a zeal to contribute to his chosen field.
It wasn't a sure path. As he got ready to start university, McSween didn't really know what career might connect with his interests — until he checked out different job options.
"One of the jobs was park ranger, which sounded like fun."
It was the idea of stewarding the forest that got him interested in the forestry program in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.
"It was a shot in the dark," he admits, but his instinct paid off. The biological aspect of forestry — the plants and animals — quickly took hold of him early on and helped him figure out his focus as a forester.
"I want to help preserve nature for the enjoyment of future generations — one of the main tenets of a forester — and that's become the focal point of how I want to develop my career: ensuring our forest practices do the utmost to minimize all environmental impacts."
McSween now works as a full-time planning forester in the logging industry, using his knowledge to help guide the use of best practices. His job is to plan how an area of the forest will be logged, with boots-on-the-ground work to mark off roads, creeks and boundaries, follow the terrain's natural patterns and identify special areas.
"I find it fulfilling when I can make sure a bird's nest is protected," McSween says. "I may not be a park ranger but I still do the same thing, walking the forest, hanging out with nature and helping protect it the best way I can."
Ultimately, McSween hopes to pursue a master's degree focused on approaches to management that will help guide the forestry industry — and potentially other land-use projects such as mining or landfill operations — through challenges such as the effects of climate change.
