Wildfire researcher Crystal Kolden is joining UBC Okanagan to advance research in wildfire resilience.
UBC Okanagan is set to welcome one of the world's foremost scholars in wildfire resilience, deepening its expertise on an issue that's critical for the region and beyond.
Dr. Crystal Kolden will join UBCO as one of nine globally recognized researchers in the inaugural cohort of the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada program. The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry, announced the new chairs on August 27 at UBC.
With the wildfires experienced this summer underscoring the urgent need to better understand, prepare for and co-exist with fire, Dr. Kolden's expertise comes to UBCO at an important time. Her appointment will also strengthen UBC's world-leading wildfire expertise and build on the work already underway at UBC Okanagan.
Over the last two decades, Dr. Kolden has become a leading scholar in pyrogeography-the study of fire and its relationship to climate, vegetation and human activity. Dr. Kolden's work is distinguished by her research contributions to wildfire science and by a singular ability to bridge academic discovery, operational fire management, public policy and knowledge mobilization.
Her career began as a wildland firefighter, progressed through roles as a federal land manager and environmental consultant, and ultimately evolved into a transformative research program that has reshaped how society understands, prepares for and coexists with wildfire.
This experience has grounded Dr. Kolden's scientific work in the realities faced by communities, first responders and resource managers, which strengthens the credibility and direct relevance of her scientific leadership at a time when wildfire risk is increasing worldwide.
What is the main challenge your Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada program is addressing, and how are you approaching it?
Canada has entered a new era of climate‑driven wildfire extremes, threatening communities, ecosystems and the national economy. As Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Wildfire Resilience, my goal is to transform how Canada prevents wildfires from becoming disasters by helping to inspire a shift toward proactive, nature‑based resilience. I will be addressing two new questions: what doesn't burn in wildfires, and how do we transform this knowledge into viable, cost-effective solutions?
Using British Columbia's Okanagan Valley as a living laboratory, my goal is to make nature-based solutions the standard for protection from wildfire by integrating climate science, fire ecology, engineering and Indigenous fire leadership. I aim to pinpoint landscape features that resist extreme wildfires, evaluate emergent tools to shape long‑term landscape change and build scalable pathways that enhance the resilience of our societies and infrastructure. To do this effectively, I will look to help build a Canadian network of partners working toward national fire resilience.
What is the main thing you would like to achieve as an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada, and what are the potential impacts of your work?
My goal is to strengthen Canada's ability to prepare for, respond to and reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfire events that impact all Canadians today. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization recognizes wildfires as a "threat multiplier" with environmental, humanitarian and national security consequences. By delivering validated nature-based solutions tailored to diverse landscapes, developing decision-support tools and providing policy guidance, my work as chair can contribute significantly to avoiding wildfire losses.
Through this work, we can strengthen community safety, protect water supplies and safeguard critical infrastructure, while enhancing biodiversity and reducing carbon loss. Getting there can also advance partnership-driven action plans that accelerate new technologies and elevate Indigenous leadership in wildfire resilience.
What is your primary motivation behind the research you do? What drew you to this work?
I started my career as a wildland firefighter for the United States Forest Service, where I experienced the wildfire paradox firsthand. North American ecosystems evolved with fire, and many species actually need regular fire, but humans and some of our most treasured places are extremely vulnerable to destructive wildfires, with catastrophic outcomes. I've spent my career trying to understand how we live with wildfire by mitigating the negative consequences and facilitating the positive outcomes.
What drew you to UBC to do this work, and what are you most looking forward to about coming here?
Due to the impacts of climate change, Canada is the epicentre of the wildfire crisis right now, with BC seeing some of the most disastrous wildfire losses in the last decade. UBC has been a national leader addressing wildfire in Canada through both the Centre for Wildfire Co-existence and the Canadian Prescribed Fire Training Program. I'm excited to help build on UBC's existing wildfire expertise by exploring nature-based wildfire solutions and developing global leadership in wildfire resilience.
What does it mean to you to have been appointed as an Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada, and how is it going to help you advance your already internationally recognized research?
The Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada program is an incredible and exceedingly rare opportunity to build an integrated and comprehensive research and outreach program around wildfire resilience. Globally, wildfire is quickly becoming a leading natural disaster for losses, but it is also the disaster that we can make the most progress to mitigate by managing the fuel in communities and across landscapes. It's an absolute honour to be selected.
I was thrilled to see that a core tenet of the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada is to transform research into action with key partners, as this knowledge mobilization is crucial to the monumental task of making our landscapes fire-resilient. The substantial resources allocated for the chair will facilitate transformative research, but more importantly, will fund the type of community engagement and co-production of solutions that empower communities to mitigate wildfire disasters.
