Peter N. Duinker

Professor Emeritus Dalhousie University

School for Resource and Environmental Studies
Co-Investigator, Atlantic Node, forWater Network (NSERC)
Professional Member, Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists
Co-Principal, Sylveritas Ltd.

peter.duinker@dal.ca mail_outline
902-229-5141

Website

Interests and Expertise

forest ecology; environmental assessment; natural resources decision-making; land-use and forest planning; wildlife habitat supply analysis; biodiversity assessment modelling; forest management and policy; climate change and forests; climate-change adaptation; conflict resolution and public participation; forest sustainability; criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management; conservation of old-growth forests; urban forests

Biography

Peter Duinker’s formal training is in ecology and resource management (BScAgr, Guelph, 1978; MES, Dalhousie, 1981; PhD, UNB, 1986), but he also engages in work in the social and policy sciences. His scholarship embraces a wide range of topics, most of which deal with forests and the environment. Peter is one of Canada’s leading scholars and practitioners on the topics of sustainable forest management, urban forests, and environmental assessment. He held Lakehead University’s Chair in Forest Management and Policy from 1988 to 1998, served as Research Area Leader for the Sustainable Forest Management Network of Centres of Excellence from 2000 to 2009, and was member, vice-chair, and chair of the CSA Sustainable Forest Management Technical Committee from 2000 to 2015.  Peter has worked closely with governments, companies, and NGOs across Canada on issues related to sustainable rural and urban forest management and policy. One of Peter’s current projects is working with a consulting team to develop a “Guide for Preparing Forest Stewardship Plans” for the NS Department of Lands and Forestry.

In 2010, Peter began a long-standing relationship with the urban forestry group of Halifax Regional Municipality. In exchange for funding his students’ research projects, Dr. Duinker has invested substantial personal time in developing HRM’s first Urban Forest Master Plan (2013) and then in supporting its implementation. Dr. Duinker established a website – halifaxtreeproject.com – which is dedicated to producing and sharing learning materials about Halifax’s urban forests. His latest award for service to the cause of forest sustainability is the Royal Galipeau Award of Distinction, given by Tree Canada in 2020.

Current Urban-Forest Projects and Initiatives

1. UF Research and Monitoring for HRM

Annually, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) and Dalhousie University enter into a research agreement that funds my students to provide research and monitoring services associated with implementation of the HRM Urban Forest Master Plan, a plan which we at Dal helped develop. The centrepiece of the summer program is measurement of as many of the newly planted street trees as we possibly can, but there are many other projects. Each year we work closely with the Superintendent of Urban Forestry, Crispin Wood, in setting and implementing the research agenda. You can discover the products of many of our projects in the following document:

Duinker, P.N. 2020. Urban Forest Management and Research in Halifax, NS: Contributions from the School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University. School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS. (url coming)

2. UF Governance

Tyler Doucet is joining Dalhousie in summer 2021 to take a Master of Environmental Studies and work under my supervision to complete research and a thesis on the topic of UF governance. Specifically, we are interested in deciphering the role of NGOs in fostering successful municipal UF programs.

Teaching about Urban Forests

Starting in 2013 and ending in 2018, I delivered a course called “Sustainable Urban Forests” for small groups of graduate students at my School. My retirement in 2019 stopped that delivery, but I have thoughts about bringing the course back. Recently I agreed to become a collaborator with the instructors responsible to deliver UBC’s new Master of Urban Forest Leadership. I lead numerous urban-forest walkabouts for various groups of citizens in Halifax.