John is a Registered Professional Forester with the Association of B.C. Forest Professionals with over 30 years of wildland fire management experience (10 yrs with BCWS, 20 yrs as a wildland fire consultant). He has a solid foundation in wildfire management and fire ecology and applies his operational fire knowledge to all aspects of his professional work. His main interests are wildland fire and fuel management, prescribed burning, community interface protection, the rehabilitation of sensitive ecosystems. He is passionate about working with First Nations to build capacity within their membership with regards to wildland fire and burning, communities to develop responsibly following FireSmart guidelines, and with forest licensees to integrate fire back into forest management. John started community protection and wildfire management work in 2004 as one of only a few professional foresters in BC that had extensive practical operational experience in wildfire suppression, fuel management operations, and prescribed burning. He has continued to develop this extensive knowledge of the ecological role of fire, fire behaviour, how fuel conditions affect wildfire behaviour, and of tactical strategies required to protect communities and other values. This knowledge is a result of hundreds of hours fighting forest fires, and countless hours prescribing, implementing and monitoring fuel management and prescribed burning projects during his 30-year career in wildfire management.