Werner Kurz is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

research scientist at Canada's Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria, British Columbia. He is leading the development of an accounting system to assess potential climate change known as the National Forest Carbon Accounting System for Canada. Currently, his research focuses on using forest land to its maximum carbon efficiency, reducing the impact of natural disasters, and managing forests. Kurz holds a

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forest ecology Forest ecology is the scientific study of the interrelated patterns, processes, flora, fauna and ecosystems in forests. The management of forests is known as forestry, silviculture, and forest management. A forest ecosystem is a natural woodland u ...

from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. He has made significant contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the work of the IPCC (including the contributions of many scientists) was recognized by the joint award of the

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

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Areas of Research

Mountain Pine Beetles

One subject of Kurz's research is the effect of

mountain pine beetle The mountain pine beetle (''Dendroctonus ponderosae'') is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures approximately , about the siz ...

s (''Dendroctonus ponderosae)'' on forest ecosystems. His most recent research into this topic is the recent outbreak of mountain pine beetles in the forests of British Columbia. Due to the warmer climate of recent years, the beetles have been able to get to higher latitudes and have less die off during the winter. This has resulted in the largest-ever recorded outbreak of this insect.Kurz, Werner. "Making The Paper: Werner Kurz." ''Nature'' 452.7190 (2008): x. ''Environment Index''. Web. 14 Sept. 2016. More than 32 million acres of forest have been killed by this outbreak since 2000. The beetle outbreak affects carbon dioxide emissions in two main ways. First, trees that are destroyed release carbon dioxide when they decompose which increases the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Second, fewer trees are healthy and able to pull greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. Research done by Kurz and his team show that if a solution is not found by 2020 the beetles will have killed enough forest to equal five years of carbon dioxide emissions from all the automobiles in Canada.Reebs, Stephan. "Six-Legged Agents of Change." ''Natural History'' 117.6(2008):14. ''Academic Search Complete.'' Web. 14 Sept.2016.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Kurz contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports including the 2019

Special Report on Climate Change and Land The United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Land (SRCCL), also known as the "Special Report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food s ...

(SRCCL). His IPCC contributions and that of many scientists, was recognized by the joint award of the

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kurz, Werner Living people 21st-century Canadian scientists Forestry researchers Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Year of birth missing (living people)