Faces of Forestry is an initiative of the Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia (FESBC) to highlight people doing meaningful work to support healthy and resilient forests across British Columbia. This month, we feature Sonja Leverkus, Prescribed Fire Specialist and owner of Shifting Mosaics Corporation and Northern Fire WoRx Corp., whose work focuses on bringing prescribed fire back onto the land as an important tool for managing forests and landscapes.
Sonja’s connection to the land began early in life. She grew up on a cattle ranch first in southern Alberta and later in the Rocky Mountains of southern British Columbia, where she spent much of her time outdoors.
“I spent every day outside ranching and stewarding the land with my parents,” she said. “I have always had a deep love and passion for the land and all that inhabit it.”
Her academic journey reflects this lifelong interest in ecosystems and land stewardship. Sonja earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Biology from McGill University and a Bachelor of Arts in French from the University of Victoria before completing a PhD in Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Oklahoma State University. Her doctoral work focused on prescribed fire, landscape ecology, and the fire-grazing interaction (pyric herbivory), including research on wood bison, free-roaming horses, and fire in northeastern British Columbia.
Fire has been a constant presence throughout her life and career, from experiencing wildfire on her family’s range tenure in the East Kootenays to working with the BC Forest Service as a Range Agrologist in the Fort Nelson and Peace Forest Districts.
Today, through her companies, Sonja works on prescribed fire projects across northern Canada, collaborating with communities and organizations to apply carefully planned fire to the land in ways that support ecosystem health and help reduce the risk of future wildfires.
“Every day is different and primarily depends on what direction the wind is blowing and at what speed it is blowing,” she noted.
In recent years, Sonja has also worked on projects funded by FESBC, including fuel treatment and prescribed fire work with the Burns Lake Community Forest and hopes to collaborate on additional wildland fire research in the Fort Nelson region.
While the work can be challenging, Sonja says one of the most rewarding parts of her career is working alongside people who share the same commitment to the land.
“It is a great honour and privilege to do good work that I love to do, with a team and crew of people I love for clients who respect and empower us,” she said. “It is a true gift to work hard for decades and finally arrive where you have always wanted to be.”
Another part of her work that she values deeply is sharing knowledge. Sonja recently began teaching Canada’s first university course in prescribed fire at the University of Alberta, where she enjoys developing the curriculum and working with students interested in the future of land and wildland fire management.
“I greatly enjoy sharing knowledge with people – learning from traditional and historical knowledge holders, professors and scientists, my crew, my family, and now our students,” she added.
Sonja believes the work being done today is especially important as landscapes and communities continue to adapt to changing wildfire patterns. When asked what she wishes more people understood about forestry, she talked about how many different ways there are to be a forester and contribute to the practice.
“Forestry is not only about trees,” she explained. “To me, it is about interactions across broad landscapes. My own scope of practice is centered around wildland fire and directly around putting good fire out on the land.”
While prescribed fire has sometimes been seen as unconventional within forestry, Sonja says that organizations such as the BC Forest Professionals and FESBC continue to broaden the understanding of what forestry work and forestry professionals can look like.
“In recent years, I have felt more accepted as a forester in B.C. as I light fire in forested ecosystems,” she said. “The work that organizations like FESBC do to promote the breadth and depth of professionalism in forestry continues to support unconventional foresters like me.”
Reflecting on her career, Sonja recognizes the many people who helped guide her path and the legacy of those who came before.
“I stand on the shoulders of giants who have literally lit the way before me,” she said. “I hope the work my team and crews are doing today will one day be recognized for the effort it takes to put good fire back on the land.”
Thank you, Sonja, for your dedication to land stewardship and for helping advance the role of prescribed fire in supporting resilient landscapes and forest ecosystems across British Columbia.