The Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia (FESBC) recently added a new member to its Board of Directors. Meet Jamie Jeffreys, a Registered Professional Forester (RPF) and current Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) for the South Area with the Ministry of Forests.
Jamie has a deep-rooted connection to forestry, both professionally and personally. She attended the University of British Columbia, where she completed the forestry degree program. Two years later, she got her RPF designation and has been a professional forester ever since.
Jamie worked in a variety of roles in the forestry sector, including consulting and working for First Nations and industry across the north and south areas of the province, before joining the BC Public Service.
“I’m a passionate forester. I’ve worked in different areas — consulting, industry, and government — and across the province, from Mackenzie and Prince George to Kamloops,” she said. “Eventually, that led to various roles within the Ministry of Forests, where I’ve been for 18 years now.”
In this time, she has been involved with multiple ministries and programs, including Regional Operations, FrontCounter BC, and the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) in the Ministry of Forests and also a short opportunity in the former Ministry of Energy and Mines.
In addition, Jamie recently concluded a seven-year involvement as a Board Member with Forest Professionals BC, an experience she believes will be a great asset to bring forward as she begins this new role on FESBC’s Board.
As the current ADM for the South Area with the Ministry of Forests, Jamie’s role connects directly to many FESBC projects in the region. She first became interested in FESBC’s work during her time with BCWS, where she saw firsthand how the funding aligned with wildfire prevention goals.
Her interest deepened when her colleague Sarah Fraser, who also served as ADM and Board Director with FESBC, shared insights about her experience.
“When Sarah retired, we talked a little more and thought it would be a good opportunity given my background as a forester and work with the ministry,” she said. “The work FESBC does is interesting to me. I believe in it, and a lot of the projects are in the South Area, which I’m responsible for.”
Jamie was officially welcomed onto the FESBC Board of Directors this past month. As one of the two Ministry of Forests ADM representatives, she is looking forward to helping the organization shape its strategic direction and support its governance, as well as learning more about successful projects around the South Area.
“I’m particularly excited about the work that groups such as Central Chilcotin Rehabilitation does with their FESBC funding. The projects are creative and are focused on land restoration work that also supply a variety of fibre to different facilities,” she said. “The Palmer project is very compelling. To be able to see areas that may not typically be treated have the opportunity to be managed and to also see fibre that would normally be left behind after harvest be fully utilized was very interesting.”
For Jamie, forestry goes beyond cutting trees and involves active forest management in all aspects, including replanting, enhancing, and sustaining forests for the future.
“We’re actually helping the life cycle of the forests by actively managing them, and FESBC funding makes that a reality,” she said. “We need to be managing those blocks for the long term, doing intensive silviculture treatments, thinning or cleansing for forest health reasons and wildfire mitigation.”
She further believes resilience should be a guiding principle, even in conservation areas, and sees FESBC as essential to enabling this shift.
“Even in areas we’re conserving, we need to make sure they’re resilient. Are they truly of value in the context of conservation if we don’t help them withstand natural disasters?” she added.
When not at work, Jamie enjoys spending time with her family and their animals on their small acreage near Sun Peaks. Her family is also a proud supporter of the 4-H Program in British Columbia and participate in livestock shows and 4-H events throughout the year.
With her wealth of experience, passion, and dedication to responsible and active forestry management, Jamie is set to make a positive impact on the FESBC Board and contribute to the resilience of British Columbia’s forests.