David Spittlehouse

Long before Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, professional agrologist Dr. David Spittlehouse was considering how British Columbia’s climate was changing and what that would mean for the environment and the economy.

David’s public service career began in 1982 and for 35 years he has been credited with keeping the province on the leading edge of forest meteorology, climate science and climate change adaptation.

This legacy includes meticulously assembled, publicly available, long-term datasets, tools and interpretation that improve our understanding of forest water and carbon cycling and can minimize risk associated with extreme climatic events.

David also mentored innumerable students and young professionals throughout his career, as well as collaborating with a wide variety of organizations. David is regarded as a national leader in the Canadian forest sector. His work has guided the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development in its mandate to develop policies and programs in an era of climate change and to make informed decisions supporting forest sustainability.

Those who are active in this area recognize David’s passion, leadership and technical expertise. He has made seminal contributions to the understanding of how forests affect water flows and, by examining the effects of forest disturbance on flood risks to infrastructure, David has contributed to public safety.

David’s steadfast commitment has enabled B.C. to become a leader in adapting and mitigating climate change in the natural resource sector.