Forestry consulting for your community
Our mission, your values
Purcell Forestry helps you and your community make decisions about your trees and forests. We specialize in providing forestry consulting services at the wildland-urban interface, where forests meet homes and communities. Decisions you make about your forest can directly impact human health and safety, biodiversity and ecological values, your legal obligations, and your relationships to your communities. We believe that the best forestry is as much about the process as the outcome. Translating your values into a plan for your forest is the essence of the “art” of forestry, and complements scientific analysis of site and inventory data to determine acceptable outcomes.
What we work on
Wildfire Resilience
More wildfire is happening in BC following decades of climate change and intersecting impacts of forest health and policy. Purcell Forestry can help you understand the risk to your property and community and what you can do about it. We follow provincial best practices in wildfire hazard assessment and provide clear, actionable recommendations that help you decrease risk, receive development approvals, and sustain your forest. We work on Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans, Fuel Management Prescriptions, Qualified Professional reports for development applications, and more.
Tree & Forest Management
Trees and forests provide incredible benefits to your property, development, community, and region. But it can be hard to know how to manage them to protect these benefits from climate change, development impacts, and poor forest health. Purcell Forestry writes site assessments and management plans for forests as small as your backyard and as large as your city, watershed, or forest tenure. While every project is different, it all starts with identifying your goals and legal objectives that apply to your situation, the unique features of your forest, and the threats it faces. Your report will baseline your forest’s condition and contain the strategies you need to manage it sustainably, supported by inventory data and mapping.
Engagement
The best forestry is collaborative. There will be people you need to hear from to understand your forest and people to whom you need to communicate the value of your forestry project. Purcell Forestry can develop online and in-person engagement opportunities that ensure your management plan or forestry project reaches the right people at the right time. We have experience engaging members of the public, interest groups, subject matter experts, industry and government staff, and elected officials in matters related to wildfire prevention, urban forestry, and forest management planning.
Get to
know us
Purcell Forestry is the business name of Matthew Shields, R.P.F. In addition to being a Registered Professional Forester (#5137) in British Columbia, Matt is also an International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist. His forestry practice focuses on issues at the wildland-urban interface, including wildfire hazard assessment and fuel management, park and natural areas planning, tree risk assessment, and strategic planning for urban forests. Based in Nelson, BC, Purcell Forestry provides consulting and project management services to communities around the Kootenays and further afield.
Reviews
“Matt provides outstanding service, with great communication, high quality work, and excellent attention to detail. His support has been valuable in successfully delivering several projects.”
Conor Corbett, Director, Frontera Forest Solutions“Working with Matt on the Town's Urban Forest Management Strategy and Tree Bylaw Update was a truly positive experience. Matt is highly responsive, organized, and knowledgeable, guiding the projects seamlessly from early development through community open houses and ultimately Council adoption. We also received numerous positive comments from community members about their experiences working with Matt, reflecting his ability to connect, listen, and build trust with a wide range of stakeholders.”
Robbie Nall, Parks Manager, Town of Comox“I had the opportunity to work with Matt on UBC Okanagan’s Wildfire Management Plan update and found him to be an exceptional consultant and collaborator. He was highly engaged throughout the process, taking the time to understand the campus context through site visits and consultation sessions, and consistently provided clear, practical and well-reasoned advice. He was a pleasure to work with and I would welcome the opportunity to work with him again in the future.”
Leanne Bilodeau, Associate Director Sustainability Operations, University of British Columbia Okanagan
Contact us
Have a project we could help with? We would love to hear from you!