Matt Shields, Forester - BA, MSFM, RPF, ISA Certified Arborist®

Matthew is a Registered Professional Forester and ISA Certified Arborist with five years of experience in urban forest strategic planning and community wildfire protection. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from McGill University and a Master of Sustainable Forest Management from UBC. His work at DHC bridges all phases of strategic plan development in urban forestry, including field data collection, GIS analysis, research, writing, community engagement, and project management. He led DHC’s development of 7 Community Wildfire Resiliency Plans for the Regional District of Nanaimo in 2022 and is the lead author of several of our recent urban forest strategies. Before training as a forester, Matt was an educator in the community heritage sector. His strategies feature compelling, historically informed storytelling about urban and natural landscapes.