About this Bursary
The Tree Canada Urban Forestry Student Bursary is available to students in Canada who have a strong interest in and dedication to urban forestry as demonstrated by their academic, volunteerism and extra-curricular activities. The bursary will pay for travel, accommodations, meals, and registration expenses for two full-time students (one undergraduate and one graduate student) to attend the Canadian Urban Forest Conference, held every two years in Canada. The approximate value of the bursary is $3,000.
Applications should address the significant involvement of the individual in urban forestry-related education, volunteerism and extra-curricular activities and will be evaluated on demonstrated interaction with the urban forest community and related activities, formal and informal academic studies, and the quality of the reference.
Nominations for the Student Bursary are now closed. All applicants will be notified by email before the end of June. Winners will be announced publicly at the Canadian Urban Forest Conference in October.
Savannah Bissegger O'Connor
Savannah is pursuing a Master of Science in Forestry at Université Laval, leading Quebec City’s first inventory of trees on private lands that uses participatory science, where residents are actively involved in collecting data on their own trees. Savannah’s interest in studying urban landscapes began during her undergraduate studies at McGill University, where she encountered The Montérégie Connection, a study on ecological connectivity in the rapidly suburbanizing area where she grew up. Witnessing the rapid transformation of cherished orchards and green spaces into housing developments near her hometown sparked her interest in exploring ways to create sustainable and biodiverse urban living spaces.
As a Research Assistant at McGill’s Gault Nature ReserveGault Nature Reserve in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, she built a strong foundation in citizen science and applied geospatial techniques to projects such as invasive plant monitoring and wildlife research using drone thermal imaging. In her undergrad, Savannah conducted a remote sensing project on the health and connectivity of Montreal’s green spaces, which introduced her to urban ecology.
Her master’s research uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore residents’ roles in urban forest health, including tree maintenance practices and data collection. She hopes to highlight that a bottom-up approach to private tree data collection—building strong relationships with residents grounded in respect and education—can enhance engagement and foster collaborative, sustainable management of urban green spaces.
Louis-Vincent Grand-Maison
With his profound passion for ecology and his commitment to the common good, Louis-Vincent has become a catalyst for change through collaborations with municipal governments on innovative environmental projects. He independently developed initiatives like biodiversity corridors in Brossard and Saint-Constant and created the FLASH Forest, a micro-forest now flourishing with over 1500 trees. These projects have rallied support from partner organizations, municipal leaders, and environmentally conscious citizens. By engaging communities and educating youth through tree-planting events and educational programs, he fosters a deep sense of belonging and ensures long-term impact in all his initiatives.
On campus at Université Laval, Louis-Vincent takes an active role in mobilizing students to take action in their own ways. Throughout his studies, he has taken leadership roles in five student associations. Notably, as co-president of Univert Laval, he spearheaded environmental projects that transformed the campus into a greener and more sustainable living space. Furthermore, his involvement with the Semaine des Sciences Forestières helped raise public awareness on critical forestry topics, including forest fires and the importance of wetlands.
Currently pursuing a master’s degree in remote sensing, he advances urban forestry through research utilizing drones and machine learning to identify tree species. By embracing this multidisciplinary approach, Louis-Vincent aims to enhance his contributions to greening our cities through his current and future initiatives
Sophie Nitoslawski
Sophie Nitoslawski is a PhD Candidate in Urban Forestry, Sustainable Development Fellow at the University of British Columbia. Her fascination with trees and forests was cemented during one of her undergraduate courses while identifying and measuring trees in a primeval forest in snowshoes and mittens.
After completing her Bachelors in Environmental Studies at McGill University, she secured funding for graduate work at Dalhousie University, with the ultimate aim of protecting and enhancing the many benefits of our forests. Post-Master’s, she worked as an arboriculture inspector for the City of Montreal, where she gained valuable experience in urban forest program management, tree inspection and assessment, and public education for urban forestry.
She truly enjoy using her leadership skills to engage with citizens, students, practitioners, and researchers, and to develop a dialogue about the importance of green spaces and effective forest management in building healthier and more sustainable communities.
Laura Nguyen
Laura is a graduate student in Master of Forest Conservation program at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Forestry, as well as summer Urban Forestry intern with the City of Toronto where she currently leads a project to develop a comprehensive inventory of all Urban Forestry services including tree planting, maintenance, protection and planning.
She was a Nature Educator at the environmental non-profit High Park Nature Centre, where the largest urban forest in Toronto exists and was a volunteer with LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) as one of their Young Urban Forest Leaders to implement their Adopt-a-Park-Tree program, which engaged local residents with their park trees through watering, mulching, and monitoring the health of the trees.
Lastly, in 2018, the Toronto City Council passed a motion to increase tree protection in Toronto, which was led by Laura, with the mentorship of Toronto City Councillor Sarah Doucette. Motion PE25.1, entitled Tree Protection through the Committee Adjustment, includes eight actions the city can take to address gaps in tree protection.