After the Second World War forced Paul and Edwina Heller to leave their home in Warsaw, Poland, in 1941, they found a new one in Vancouver, BC.

The family thrived, with Paul revamping what became the highly successful Pacific Pine and Company lumber business with his brother, Sam. Paul had graduated with an engineering degree from the Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, England, and found this skill set was well-suited to the millions of acres of forest covering BC.

“Being an engineer, my father used the forestry experience he gained in Poland to optimize Pacific Pine’s sawmill production, upgrading its functionality and techniques, and making great changes to the operation of the mill,” says Dr. Irene Bettinger, one of Paul and Edwina’s two daughters.

In the late 1980s, the Hellers established the Paul Heller Fellowship in Forestry to commemorate Paul’s 75th birthday, beginning a longstanding tradition of giving to UBC Forestry. After the passing of Edwina in 2012 at age 97 and Paul a year later at age 101, the Edwina and Paul Heller Memorial Fund and the Fellowship at UBC Forestry were established.

As the trustee of her parents’ estate, Irene utilizes Heller funds to support the changing world of wood science.

“The funds are directed to UBC Forestry’s Wood Sciences Department in support of education and research that are responding to evolving needs in the forestry profession and broader community,” states Irene. “Engineering was my father’s lifeblood. He enjoyed the intellectual thought process of working towards more innovative ways to make changes to production and management; and, I believe he would have reveled in how UBC Forestry students and faculty are developing novel approaches and processes.”

Support that is moving wood science forward

A distinguishing feature of the Heller Fund is its flexibility. Department of Wood Science faculty members Prof. Scott Renneckar, Asst. Prof. Cristiano Loss and Assoc. Prof. Julie Cool have the flexibility to direct Heller funding to hard-to-fill financial gaps, such as field work, Spring 2024 | Branchlines 26 miscellaneous equipment needs, conference attendance and student recruitment and retention.

“The Heller Fund is open for the professor to use as they see fit to advance their specific area of research,” says Emma Tully, Asst. Dean of Development, Alumni and External Relations. “I guess you could call this ‘trustbased philanthropy’, where the donor trusts the organization to make the best use of their support to the stated field for maximum impact.”

For example, Heller funding supported UBC Forestry Asst. Prof. Julie Cool’s research into sawmill optimization, enabling the research team to purchase essential equipment and conduct data analysis.

“Heller funds supported the paid work of two UBC Forestry graduate students who analyzed existing data on the sawing process and collected new data from sensors during the cutting process,” notes Julie. “This data could further advance the optimization and control of sawmilling processes to maximize log utilization, increase product value and decrease production costs associated with such things as maintenance and energy consumption to ensure a sustainable forest industry.”

Scott directed Heller funds to costs associated with open-access rights to his publications, as well as to international conference attendance for UBC Forestry students assisting with his research and the wages of some of his research associates. Funds also made possible “collaborations with scientists from other faculties, such as Microbiology, which has opened doors to the exploration of new research areas,” says Scott, who is a Canada Research Chair in Advanced Renewable Materials.

Muzaffer Karaaslan, a research associate working in Scott’s lab, was able to participate in Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada-supported research projects thanks to the additional support from the Heller Fund. This included an innovative collaboration with Domtar, a sustainable paper company, into the production of carbon aerogels from lignin for energy storage applications.

“This experience enhanced my research skills, problem-solving abilities and interdisciplinary collaboration,” states Muzaffer. “It also provided relevant experience and a strong professional network to prepare me for success as I continue to pursue academic or industry contributions that push the boundaries of knowledge, solve complex problems and translate research findings into practical solutions that benefit society.”

Building student success

The Heller Fellowship has also ventured outside the world of wood science to support other labs at UBC Forestry, including graduate students in the labs of UBC Forestry Asst. Prof. Haibo Feng and Dominik Roeser, Assoc. Dean, Research Forests & Community Outreach. This support relieves some of the financial burden on bright young minds, such as Master of Science in Forestry students Rojini Kathiravel and Zexi Liu (BSF’23).

After completing her degree at UBC Forestry, Rojini is aiming for a career in the engineering industry. Under the direction of Haibo, Rojini’s graduate research has focused on engineering and construction, including timber structures and sustainable timber modelling.

Zexi has conducted research with Assoc. Prof. Dominik Roeser in the Forest Action Lab, which supports sustainable forest management through innovation, research and development initiatives. Zexi worked on a research paper on the use of very-high-resolution imagery to calculate the slash pile burning occurrence rate in the province, and is currently validating the quantity measurements and assessing the quality of forest biomass with advanced technologies for his master’s thesis.

“My goal is to optimize forest biomass utilisation in BC by considering the ecological, economic and social interaction,” says Zexi. “The Heller scholarship helps me to better concentrate on my studies.”

“The generosity of the Heller family has inspired me to help others and give back to the community,” adds Rojini. “I hope one day that I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as they have helped me.”