Douglas Edward Rickson, R.P.F. (1933-2022) was highly involved in forestry and associated environmental issues throughout his life. He received a Bachelor of Forestry (BSF) from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Forestry (MF) degree from the University of California, Berkeley. While an undergraduate student at the University of British Columbia in 1954 and 1955, Rickson participated in timber cruises. He also received several forestry awards in 1955, including the Alaska Pine Company Limited Scholarship in Forestry and the Plimsoll Club Scholarship in Forestry, Forest Business Administration.

After serving for seven years with the British Columbia Forest Service, during which he likely became a Registered Professional Forester (R.P.F.), Rickson’s career at Canfor began on May 1, 1964. Starting as a forester, he became Chief Forester in 1972 then Vice-President and Chief Forester in the early 1990s of Canadian Forest Products Ltd. Rickson was then promoted to Vice-President and Chief Forester of Canfor Corporation, serving as an Officer of the Corporation and a member of Canfor’s President’s Committee. He retired in 1995. In his 31 years at Canfor, Rickson contributed significantly to Canfor’s forest practices, developing forest management programs, forest education programs, and forest practices performance review programs.

In the late 1990s, Rickson and his wife, Irene Suyin Lee, became students of Dzongsar Khentse Rinpoche, a Rimé Tibetan Buddhist scholar and founder of the Khyentse Foundation. In 2004 and 2006, Rickson and his wife Irene volunteered at a Buddhist monastery, Chador Lhakhang, in the Kingdom of Bhutan. They taught conversational English, basic computer skills, and environmental awareness to 60-80 monks ranging in age from 7 to 25 years old.

Rickson was an active member of many forestry professional associations and related groups from his student days to post-retirement. He was a long-time member of the Association of British Columbia Professional Foresters, the Canadian Institute of Forestry, and the Society of American Foresters. He also served as Director of the British Columbia Forestry Association, Trustee of the Western Forestry and Conservation Association, member of the Vancouver Botanical Garden Association, and member of the Vancouver Natural History Society. Additionally, Rickson considered himself an active outdoorsman, with interests including fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, and cross-country skiing.