As they prepare to roll up their sleeves, lace up their boots, and enter the workforce, graduates of The University of Winnipeg’s Forest Ecology and Forest Policy program streams are being gifted a wearable symbol of the hard work behind them and the career possibilities and professional responsibilities ahead.
Twenty-two graduating students from the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences (EES) were celebrated at a Silver Ring Ceremony in Convocation Hall on April 29. This special biannual event, organized by the Canadian Institute of Forestry (CIF), welcomes new graduates from forestry-focused programs to a career in forestry.
The Silver Ring Ceremony has become a tradition at UWinnipeg, which is home to the only CIF-accredited four-year forestry program in Manitoba, and one of only 10 across Canada. This accreditation gives graduates a competitive edge and the specialized skills needed to work in the forest industry or an associated profession.
These rings are physical reminders that we are now part of a wider community of forestry practitioners across Canada.
Quincy Houdayer
Dr. Ryan Bullock, Professor and Tier II Canada Research Chair in Human-Environment Interactions, welcomed the graduates and the friends and family who showed up to cheer them on. Congratulations were also delivered by Dr. Todd Mondor, President and Vice-Chancellor; Dr. Pavlina Radia, Provost and Vice-President, Academic; and Dr. Jino Distasio, Acting Dean of Science.
Brad Epp, Past President of CIF and Chair of the Manitoba Section, presented each graduate with a silver ring symbolizing the achievement of completing a CIF-recognized forestry program. The ring is worn on the smallest finger of a graduate’s working hand, Epp explained, with the base of the tree inscribed on the ring pointing toward their heart.
“The ring is a symbol that students have completed a program which contains the wide variety of education, training, and expertise they need to work in forestry or forestry related careers at a national level, and that they have a professional bond with students across Canada,” Dr. Bullock said.
While Manitoba is often thought of as a prairie province, Dr. Bullock noted half of it is forested.
The 2025 Silver Ring Ceremony was the sixth held at UWinnipeg. The first took place in 2009. Since then, over 100 UWinnipeg students have received CIF silver rings.
The ceremony is also a reminder of the growth of UWinnipeg’s Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, whose roots reach back to 1970, when an Environmental Studies Program was founded as one of the first interdisciplinary undergraduate environment programs in Canada. Today, UWinnipeg is home to the Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research, housed within the EES department. Forest Ecology and Forest Policy & Management are two of four streams that EES students taking a BSc can choose.
“UWinnipeg forestry students are not only trained in many basic forestry qualifications,” Dr. Bullock said. “They also have a more holistic approach to the scientific and social aspects needed to work in and with our forest resources, which is in keeping with the sustainability paradigm.”
Quincy Houdayer, one of this year’s silver ring recipients, delivered an address to his fellow graduates. Houdayer grew up in Stonewall, just outside Winnipeg. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, his work in a prior career slowed down. On a camping trip, he read Aldo Leopold’s 1949 book A Sand County Almanac and was intrigued to learn the author was a forester by trade. It wasn’t long before Houdayer’s search for a Canadian forestry program led him to UWinnipeg.
Silver rings are worn on the smallest finger of a graduate’s working hand, with the base of the tree inscribed on the ring pointing toward their heart.
“I know that everyone who goes through the forestry program works very hard,” Houdayer said. “These rings are nice, physical reminders that we made it through and that we are now part of a wider community of forestry practitioners across Canada.”
This summer, Houdayer will continue his work as a Senior Silviculture Forestry Technician with the Manitoba government’s Forestry and Peatlands branch. He will then return to UWinnipeg in the fall to begin the Master in Environmental & Social Change program.
No matter where his career takes him, Houdayer said he’ll always remember the sense of belonging at UWinnipeg.
“Without a doubt, what I appreciated most is the community,” he said. “UWinnipeg is full of kind folks who are passionate about what they do, whether they’re teachers, students, or support staff. It has been a fantastic place to learn and grow.”
History of the Silver Ring
The first Silver Ring Ceremony took place in 1953 at the University of British Columbia, organized by forestry and forestry engineering graduates. By 1961, the ceremony had become a tradition and was adopted by forestry schools in New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. The CIF assumed responsibility for the ceremony in 1967. Since then, graduates who complete a CIF-recognized bachelor’s degree have received a silver ring.
About the CIF
The Canadian Institute of Forestry is Canada’s professional organization of foresters and leading voice for the forest industry. The CIF provides national leadership in forestry and forest stewardship, while promoting competency among forest practitioners and fostering public awareness and education of Canadian and international forest and forestry issues.
