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Dean's Message

Brian Carr

Brian G. Carr, Ph.D., Dean of Sciences

Welcome

Kwantlen's School of Horticulture, located at our Langley Campus, offers a variety of exciting, yet challenging, programs to prepare you for a career in horticulture. I invite you to scroll through this message and the other pages of the School's website to gather more information about our programs and about horticulture in general. My message below is constructed to allow you to move back and forth between sections as you wish. Enjoy.

Horticulture in British Columbia

Agriculture is the science or art of cultivating the soil, growing and harvesting crop, and raising livestock. Horticulture is the branch of plant agriculture dealing with garden crops; generally fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants. The word is derived from the Latin hortus meaning “garden” and colere meaning “to cultivate.” As a general term it covers all forms of garden management, but in ordinary use it refers to intensive commercial production. In British Columbia, the major sectors of horticulture are vegetables and ornamentals, field-grown food crops, sod farms, flower and shrubbery nurseries, mushroom farms, landscape design and installation, and turf management.

The southwest corner of British Columbia, encompassing what is referred to as the Lower Mainland and the southern portion of Vancouver Island, offers the right seasonal climate year round for greenhouse production of vegetables, ornamentals, turfgrass and nursery stock. Canada ranks second in the world only to the Netherlands for production of greenhouse vegetables, and is a recognized leader in biological pest control and environmental computerization. In 2003, 34% of Canada’s total greenhouse vegetable sales came from British Columbia, second only in Canada to Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula at 50%. In fact, provincial revenues from greenhouse vegetable production have grown so fast over the last decade that it now triples field production revenues for the same crops.

Approximately 95% of BC’s greenhouse vegetables are grown in the Lower Mainland in ultra-modern Dutch Venlo glass structures designed for optimal light transmission. In order of significance, the main vegetables grown are tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, cucumbers, and lettuce. Next in order are hot specialty peppers and herbs. Greenhouse ornamental crops include cut flowers, potted plants, bedding plants and foliage plants, where demand is high but still low compared to the Netherlands. In BC, most of the greenhouse floral sales are conducted through United Flower Growers auctions. Approximately 28% of the nation’s total nursery and sod sales came from BC in 2003, where nursery stock includes annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees. The BC Landscape and Nursery Association reports figures from Statistics Canada claiming the province’s horticulture sales in 2003 of ornamental trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, sod, greenhouse vegetables, and cut flower beddings (referred to as farmgate sales) from the production industry (greenhouses) and the landscape and retail sector approached $1.2 billion.

It is estimated that the turf industry (golf courses, sports fields, etc.) adds an additional $1.5 billion annually to the BC economy. This provides a total industry worth roughly $2.7 billion each year before value added dollars from landscape installation and lawn and garden product sales are even factored. The province’s horticulture production sales have tripled over the period from 1997 to 2003. The production sector (greenhouse vegetable, nursery, and flower production) alone currently employs an estimated 17,000 BC workers.

British Columbia’s rapid population growth, particularly in the southwest segment, along with our personal pursuit of increased leisure and recreational opportunities, has generated a huge market for the landscape design, landscape installation, and turf management industry. Securing a landscape designer, landscape contractor, certified arborist, or certified lawn maintenance provider requires considerably advanced booking. Demand far exceeds supply when it comes to skilled workers, and quality service suffers as a result. The immense unregulated underground economy operating in this sector has sadly led to a perceived lack of professionalism in the landscape industry. Enhancing public awareness of the merits and value of contracting with professionally certified companies or hiring properly skilled workers, along with a profession-driven move towards industry self-regulation, are two steps in a multi-pronged approach to increasing “best practices” within the landscape design, installation and maintenance industry, reassuring public confidence, as well as creating more quality-based jobs for our nation’s youth.

Gardening is Canada’s number one hobby, and, as demonstrated by the surge of home and garden TV shows and publications and the increasing popularity of featured speakers at consumer trade shows. Canadians have shown a rapidly expanding interest in creating a personal garden space at home that offers the relaxation they strive for as well as the level of upkeep their personal lifestyle allows. Garden centres have responded to this increased interest by escalating the amount and variety of their stock. In 2003, consumers purchased garden tools, goods, and products to the tune of $500 million from garden centres and chain stores in BC. Some of the larger centers, like GardenWorks in Burnaby, have added an at-your-fingertip, all-in-one service by including landscape design and installation consulting services alongside plant and garden equipment sales. Contributing to the wider scale of construction and landscape design is increased interest in attractions like water features, fishponds, miniature train layouts, and luring our feathery friends.

Canada has the highest per capita participation rate in golf of any other country, which helps account for the growing number of golf courses and driving ranges. The arrival of Tiger Woods has peeked spectator interest dramatically. The combined increase in rounds played and spectator viewing has triggered a higher expectation in the quality and difficulty of course layout, the frequency and intensity of course maintenance, and the overall services provided. This means much better fairway conditions, challenging slope ratings, supreme upkeep, improved drainage systems, faster and truer putting surfaces, greater overall integrated landscaping, less invasive pest and weed control, and enhanced environmental sensitivity - all this and prettier landscape and floral features to boot. Turf management operations have become much more sophisticated and scientific in approach in meeting this demand. Fortunately, the climate in BC, especially on the southern coast, lends itself to the successful growth and maintenance of grass.

The turfgrass industry in BC is strong, yet very diverse, ranging from farming (sod producers), to services (landscapers and applicators), to private sector recreation (golf and country clubs) to public sector recreation (public courses, parks, open-air playing fields, school grounds, cemeteries and municipal gardens) to residential lawn care. Industries related to the turfgrass market include companies supplying seed, fertilizers, pesticides, and application/maintenance equipment (or repairs to such).

A major challenge for BC’s horticulture industry has been attracting youth into this profession and into the classrooms of horticulture programs. For many, a job in horticulture is not viewed as a respected and viable career choice. Horticulture work is seen as unskilled labour involving long hours with little pay. It is imperative that this perception change if we are to retain our vibrant horticulture industry and current competitive standing worldwide. BC’s production horticulture business in Delta is currently facing such high levels of skill shortfalls that it is seriously considering hiring migrant farm workers from Mexico to work in the greenhouses. Landscape construction contractors fell seriously behind in their projects last year due to a lack of qualified or interested workers. These jobs will be in even bigger demand in upcoming years. Horticulture careers can involve long hours, but they can be very rewarding hours. While it is true that the industry has had a practice of hiring unskilled labour at cheap rates to do easily learned and repetitive tasks, it needs highly trained and qualified workers to carry out the more critical and economically sustainable tasks. These can be very lucrative paying jobs, as evidenced by the salaries earned by many large production operators and managers, by almost all landscape design and installation owners and key workers, and by many upper-level golf course maintenance groundskeepers and municipal parks and recreation managers.

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Horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University

The School of Horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been accepting students into horticulture studies since 1993. It is located at the university's Langley Campus. Facilities include access to the Science Labs at the Langley Campus, a botany lab, a commercial floristry lab, and a fully equipped Field Lab. The Field Lab supports year round activities typical of the greenhouse and nursery production, the landscape, and the turf industries in the Greater Vancouver region.

Production Horticulture Resources

Production horticulture students practice and learn in greenhouses, polyhouses, a container nursery, and an in-ground nursery. The greenhouse complex is made up of six 200 m2 Venlo style units. Vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers), cut flowers, bedding plants, and potted crops are grown at different times throughout the year. In each unit, the environment is monitored and controlled by computer management systems. Five (9.2 X 18.4 m) polyhouses are used to support students in their studies of plant propagation and in their production of bedding plants, nursery crops, and forest seedlings. Each house has a different combination of heating, irrigation, and covering to give students experience with common industry practice. The 0.1 hectare container nursery has a permanent irrigation system and is primarily used to grow trees and shrubs in nursery production classes. A small in ground nursery demonstrates the “pot in pot” production technique to students.

Landscape Resources

The Field Lab has approximately 0.3 ha of gardens and beds that represent the full range of maintenance levels found in residential and commercial landscapes. In addition, the field lab is home to the provincial Certified Horticulture Technician test site (0.4 ha) that includes a 340 m 2 covered area for year round work. The field lab and main campus contain over 1,000 selections of ornamental and native landscape plants. The landscape is ever changing as students design and install new plantings and redesign or renovate portions of the established plantings each year. The perimeters of on-site irrigation drainage ponds will be used for future water feature landscaping ventures.

Turf Management Resources

Turf management learning is supported by a 1 hectare turf training facility. Two USGA specification greens and one modified soil green are used by students for maintenance and research. The USGA greens have mixed creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass stands. The newer portion of the modified soil green is a mix of annual bluegrass and velvet bentgrass. The modified soil green is currently under reconstruction and expansion. Approximately 0.3 ha of turf is maintained as fairway and 0.4 ha is maintained for home lawn, athletic field and other medium maintenance uses. The turf field lab is fully irrigated and students learn irrigation scheduling and maintenance on Rainbird, Toro, and Hunter systems. Students practice maintenance activities using the range of equipment typical of golf operations. Specialty areas such as turf species plots enrich student learning. Practical activities at the turf lab run from September through mid November and from February to the end of the school year.

The horticulture programs that Kwantlen currently offers are:

The greenhouse vegetable, flower, and nursery industry has witnessed steady growth over the last ten years, with some leveling off in the last couple of years. This industry is a world leader in the use of new technology, computerized systems, and highly sophisticated distribution systems. Continued development, higher aesthetic standards and greater public concern regarding environmental impact have created and sustained a strong demand for people skilled and versed in landscape design and installation. The current construction boom in many areas of BC, along with planning for the upcoming 2010 Olympics, will assure the strength of this industry for the next decade. Turf management is the key component of the landscape, recreation, and tourism industries in Canada. Graduates of Kwantlen's program are trained in irrigation and drainage (including computer controlled) systems and practices, basic turf equipment maintenance, turfgrass science and maintenance operations, arboriculture, and golf course and athletic field management. Horticulture Technologists are employed in or manage a wide range of areas, including greenhouse and nursery operations, garden centers, school boards, landscape design and installation companies, landscape maintenance or arborist firms, parks and recreation departments, golf courses, and federal or provincial government offices and municipal departments.

The Lower Mainland of BC has some of the best climate conditions in the world for the production of greenhouse vegetables, flowers, and nursery crops. The industry is a world leader in computerized climate control and technology systems and the use of biological pest controls. Certificate students learn plant ID, plant propagation techniques, crop production, and harvesting, and basic pest management. The landscape maintenance sector contributes roughly $130 million annually to BC’s economy. Certificate students learn plant ID, turf maintenance, hard landscape maintenance, basic pest management, tree and shrub care, and landscape equipment maintenance. Kwantlen’s Certificate program is available to high school students as a dual credit program, meaning courses taken count both towards high school graduation and college credit. This is a unique opportunity for career fulfillment in considerably less time.

The Horticulture Apprenticeship program links learning with full-time employment over a four-year term. Apprentices sign an agreement with an employer in the horticulture field who is committed to providing practical on-the-job training. During the four years, apprentices attend four six-week long technical periods for theoretical and practical schooling. Kwantlen Polytechnic University offers the only horticulture apprentice training opportunity in British Columbia. On completion of the four six-week in-school training session, the 6480 hours of work site employment, and the employer’s confirmation of the prescribed workplace experience, the apprentice is awarded a Journeyperson Horticulturalist Certification. Municipal parks, golf courses, nurseries, landscape contractors, cemeteries, and greenhouse operations eagerly seek Journeypersons in the Horticulture Trades. The Industry Training Authority recently appointed the BC Landscape and Nursery Association and Kwantlen’s School of Horticulture as industry and training provider stakeholders for the upgrading of the provincial horticulture apprenticeship program.

Floriculture is the branch of horticulture concerned with growing and marketing flowers and ornamental plants, as well as with flower arrangement. Kwantlen’s 30-week Commercial Floristry program is designed to prepare students for work in flower shops, floral departments in garden centers, chain stores, and supermarkets. Many florists are hired by flower wholesalers, or work independently out of their own homes.

Kwantlen’s programs in horticulture offer a rich and balanced blend of theory and practical hands-on application in its science and botany labs, at its Field Lab (where a scaled-down real-life working environment is provided), and through field trip or industry site assignment. The School of Horticulture has established and maintained a consultative and joint-venture relationship with the local horticulture industry to ensure the curriculum, facilities, equipment and supplies are both cutting edge and abundant, and to ensure continuous exposure among students and their future employers.

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Integrated Pest Management in Horticulture

Nature's delicate balance between predator and survivor (otherwise known as the food chain) is as active in plant life as it is in animal life. A section of examples where particular horticulture and forest life are threatened by invasive action are included as follows:

The European Chafer is a beetle inadvertently introduced to Canada and first detected in New Westminster in 2001. It is an exotic pest, with few natural predators, that feeds on the roots of many plants, but prefers the fibrous roots of turf grasses. It is currently spreading westward into Burnaby and other parts, reeking full havoc on the lawns all the while. Exacerbating the problem are animals such as skunks, birds and raccoons that dig up chunks of the damaged and root-loosened turf to eat hundreds of beetles in their larvae stage.

Sudden Oak Death, or SOD, was recently confirmed in BC garden centers on six camellia plant varieties originating from California. SOD is a forest disease caused by a fungus-like pathogen known as Phytophthora ramorum. There is a very high risk of this fungus spreading to alternate host plants in nurseries and garden centers. It is a serious threat to the country's horticulture and forestry industries, and your gardens. First found in California in 1995, it has the potential of massive spread to plants and trees in BC, including hosts such as maples, redwoods, tanbark oaks, honeysuckles, Douglas-firs, oaks, rhododendrons and azaleas, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, roses, yews, sumacs, and the camellia family of flowers. The disease may cause cankers on tree trunks that stops the flow of water and nutrients, it may cause foliar disease and leaf spotting or dieback, or it may cause seedlings to be killed. In some situations, mature oak trees have died in two to three years – thus gaining its name. The pathogen is of the same genus responsible for Ireland's potato blight and famine in the 1800's. It has the potential of huge devastation if not controlled, and could romp through the forests of BC like wildfire. There is no known pesticide to eradicate the organism that causes SOD. The only current means to stop the disease is to cut down and burn infected plants and trees.

The Mountain Pine Beetle has chewed its way through and killed over five million hectares of British Columbia's extensive interior lodge pole pine forests, and is present in another two million hectares. The spread has been rapid as the beetles have been able to flourish and multiply rapidly. This epidemic is the result of a number of factors including natural beetle cycles, continuous mild winters, and an abundance of uniformly mature pine forest stands due to many decades of forest fire suppression and past logging practices. Usually, population expansion has been kept in check by cold temperatures. At present, severe prolonged cold weather or the loss of host trees is the only way to stop the spread of mountain pine beetle. The use of pesticides has been restricted because of the impact on other wildlife and aquatic systems. Similar, but less extensive, forest infections are caused by spruce beetles, Douglas-fir beetles, western balsam bark beetles, Douglas-fir tussock moths, western hemlock loopers, black-headed budworms, western spruce budworms, and forest tent caterpillars.

Internationally, and of selected interest, about 650 macadamia growers on the Island of Hawaii have been warned that a scale insect Macadamia felted coccid, originating from Australia, poses severe risk to the island's $32 million annual industry. This pest creates a wax scale and then lives in it. The coccid has needle-like mouthparts that insert into the plant and remove sap, resulting in yellowing the leaves and decay and death of plant tissues. The extent of its spread is not yet known, but it is hoped the infestation can be controlled using “horticulture oil"; that has been proven safe and successful in Australia. And if that's not alarming enough to macadamia lovers, there is recent news that the world's supply of chocolate may be endangered. It seems that a fungus named Moniliophthora roreriis, commonly referred to as frosty pod, may wipe out cacao production in Costa Rica. Cacao had been under siege by what is commonly known as "witches broom,” a fungus that deforms branches and shrivels the pods harboring cacao beans. This fungus has spread throughout Central and South America in the past decade, including Brazil's Bahia region – once the major supplier of premium cacao. Methods discovered to control this fungus through biological pesticides and fungus-resistant strains of cacao may now be undone by this new damage from frosty pod. Imagine a world without chocolates or chocolate covered macadamia nuts!

The best and safest ways to find controls for these infestations lies within an approach known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). What is integrated pest management? Simply put, it is a comprehensive strategy to solve pest problems. Among the more common types of pests in horticulture are insects, mites, rodents, viruses, fungi, bacteria, and weeds. Instead of just trying to eradicate a pest, an IPM approach considers all of the information and experience available, accounts for multiple objectives, and considers all available preventive and curative options. Based on that foundation, informed decisions are implemented to achieve optimum results. In general terms, the goal of IPM is to provide safe, effective, economical, environmentally sound, and socially sensitive outcomes.

Likewise, within the turf, landscape and production horticulture fields, there has been considerable public pressure to have weed, insect and disease free grass surfaces and foods, yet environmentally safe means to achieve these results. Combined with increasing government legislation that limits the use of chemical pesticides and restricts water consumption, it has generated a whole industry of research in, and application of, integrated pest management strategies throughout the turfgrass industry.

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Kwantlen's Response to Pest Management in Horticulture

Canada, and the world at large, has a shortfall of people skilled and educated in pest management practices. In response to this need, Kwantlen' School of Horticulture and Faculty of Science, Mathematics and Applied Sciences are jointly constructing a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Pest Management. If this degree receives government approval, it will be a four-year degree in science with a specialized focus on integrated pest management (IPM) in horticulture. Anticipated commencement will be September 2006. It will have multi-entry levels where students can begin at Year 1, or transfer in at advanced stages with a carefully planned Associate of Science degree or a Diploma of Technology in Horticulture or Environmental Protection. Due to the high focus on science preparation, students using the advanced entry pathway will be required to make up any deficiencies in science, mathematics, and/or foundational horticulture that is part of Years 1 and 2.

In support of this proposed Bachelor of Science in Integrated Pest Management, Kwantlen's School of Horticulture has an established history of research and innovative partnerships with the surrounding horticulture industry and with key stakeholders, government officials and professional bodies provincially, nationally, and internationally. This has allowed our horticulture students to not only acquire a strong practical learning experience, but to also establish a close relationship with employers through involvement in research that provides short-term benefits to the industry. This joint relationship will be strengthened through the recent establishment of the School's Institute of Sustainable Horticulture (ISH). The four central thematic thrusts of the ISH are: integrated pest management, environment sustainability and biodiversity, industry innovation and competitiveness, and community interactions. It is hoped that an Endowed Chair will coordinate the activities of the ISH in partnership with the horticulture industries. The School of Horticulture has also forged a strong rapport with appropriate government branches and horticulture associations, including, but not restricted to:

For those wishing to further their schooling and careers beyond their present or future horticulture standing, all programs offered within the School of Horticulture are designed with multiple entry and exit points. Apprenticeship journeypersons can acquire advanced admission to the Technology programs. A Diploma of Technology in Horticulture provides advanced level admission opportunity to:

It is anticipated that the Bachelor of Science degree under construction will allow entry to existing post-graduate degree opportunities at SFU and elsewhere.

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Who to Contact

There are lots of reasons to explore an exciting career in horticulture. For more information, please contact

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