Andy MacKinnon is a forest ecologist and the co-author of six best-selling books about plants of western North America, including Plants of Coastal British Columbia. For several decades he has co-taught university undergraduate forest ecology field courses in Bamfield and Tofino and Haida Gwaii. He’s an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University and a retired Professional Forester and Professional Biologist. Andy completed his MSc in mycology in 1982 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by SFU in 2013. He’s past president of the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society and lives in Metchosin, British Columbia.

Kem Luther is the former dean of Sheridan College’s joint program in communication, culture and information technology at the University of Toronto. He grew up in the Nebraska Sandhills, studied at Cornell, the University of Chicago (PhD), York University, and the University of Toronto (MSc), and has been on the faculties of several Ontario universities and colleges. Since the 1990s he has focused on writing interpretive articles and books. He has lived in Metchosin, British Columbia, since 2005.