Lauch is a professor and NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Ecosystem Reclamation and former Canada Research Chair in Community and Ecosystem Ecology at Thompson Rivers University (TRU), Canada. His expertise is in grassland and wetland ecosystems, with a focus on range management, climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem reclamation. Lauch is an associate editor of two academic journals (Applied Vegetation Science and Plant Ecology), sits on the board of the Grasslands Conservation Council and is a member of a number of professional international associations and research networks.

British Columbia has experienced a rise in mean annual surface temperature and an increase in more frequent droughts over the past 50 years. B.C. cattle producers can practice adaptation to manage rangelands affected by present and future climate change. At the CFGA conference, Lauch will present research that tests grazing management practices in grasslands and forested range with respect to climate change, productivity and plant diversity, as well as soil carbon sequestration.