409 resources found

The Aleza Lake Research Forest is a 9000 ha university-based outdoor research facility and working forest 60 km east of Prince George, BC. The mandate of the Research Forest is to provide research and education facilities and opportunities to the University of Northern BC and other institutes, universities, government agencies, private sector research, schools and other educational groups with regards to ecosystem and resource management studies within the wet sub-boreal spruce biogeoclimatic zone. The research and education programs are multidisciplinary with an emphasis on: Partial cut harvest systems, Biological Diversity, Climate Change and Environmental Monitoring in Small Forest Tenures. The Aleza Lake Research Forest provides a location for field research and education, and also facilitates the development, implementation and evaluation of research and education programs with the user groups.

The Malcolm Knapp Research Forest mission is to provide a world class environment for research and education in forestry and allied sciences. It is located near Maple Ridge and is close enough to UBC campus for students to visit for field trips or project work. The UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest has a thriving research community which includes professional researchers and students from several UBC faculties, from Simon Fraser University, from BC's provincial government, and from the Canadian federal government. Since the establishment of the Research Forest, over 900 research projects have been initiated on the land-base, and more than 100 of these are still active. Many of these active projects are long-term in nature, spanning close to 50 years and including some of the most extensive datasets in western North America. While the majority of the projects focus on different aspects of forestry and forest management, several of the more recent projects touch on other, unrelated fields, such as astronomy and forensic entomology. The last 10 years has seen a shift in the focus of forestry research, from projects looking predominantly at maximizing growth and yield in managed forests, to projects which are more concerned with measuring impacts of different forest practices on the ecology of our forests. Studies of growth and yield continue, however, and these projects include some of the longest datasets the research forest has. For a full list of research projects being pursued at the Research Forest, please check the Research Projects Database found at https://rpd.forestry.ubc.ca/auth

The Alex Fraser Research Forest is located near Williams Lake and showcases sustainable forest management practices in a range of forest ecosystems of the B. C. Interior. It provides long-term site security for research projects, inexpensive researcher accommodation, and an outdoor classroom for both education and demonstration.

This document investigates how partial harvesting strategies, designed to enhance mule deer habitat and allow timber extraction in British Columbia's dry Douglas-fir forests, impact complex interactions with natural disturbances like insect outbreaks and wildfires. The study, spanning 30 years, found that while short-term harvesting altered forest structure and reduced the immediate risk of crown fires and Douglas-fir beetle infestations, many of these structural and susceptibility changes reverted over the long term. The removal of harvesting residuals proved more significant in mitigating long-term disturbance risks, particularly for Douglas-fir beetles and intense surface fires, than the time elapsed since the treatment itself. The authors conclude that sustainable forest management integrating timber extraction and mule deer habitat conservation is achievable if partial harvesting occurs at intervals of 30 years or less and residuals are promptly cleared.

Building a community of practice that shares ideas, insights, and experiences for advancing effective and efficient restoration in northern B. C. Who is a Restoration Practitioner Anyone interested in the delivery of a restoration project, including professionals, academics, authorities, First Nations, stakeholders, funders, partners, governmental and non-governmental groups, and individuals interested in restoration.

The aim of this community of practice is to create an open forum to discuss wildland fire and fuel management, share knowledge, find solutions, and develop new ideas. Representatives of FPBC and BC Wildfire Service provide updates on the regulation of the practice of professional forestry and the management of wildland fire and fuels during meetings.

John Prince Research Forest (JPRF) is a unique institution, envisioned, initiated and managed cooperatively between Tl'azt'en First Nation and the University of Northern British Columbia. Developing innovative approaches to natural resource conservation and management that combines First Nations' traditional and western scientific approaches to understanding the natural world, is what makes John Prince Research Forest special. Located in the dry sub-boreal spruce biogeoclimatic zone of the Nechako Plateau, the northernmost subdivision of BC' s Central Interior Plateau. The JPRF falls within the moist interior natural disturbance unit, characterized by large wild fire stand replacement events typically on a 100-200 year cycle. The natural forest types are an uneven-aged mix of Douglas-fir, spruce, pine, subalpine and deciduous types. These highly productive northern forests have distinctive understories of rose, spirea, soopallie, cranberry, thimbleberry, red osier dogwood, black twinberry, devil's club and huckleberry varieties. Explore John Prince Research Forest publications at: https://www.jprf.ca/research

The Private Forest Landowners Association represents managed forest owners across the province of British Columbia from the coastal to the interior, the large to the small, the veteran forester to the novice tree farmer. PFLA consistently participates in the public policy process to ensure government policy is fair, environmentally sound, fiscally responsible and sufficiently respectful of private property rights. PFLA offers regular workshops, training opportunities and communication updates to foster responsible and innovative forest management practices that encourage and promote the protection of key public environmental values on private forest lands.

The Ecological Restoration program offers specialized training in high-level ecosystem functioning and is designed for practitioners working in restoration and related environmental fields that see problems with current practices and want to investigate alternative and innovative solutions. This program develops critical thinking skills and asks challenging questions that require students to deal with the uncertainty that is present with problems in ecological restoration. Upon completion of this program, students will be able to conduct detailed site assessments and restoration projects that pay special attention to the unique conditions and challenges presented by built and otherwise highly altered environments.

Presented from both Indigenous and western perspectives, the online program provides a unique learning opportunity that combines knowledge of western fire science and Indigenous ways of knowing with landscape and fire ecology and social sciences to address a vital need for professional training in the increasingly complex area of wildfire management.

This interactive and self-paced short course is delivered through four e-learning modules. It is designed for anyone who wants to learn more about climate change, providing concepts, case studies, and perspectives with a focus on the B. C. context, aiming to enhance understanding and promote ideas for climate action.

This paper introduces walking on two legs, an Indigenous framework for ecosystem restoration and reconciliation in fire-adapted landscapes, particularly in Western Canada. The concept advocates for balancing Indigenous knowledges with Western scientific knowledge, ensuring that Indigenous perspectives and stewardship ethics guide the interconnected processes of restoration and reconciliation. The authors argue that genuine reconciliation requires Indigenous-led restoration of lands, knowledges, and cultures, moving beyond simply integrating Indigenous knowledge into existing Western frameworks. This approach aims to rebuild respectful relationships between people and the land, addressing the legacies of colonialism and revitalizing Indigenous practices like fire stewardship.

This paper highlights the crucial role of boundary spanners in addressing the escalating challenge of wildfires in Western Canada. These individuals and organizations bridge critical gaps, spanning different knowledge systems, organizations, and geographical areas, to foster collaboration and implement proactive fire management strategies, such as cultural and prescribed burning. The authors emphasize that despite the vital work of boundary spanners in building trust, sharing knowledge, and developing capacity, their contributions are often undervalued and lack sufficient institutional support. The piece concludes by asserting the urgent need for dedicated investment in boundary spanning roles to effectively integrate diverse expertise and facilitate collaborative, equitable solutions for wildfire management.

This report compiles over 80 years of fire research to explain how human interventions have altered natural fire regimes, particularly in dry Western U. S. forests. The document emphasizes that accumulated fuels and dense forest structures, a departure from historical conditions, lead to more intense and severe wildfires, posing risks to both ecosystems and human communities. It details various fuel treatments, such as thinning and prescribed fire, as crucial strategies for restoring fire-resilient forests by reducing surface, ladder, and crown fuels. The report advocates for a landscape-level approach to fuel management, acknowledging that while models and observations inform these efforts, uncertainties remain in predicting exact fire behavior.

This paper reviews the effectiveness of stand-level fuel reduction treatments in Canadian boreal conifer forests, specifically focusing on black spruce, jack pine, and lodgepole pine. These treatments, which involve thinning trees, pruning lower branches, and removing understory vegetation, aim to mitigate the risk of fast-spreading, high-intensity crown fires that are naturally prevalent in these ecosystems. While these fuel treatments generally reduce modeled and observed fire behavior under low to moderate fire weather, evidence suggests they become ineffective under very high or extreme fire conditions, especially when combined with high surface fuel loads and the relatively short stature of boreal conifers. The authors highlight the need for further research into managing surface fuel loads, exploring alternative fuel configurations, and integrating these treatments with broader fire suppression strategies.

This paper presents the long-term ecological effects of forest fuel and restoration treatments from the ongoing national Fire and Fire Surrogate study, analyzing data collected over approximately 20 years across four diverse sites in the Western and Eastern United States. The central goal of the original FFS study was to evaluate how mechanical treatments and prescribed fire impact forest ecosystems by reducing fire hazard, promoting desirable fire-adapted species, and improving understory diversity. Key findings reveal that the most effective treatment varies significantly by region: mechanical treatments combined with fire yielded better long-term outcomes in Western pine-dominated forests, while prescribed burning alone proved more beneficial in Eastern hardwood-dominated forests. The authors conclude that to maintain these desirable conditions and achieve long-term resilience, treatments must be adapted to the specific ecosystem and followed up with repeated applications.

This presentation focuses on managing forests for resilience as a crucial method for achieving both forest sustainability and value. It begins by establishing the importance of resilience in the context of forestry, defining it across ecological, engineering, and social-ecological perspectives, and distinguishing between general and disturbance-specific resilience. The presentation then explores how to promote resilient forests, emphasizing the role of diversity, complexity, and understanding ecological systems. Through case studies and management principles, it demonstrates practical ways to enhance forest resilience at various spatial scales, acknowledging the inherent trade-offs in managing for future uncertainties like fire, insects, drought, and climate change.

This study investigates different methods for assessing the effects of controlled burning in a harvested forest area. The study compares the utility of satellite imagery, fire behavior modeling, unmanned aerial vehicle image analysis, and ground-based measurements in evaluating burn severity, fuel consumption, and impacts on surface conditions and vegetation. The report aims to identify accurate and efficient techniques for understanding and managing the ecological consequences of broadcast burning for land management purposes.