West Fraser Mills Ltd manages more than 3.5 million ha of woodlands in Alberta, and carries out operations against standards developed by ISO 14001, and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. ISO 14001 is a management standard designed to reduce the environmental footprint of a business and minimize any form of pollution or waste.

The Challenge
Jim LeLacheur, Hinton-based chief forester for West Fraser Mills’ Alberta operations, says today’s forest company has to manage the landscape for a dizzying array of values, from water and wildlife to timber supply to recreational and social demands. “Interest in all these values has been there for a long time, but today there’s so much more lobbying, opinion and activism that the government is under intense pressure,” LeLacheur notes. “Ultimately, our ability to operate as a company on this landscape
is at the … [read more]

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To view the November 2009 eNote Click Here

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On September 22nd, 2009 the Grade 8 French Immersion class from Harry Collinge High School, Hinton, AB, helped FRI researchers to plant willow wands along the banks of Hardisty Creek and Robb Road at the site of a new geo-textile arch stream crossing.

This may sound easy but the students quickly worked up a sweat pounding rebar into the rocky soil to make holes for the willow wands. The students learned about the importance of a healthy watershed and the processes of watershed and riparian restoration.

This outdoor learning experience ties in nicely with part of the grade 8 science curriculum on fresh and saltwater ecosystems. FRI Extension coordinator Joan Simonton gave the kids a brief overview of FRI and the Stream Crossing Program while Ngaio Baril, biologist and project lead for this crossing project, spoke to the kids about why we asked them to help plant willows and the importance to bank erosion and fish habitat.

The Canadian Model Forest Network, together with the Canadian Institute of Forestry, has awarded J. Michael Waldram Fellowships of $1000 each to three students in resource management programs in  British Columbia and Quebec .

The awards were announced at the Canadian Institute of Forestry’s annual meeting in Nanaimo , Wednesday, September 23, 2009 by Brenda Reid-Kuecks, a director of the Canadian Model Forest Network  and representative of the Clayoquot Forest Communities, one of  Canada ’s 14 Model Forests. She was joined in making the announcement by Don Podlubny, of the Foothills Research Institute, Alberta ’s model forest. 

The J. Michael Waldram Fellowship was first awarded in 2008 and is given annually to assist Aboriginal youths pursuing studies in natural resource management at the college
or university level.

To read about the recipients click here.

The fall 2009 edition of our Footnotes Newsletter is now available. Read about Mountain Pine Beetle and grizzly bear research. Learn about some of the aspects of our various programs and their spring/summer field season.

To view or download Footnotes click here.

Come join us in Edmonton , AB from December 9 – 11, 2009 at the Coast Edmonton Plaza for an Information Session to provide an update on our many initiatives. For thirteen years the Natural Disturbance Program at the Foothills Research Institute has been generating ground-breaking research, creating unique communications and decision-support tools, and exploring the many ways in which natural patterns may be used to better manage our landscapes. 

The registration fee is $110. This fee includes lunch for two days as well as snacks and refreshments for two and half days. For out of town guests, a block of rooms at a special room rate have been secured.  The deadline for registration and payment is the end of the day December 3, 2009.

For more information or to register and pay online click here. 

If you encounter problems or need assistance with registration please contact Joan Simonton with FRI Communications and Extension at 780.865.8311, joan.simonton@gov.ab.ca.

For more information about the session please contact Dr. David Andison at Andison@bandaloop.ca.

The talk in our brown bag lunch speaker series is on Friday, November 20.  The speaker is Ellen MacDonald from the University of Alberta.  The topic will be “Effects of Simulated Mountain Pine Beetle on lodgepole pine forests in west central Alberta”.  This presentation will highlight what we are learning about Mountain Pine Beetle and the effect they may have on our landscape.

For more information on the brown bag lunch lecture click here .  

GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, integrating, manipulating, analyzing and displaying data related to positions on the Earth’s surface. With GIS you can explore the spatial element of your data to display soil types, analyze animal migration and movement patterns, model the path of atmospheric pollution, and make decisions for many types of complicated problems.

Drop by the Hinton Municipal Library on Monday, November 16 between 3 and 8 p.m. and learn how Foothills Research Institute and some of our partners (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, West Fraser Mills Ltd., Town of Hinton) use GIS to track grizzly bear use of the landscape, to map points of historical importance and interest, or to map all streams and tributaries in a watershed.

For more information click here.

The EMEND Management Committee and Partner Organizations are holding a seminar at the Boreal Research Institute in Peace River to commemorate the first ten years of this world recognized research project.

Ecosystem Management Emulating Natural Disturbance is a fairly new paradigm in forested land management, launched to develop understanding of ecological function at the stand level and landscape level and to maintain ecosystem function.

The EMEND research project is one of the largest forest sustainability research projects in the world. In terms of size, it is 1000 hectares of boreal landscape northwest of Peace River , and in terms of longevity, the project will continue for one rotation age, 80 – 100 years.

The seminar will deliver early messages on boreal forest ecosystem response to human activities: what has EMEND contributed to our understanding of baseline boreal forest ecosystems and how is it relevant to Alberta . The seminar welcomes natural resource field practitioners involved in planning or operations for government, forest sector, reclamation, wildlife, oil & gas, contracting, consulting, as well as educators, conservation groups, Aboriginal organizations and students.

The keynote speaker is Dr. John Spence, with guest speaker MLA Frank Oberle, Peace River Constituency.

It is happening November 13, 2009 in Peace River , Alberta .

For more information, contact Kate Wilson at the Boreal Research Institute, at 780-618-2624.

One of the broad research areas conducted by Foothills Research Institute (FRI) is called the Natural Disturbance Program. The focus of research within this program area is to assess the impact of natural and cultural disturbances on the landscape with an eye towards helping to guide land management practices. To that end, the New Emulation Planning Tool for Understanding Natural Events (NEPTUNE) was developed as a way of assessing cultural disturbances (both existing and planned) compared to the historical disturbances for a given landscape.

With NEPTUNE, the user can evaluate how close and in what ways human disturbance activities vary from, or match, historic events.

To view, download and share the NEPTUNE Brochure click here.

MPBEP Public and Expert Understanding of Mountain Pine Beetle in Alberta

After five years of study, Alberta now has its most complete estimates of the province’s grizzly bear population. This new population data, along with other information on populations, habitat and behaviour, will be used in an independent scientific review of the grizzly bear status in Alberta, scheduled to be completed in 2010.

The most recent component of the five-year study was conducted in 2008 from south of Grande Prairie to Highway 16, covering almost 20,000 square kilometres. This study area included extensive public land, Willmore Wilderness and Kakwa Wildland Parks and some of Jasper National Park . The estimated density is 18 bears per 1,000 square kilometres, for a total of 353 grizzly bears. Along with results from the first four DNA studies, there are an estimated 581 grizzly bears from just south of Grande Prairie to the Montana border. This estimate does not include most of Jasper and Banff National Parks , the Swan Hills area and northwestern Alberta , including the Chinchaga area.

To read the full report from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development click here.

Sponsors of the Foothills Research Institute’s Natural Disturbance Program Information Session have a unique way to reach participants and enhance their visibility before, during and after the event. All of our sponsors are guaranteed recognition on printed materials, signage and the Natural Disturbance Program web page.

For full event details Click Here (more…)

Drop by the library and learn how we use GIS to track grizzly bear use of the landscape, to map points of historical importance and interest, or to map all streams and tributaries in a watershed. (more…)