PROVINCE INVESTS $12.5 MILLION IN FOREST RESEARCH

VERNON – The Province is investing $12.5 million in research through the Forest Investment Account Forest Science Program to improve timber growth practices, respond to the impacts of climate change, and maximize the benefits from British Columbia’s forest resources, Forests and Range Minister Pat Bell announced today.

“Research is key to British Columbia’s becoming a world leader in growing trees,” said Bell, while visiting the Province’s Kalamalka Research Station in Vernon. “Not only does the Forest Science Program build on our reputation for sustainable forest management, it is the essential first step in adding value to our forest resources and unlocking new economic opportunities.”

The Forest Science Program is funding 216 new and ongoing projects led by researchers at universities, First Nations organizations, provincial and federal government agencies, forest companies, and not-for-profit organizations throughout British Columbia.

Timber research projects involve both stand management methods and the use of computer models to predict growth, volume and value of British Columbia’s forests under different management strategies and climate conditions. Research on the forests’ regeneration following the mountain pine beetle epidemic will help inform future timber management strategies and timber supply.

Climate research projects include ecosystem studies on how weather and temperature conditions impact grasslands, high-elevation plant communities and the risk of wildfires. Additional projects support the adaptation of forest and range management practices to maximize resiliency and productivity as the climate changes. Other topics cover riparian area and fish habitat restoration, and research about watersheds, fertilizer, and species-at-risk recovery.

The Forest Science Program, in partnership with the Provincial Forest Extension Program, also supports the distribution of research data and results to land managers, which serves as a link between research and forest management. The ongoing collection and distribution of data and results will help forest practitioners to make informed management decisions.

“This program is designed to fill knowledge gaps and develop the information we need to make the best possible forest management decisions,” said Dr. Bill Bourgeois, chair of the Forest Science Board. “That’s accomplished by supporting priority research projects and by making sure the results and knowledge are shared widely among B.C.’s forestry and biology professionals and managers.”

The program continues to increase communication with and involve First Nations in the selection and review of research topics and proposals. The program and the British Columbia First Nations Forestry Council recently signed a communications and collaboration protocol agreement that works to harmonize First Nations interests with the forest science program. The program is also funding a synthesis of existing information on incorporating indigenous traditional knowledge, Aboriginal values and land uses in forest management.

“Implementation of the protocol agreement will help the two organizations work together in a co-operative and collaborative manner with respect to land-base research and extension,” said Keith Atkinson of the British Columbia First Nations Forestry Council.

The Forest Investment Account’s Forest Science Program projects led by researchers at the Kalamalka station examine forest fertilization and stand density management, and how these silvicultural treatments can be used to improve tree growth and value as well as maintain ecosystem health. The forest science program projects complement ongoing research at the station that includes tree breeding, forest genetics, adapting to climate change, tree physiology, forest insects and pests, and wood properties.

Information on the Forest Science Program, a list of currently funded projects and the program’s business plan, can be found at www.fia-fsp.ca .

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Media contact:	Sophia Proctor Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-4592

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