Forestry Research Priorities in Canada, 1992: An Overview for the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 752-756
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Weed Management ◽  
Cost Reduction ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Tree Improvement ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Forest Research ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Intensive Forest Management

This fourth annual overview of Canadian forest research priorities has been compiled by the Forestry Research Advisory Council of Canada (FRACC) for the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers. It is based on the top five priorities for forest research as identified by the provincial forest research advisory bodies.The topics from each group were scored on a scale of 5 points for top priority down to 1 point for lowest priority. The resulting 10 forest research topics are presented here in descending order of priority:• Integrated resource management and decision support.• Pest and weed management and alternatives to chemicals.• Environmental effects of forest management.• Ecological knowledge for intensive forest management.• Forest growth and yield data.• Increased productivity, tree improvement, and regeneration.• Forest inventory and site classification.• Silviculture and harvesting methods, and cost reduction.• Forest fire management and control.• Mixedwood management.Research on wood processing and development of new products was also recognized as important, but it is not the primary focus of FRACC and hence was not rated. Modern information handling systems, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology were also judged important, but these are research tools rather than forest research topics and were not rated.The evolution of priorities over the four years of reporting was examined. A strict comparison was not possible because the methods of the first two reports differed from those of the last two. However, it was possible to assign a general priority rating (high, medium, etc.) for the earlier years for the priority topics identified in this current report.No dramatic shifts were detected. "Integrated resource management and decision support" remains high priority. It is significant that three subjects, all bearing on the environment, have moved up in priority and are now rated 2, 3, and 4. These topics are "Pest and weed management and alternatives to chemicals"; "Environmental effects of forest management"; and "Ecological knowledge for intensive forest management.'' "Silviculture and harvesting methods, and cost reduction" has also moved up whereas two topics, "Forest growth and yield data" and "Higher productivity, tree improvement, and regeneration" have moved down. Other items have not changed appreciably. Research priorities do not seem to be changing faster than research agencies can adapt to them.Twelve issues that are likely to affect future research priorities were identified as follows:• Concern and input about sustainable forestry and the environment.• Managing non-timber values and a shrinking timber land base.• Global trade, competition, and world public opinion.• Under-funding and phase-out of federal-provincial agreements.• Accuracy of forest models for sustainable forestry.• Lack of data on the socio-economic values of forests.• Land claims and forestry on aboriginal lands.• Intensive management of the boreal mixedwood forest.• Economics of secondary forest products industry.• Increasing need for accurate information at all levels.• New provincial policies on forestry and forest protection.• Farm forestry for wood and shelterbelts.Research funding varies greatly across the country. Funds provided through the federal-provincial agreements are vital everywhere. Under-funded subjects are listed below; they are ranked by the ratio on the right, which represents the number of jurisdictions that classified the topic as under-funded over the number that identified it as a priority.Pest and weed management and alternatives to chemicals 4/7Environmental effects of forest management 3/6Ecological knowledge for intensive forest management 2/4Forest growth and yield data 2/4Forest fire management and control 2/4Integrated resource management and decision support 4/10Forest inventory and site classification 1/3Silviculture and harvesting methods, and cost reduction 1/3Increased productivity, tree improvement, and regeneration 1/5Mixedwood management 0/1Forestry research in Canada is considered well focused on requirements, but improvement is needed in the local application of research results.

scholarly journals Meta-Modelling to Quantify Yields of White Spruce and Hybrid Spruce Provenances in the Canadian Boreal Forest

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 609
Author(s):  
Suborna Ahmed ◽  
Valerie LeMay ◽  
Alvin Yanchuk ◽  
Andrew Robinson ◽  
Peter Marshall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Tree Improvement ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Average Height ◽  
Improvement Program ◽  
Meta Data ◽  
Improvement Programs ◽  
Hybrid Spruce

Tree improvement programs can improve forest management by increasing timber yields in some areas, thereby facilitating conservation of other forest lands. In this study, we used a meta-analytic approach to quantify yields of alternative white (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and hybrid spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelmann x Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) stocks across planting sites in the boreal and hemiboreal forests of Canada. We extracted meta-data from published tree improvement program results for five Canadian provinces covering 38 planting sites and 330 white and hybrid spruce provenances. Using these meta-data and a random-coefficients nonlinear mixed-effects modelling approach, we modelled average height over time trajectories for varying planting site characteristics, as well as climate transfer distances between planting sites and provenances. Climatic transfer distances had strong effects on the height trajectory parameters. In particular, the asymptote parameter had a nonlinear increasing trend with planting site versus provenance mean annual temperature differences. We incorporated the height trajectory meta-analysis model into an existing growth and yield model to predict volume yields. Overall, this research provides a mechanism to quantify yields of alternative provenances at a particular planting site, as a component of decision support models for evaluating evaluate forest management investment into improved planting stocks alternatives under current and possible future climates.

Status of growth and yield research: 1991 joint technical session of forest measurements, tree improvement and silviculture, and forest management working groups

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 342-348
Author(s):  
Valerie M. LeMay ◽  
Peter L. Marshall ◽  
Richard Greenwood ◽  
Margaret Penner ◽  
Doug Walker
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Tree Improvement ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Technical Session ◽  
Working Groups

scholarly journals Forest Research Priorities in Canada, 1991

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Advisory Council ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Forest Research ◽  
Research Topics ◽  
Canadian Council ◽  
Indian Lands

This third annual overview of forest research priorities across Canada has been prepared by the Forestry Research Advisory Council of Canada for the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers. It is based on input from the provincial and territorial forest research bodies, who were asked to give their top five priorities for forest research.The priorities so identified were assembled and assigned scores, ranging from five points for a jurisdiction's top priority down to one point for its lowest. The result is a list of 12 forest research topics presented here in descending order of priority.• Environmental effects of forest management.• Pest and weed management and alternatives to chemicals.• Decision support for management, silviculture and land use.• Ecological knowledge for intensive forest management.• Integrated resource management systems.• Site-productivity classification systems.• Growth and yield data for managed and unmanaged stands.• Silvicultural and harvesting methods and cost reduction.• Forest fire management and control.• Tree improvement and genetics.• Increasing forest productivity.• Wood processing and value-added products.The importance of modern information-handling systems, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology in conducting research was frequently mentioned by respondents, but because these are usually considered research tools rather than research topics, they have not been rated.Comparing this year's priorities with those of previous years might raise some concerns that priorities are changing faster than research programs can adjust. However, the current priorities are not new. Although wording and grouping may differ, they all were covered in the Research Priorities Overview for 1990, where most were identified as priorities by a majority of respondents. Identifying only the top five priorities in each jurisdiction has focused attention on the major problems and research needs and made it possible to simplify the categorization of the topics.Few of the 12 topics are considered adequately funded in any region and research on the environmental effects of forest management appears to be undersupported in all regions. All responses stress the importance of the federal-provincial forestry agreements in supporting research. Suggestions for improving support include placing more emphasis on cooperative programs such as interprovincial cooperation and joint approaches to funding agencies; the gathering of special pools of funds from industry and governments and their joint administration to support project proposals; and the reallocation of funds from work of lesser importance.Thirteen issues that may affect research priorities were identified as follows:• Public concern about forestry, the environment and sustainable development.• International opinion about Canadian forestry practices.• Globalization of trade and increased competition.• Economics of viable secondary forest-products industries.• Increasing requirements for information at all levels.• Shrinking forest land base for sustained timber harvest.• Forest modeling and sustainable harvests.• Information on the socioeconomic importance of the forests.• Monitoring the managed forest to ensure predicted yields.• Managing the boreal mixed-wood resource.• Forestry on Indian lands.• Small-scale forestry on farms and for shelterbelts.• Properties of wood from managed stands.A few of these topics have appeared in previous lists of research priorities in this series of overviews, for example, "Small-scale forestry on farms and for shelterbelts," "Forestry on Indian lands" and "Properties of wood from managed stands." They do not appear in the 1991 priority listing because they are not in the top five priorities in any jurisdiction. However, these and other concerns, many of which are local, must figure in the final mix of research projects undertaken by any agency.Forest research in Canada is considered pertinent to needs, but more effort to improve local applications of research results and increased funding for most regions are required.

The potential for integrated resource management with intensive or extensive forest management: reconciling vision with reality

1990 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 444-446
Author(s):  
I. D. Bird
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Integrated Resource Management ◽  
Intensive Forest Management ◽  
Resource Needs ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
Forest Manager ◽  
The Continuum

In the past decade, forestry has progressed beyond harvesting and regeneration towards more integrated resource management (IRM). The concept of IRM has been endorsed in policy statements by the Canadian Institute of Forestry and many government forestry agencies. The vision of an IRM system begins with open dialogue between informed resource users who may have different resource needs. Intensive and extensive forest management options can be considered under an IRM framework. However, in reality the forest manager is increasingly forced along the continuum from extensive to more intensive practices. A case study provides an example of the benefits from intensive forest management within an IRM system.

scholarly journals Forestry Research Advisory Council of Canada Annual Report for 1993

1994 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-460
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Advisory Council ◽  
Forest Research ◽  
The Past ◽  
Forestry Research ◽  
Research Programs ◽  
Canadian Council

The Forest Accord that flowed from the Forest Congress of March 1992 carries firm commitments to "maintain and enhance the long term health of our forest ecosystems, for the benefit of all living things both nationally and globally." It recognizes forestry research as vital in attaining this goal.The Forestry Research Advisory Council of Canada (FRACC) has provided advice on forestry research priorities and policies to the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) since 1983. The Council is much encouraged by the Accord's strong emphasis on research.As a result of the 1987 decision by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM), forest research advisory councils (FRACs) are now functioning in most provinces. FRACC works closely with these groups and for the past five years, with their assistance, has prepared an annual overview of forestry research priorities and concerns across Canada. Over the past year, the Council has reviewed its role and its working arrangements with the FRACs.In this 1993 report, Council makes the following recommendations:Recommendation 1. CFS research programs to improve and foster sustainable forest management should be aimed at maintaining viable, diverse forest ecosystems using techniques that mimic natural processes as much as possible, to produce an appropriate mix of values.Recommendation 2. The CFS should complete the update of the forestry research inventory and then give attention to further refining the software system. In particular, it should be made more flexible and adapted to manipulation by existing commercially available software.Recommendation 3. All agencies concerned with Canadian forest research should be urged to discuss and study the report Toward a National Forest Science and Technology Agenda for Canada.Recommendation 4. The CFS should strongly support the concept of alternating annual activities. An overview of research priorities could be conducted in odd-numbered years; then in even-numbered years, FRACC and representatives of the provincial and territorial councils could hold a workshop to examine a major research topic in depth and present the results and conclusions to the CCFM.Recommendation 5. The CFS should ensure that sufficient funding is available to cover at least three meetings of Council each year. It should also make a reasonable amount of staff time or contract funds available to Council for the conduct of analysis and studies.Recommendation 6. The CFS should review Council's terms of reference, and give direction on whether Council should make recommendations that go beyond the research programs of the CFS, and whether it should include forest products research in its examination of issues and priorities.The funding of forest research is a matter of serious concern, particularly the need to provide stable, long-term funding, because forest research is, by its nature, long term. No specific recommendations were prepared in 1993 but Council will continue to give this question close attention in 1994.Forest research priorities across the country were again assessed in cooperation with the provincial and territorial FRACs. It was agreed that forest research must be targeted to enable forest managers to:• Sustain the diversity and resilience of the forest ecosystems.• Improve forest health and resistance to pests.• Increase forest productivity for all values.• Reduce forest management and fire protection costs.• Access all available knowledge and data in making decisions.• Determine the socio-economic value of Canadian forests.• Improve profits and competitiveness in the forest industry.Forest research in Canada is considered to be reasonably well focused on these questions, but more effort is required to ensure long-term funding and to improve application of results.Council will hold three regular meetings in 1994. During the year it will give attention to:1. Global trends affecting forestry — including five or six major issues requiring research attention, and the implications they all have for forest research priorities.2. Progress of the forest research inventory.3. Development of a proposal for research coordination and support, as requested by the Forest Sector Advisory Council.4. How research is categorized, performed, and funded in Canada — to provide information useful in further improving the ongoing forest research inventory, and as a basis for the proposal on research funding being considered by Council.

Five-year growth, biomass, and nitrogen pools of Douglas-fir following intensive forest management treatments

2021 ◽  
Vol 494 ◽  
pp. 119276
Author(s):  
K.M. Littke ◽  
S.M. Holub ◽  
R.A. Slesak ◽  
W.R. Littke ◽  
E.C. Turnblom
Keyword(s):  
Forest Management ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Nitrogen Pools ◽  
Intensive Forest Management

Growth and Yield of Wheat under Irrigation by Sugar Mill’s Wastewater

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 211-218
Author(s):  
PK Kundu ◽  
TK Acharjee ◽  
MA Mojid
Keyword(s):  
Grain Yield ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Wastewater Irrigation ◽  
Growth And Yield ◽  
Sugar Mill ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Full Dose ◽  
Sugar Mills ◽  
Irrigation Treatments ◽  
Mixed Water

The possibility of using sugar mill’s wastewater/effluent in irrigation was evaluated by investigating the effects of wastewater on growth and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. Prodip). The experiment was conducted at North Bengal Sugar Mill site in Natore during December 2011 to March 2012. Three irrigation treatments (I1: irrigation with fresh/tubewell water, I2: irrigation with a mixture of fresh and wastewater at 1:1 ratio and I3: irrigation with wastewater) under a main factor and three fertilizer treatments (F0: no application of fertilizer, F1: half dose fertilizer and F2: full dose fertilizer) under a sub factor were evaluated. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design with three replications of the treatments. Wheat was grown with three irrigations totaling 14 cm applied at 4, 26 and 43 days after sowing (DAS). Important growth and yield data of the crop were recorded. The highest grain yield of 1.829 t/ha was obtained under mixed water irrigation and the lowest grain yield of 1.469 t/ha was obtained under wastewater irrigation. The three irrigation treatments, however, provided statistically similar (p = 0.05) grain yield. For the interaction between irrigation and fertilizers, mixed water irrigation and full dose fertilizer application (I2F2) provided significantly higher grain yield (2.757 t/ha) than all other treatment combinations. The second highest yield, produced under freshwater irrigation and full dose fertilizer (I1F2), was statistically similar to the yield under wastewater irrigation and full dose fertilizer (I3F2). Results of this experiment thus exposed good prospects of irrigating wheat by sugar mills’ wastewater.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/pa.v24i1-2.19174 Progress. Agric. 24(1&2): 211 - 218, 2013

Can hemp hurd or paper mulch and biochar application improve weed management in matted-row strawberry production systems?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Greta G. Gramig ◽  
Samantha K. Hogstad ◽  
Patrick M. Carr
Keyword(s):  
Weed Management ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Weed Suppression ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Yield Data ◽  
Weed Biomass ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Hemp Hurd ◽  
Amended Soil

Abstract During 2015 and 2016, studies were conducted at Absaraka and Dickinson, North Dakota to evaluate the impacts of hemp (applied at 1156 m3 ha−1) and commercial paper mulch, as well as soil-applied biochar (applied at 11.25 m3 ha−1), on weed suppression and strawberry growth during the establishment year, and on weed suppression and strawberry yield during the production year, in a matted row production (MRP) system. During 2015, biochar influenced dry weed biomass only within the hemp mulch, with slightly more weed biomass associated with biochar application compared to zero biochar (3.1 vs 0.4 g m−2), suggesting that biochar may have increased weed germination and/or emergence from beneath hemp mulch. Biochar application also slightly increased soil pH, from 6.9 in non-amended soil to 7.0 in amended soil. Strawberry runner number during 2015 was greater in association with hemp or paper mulch compared to zero mulch (4.5 and 4.9 vs 2.4 runners plant −1, respectively). This result mirrored a similar differential in per berry mass across sites (7.6 and 7.4 vs 6.2 g berry −1 for hemp mulch, paper mulch and zero mulch, respectively). These results may be related to hemp and paper mulch reducing maximum soil temperatures during summer 2015. During the establishment year, both hemp and paper mulch suppressed weeds well compared to zero mulch, although at Absaraka hemp mulch provided slightly better weed suppression than paper mulch. During the production year, both mulches continued to suppress weeds compared to zero mulch at Dickinson. However, at Absaraka, only hemp mulch provided weed suppression compared to zero mulch, possibly because of faster paper degradation caused by greater numbers of large precipitation events and greater relative humidity at Absaraka compared to Dickinson. Weeds were removed from plots during 2015 to allow separation of weed suppression from other possible mulch impacts; therefore, yield data do not reveal striking differences among mulch treatments. Because previous research has demonstrated the impact of weed management during the establishment of strawberries in a matted row system, we concluded that hemp mulch may provide more durable weed suppression compared to paper mulch, which would increase strawberry yield protection in an MRP system. Material cost may be an issue for implementing hemp mulch, as hemp hurd cost was 25 times paper mulch at the application rates used in this study. However, hemp mulch could still be a beneficial option, especially for organic strawberry growers desiring a renewable and environmentally sound replacement for plastic mulch who are able to find affordable local sources of this material.

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