Synthesis for Stand-level Planning and Decision Making

Project Abstract:
Today’s society is demanding a greater array of values from our forests. These include the traditional values such as timber, recreation, water, aesthetics, cultural and spiritual, non-timber forest products as well as new values such as carbon storage, bio-energy and bio-fuels and ecological services such as carbon storage. Natural resource management professionals need to have access to information that informs them about the capability of the different ecosystems to produce the values that society demands as well as information about how the changes taking place in these ecosystems will influence their ability to continue produce those values and ecological services over time. They also need to know about new, innovative management practices that can be used to maintain and/or enhance those values. This project response to that identified need. Through the use of a variety of preferred delivery methods that synthesize the latest information and make it readily available, forest management professionals will have increased awareness of the latest scientific, experiential and indigenous information and innovations related to forest operations and silviculture practices.

In this project, the forest management extension team will work with FIA Forest Science Program research proponents to utilize existing and innovative media to expand the reach of their research innovations through the Provincial Forestry Extension Program and Partner publication products and periodicals most preferred by the primary target audiences. Using such products as short, peer reviewed BC Journal of Ecosystem and Management Extension Notes, Stand Establishment Decision Aids (SEDA’s), LINK Newsletter articles, and submission to Partner publications that focus on providing short succinct, key messages, the extension team will concentrate on providing useful, local solutions to short term management challenges such as those related to early growth and survival of young stand, and various technologies associated with forest harvesting and engineering activities. The extension team will also work to highlight specific Forest Science Program research projects that link directly to high priority silviculture and forest operation questions identified by the FIA FSP Timber and Value Program Advisory Committee within the new Forest Science Corner section of LINK.

Recognizing the importance of addressing questions such as “what do we already know” about managing our ecosystems, the extension team will develop a number of synthesis reports starting with Silviculture in the southern interior, Interior Cedar Hemlock forests and followed by an update on silviculture tools available in light of climate change. The team will update several Stand Establishment Decision Aids as well as create new ones. These synthesis reports and SEDA’s will be the building block for future extension publications and activities. The team will also work collaboratively with national vegetation management experts to summarize and synthesize twenty years of data associated with vegetation management alternatives and their environmental implications related to boreal and sub boreal ecosystems in British Columbia and nationally.

For further information on this project, please contact Alan.Wiensczyk@forrex.org.