FORREX, in partnership with the British Columbia provincial government’s Forest Science and Mountain Pine Beetle programs, is honoured and energized to continue to deliver the Provincial Forest Extension Program (the Program).

Annual 2006—2007 Workplan Projects
The Program plan defines goals, outcome objectives, and strategies that contribute to the provincial goal of world leadership in environmental stewardship, a globally competitive forest sector, public confidence and trust in forest-sector competence, and the ability to achieve sustainable forest management goals. The 2006–2007 Program activities focus on contributing to six medium-term outcome objectives.

These objectives were defined in 2005–2006 following a comprehensive provincial client needs assessment, and analysis of past research and extension investments. The following lists the 2006–2007 planned projects by objective. A comprehensive description of each project can be accessed by clicking on the title link.

What is Extension?
Extension is the process of empowering people with knowledge. Extension professionals engage information providers and users in various strategies to move information along a continuum from questions to solutions.

1. Increasing awareness by forestry professionals of current scientific, experiential, and indigenous knowledge
and
2. Increased trust in information products and providers.
   • Ecosystem Management and Conservation Biology technology transfer
   • Maintaining access to Forest Resources Dynamics science and innovation
   • Publishing quality science-based information
   • Watershed Management publications
   • Improving access and synthesis of Forest Science Program innovations
   • Watershed Management listserv and Web site
   • Maintaining access to science-based information
   • Sustainable forestry extension for small tenures


3. Increased knowledge and skills of current and relevant scientific, experiential, and indigenous knowledge relating to sustainable forest management.
   • Profiling innovation in forest research and extension
   • Watershed Management communities of practice
   • Socio-economics science and innovations
   • Extending ecosystem management and conservation innovations in planning, implementation, and monitoring
   • Forest Resources Dynamics programming to improve timber value and to achieve sustainable forest management


4. Increased science-based policy, plans, and practices decisions that result in reduced risk and uncertainty, and increased competitiveness.
   • Ecosystem Management and Conservation Biology policies and practices
   • Engaging communities of practice in participatory extension programming to improve sustainable forest management planning, practices, and monitoring
   • Indigenous knowledge and forest policy and planning
   • Watershed sustainability: Bridging the gap between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem management knowledge, policy, and practices
   • Socio-economics capacity building


5. Forest managers and the public will aspire to use ecosystem management principles and adopt an improved way of defining values and strategies to manage for these values to reduce risk and uncertainty.
   • Regional science forums
   • Extension support for planning and public consultation


6. Improved effectiveness and efficiency in co-operative sustainable forest management continuing education and extension program planning and delivery.
   • Support for Forest Science Program Advisory Committees
   • Sustainable forestry and continuing education in British Columbia: Strategy and partnerships
   • Enabling a knowledge-based natural resource sector
   • Extension leadership and capacity building in the conservation community
   • Extension programming leadership

Mountain Pine Beetle Extension 2006—2007 Projects
In addition to the core Program, FORREX will help to improve access to and use of biophysical science and innovations by developing and delivering mountain pine beetle (MPB) extension projects. Projects will contribute to science-based solutions that will:

• develop measures to reduce the spread of MPB,
• protect sensitive fish streams/rivers and species at risk, and
• address fuel management on lands surrounding high-risk communities.

1. Improving access and use of science and innovation in areas affected by mountain pine beetle
2. Science-based policies and practices to mitigate the impacts of mountain pine beetle