Forest Resources Dynamics Extension Programming to Improve Timber Value and Enhance SFM Approaches

Project Abstract:
This project responds to the information needs of forestry professionals by increasing their knowledge and skills related to sustainable forest management planning, practices and monitoring. The planning, practices and monitoring of SFM has been identified as both a knowledge gap as well as an information gap by many client needs surveys (Morford et al. 2006, the Provincial Forest Extension Program) by the Forest Resources Dynamics technical working groups, as well as by research advisory groups such as the FIA-Forest Science Program Timber and Value Program Advisory Committee. Improved timely access to expertise in SFM as well as increased awareness of the benefits from SFM innovations are also important considerations as we aim to improve the implementation of SFM at various temporal and spatial scales.

Building upon previous work, the Ecosystem Condition and Productivity Curriculum (related to the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers C&I for SFM) was updated and a curriculum associated with the basics of Forest Dynamics was developed and completed. The reason for the development of this curriculum was to provide basic information on the principles of how forests develop and change based on biotic and abiotic interventions. With climate change and the various research initiatives underway to investigate its implications, it was felt that providing the basics of forest dynamics in a succinct format that can be readily taken up in a short period of time would help put these changes into context and help with addressing them over the longer term. Now that the draft curriculum has been completed, the FRD extension team will use localized participatory extension activities (such as workshops and technical sessions) to engage with the communities of practice to review the curriculum and adjust it based on their input. Discussions about opportunities for and viability of delivering this curriculum on the Web will also be explored in these participatory sessions.

Monitoring is an important element when planning and implementing SFM – never more so than now as the forestry community enters into the application of the British Columbia Results-Based management environment. One of the recent needs identified was associated with how to monitor – what are the basic principles involved (FRD technical working group, Morford et al. 2006)? To address this issue, the FRD extension team is proposing to again collaborate with various Provincial Forest Extension Program partners to develop a brief half-day session providing these principles in a user-friendly format. The team will also present specific workshops related to the implications of growth and yield monitoring.

A special extension effort will be made this fiscal year to increase the awareness of knowledge gaps and research needs related to the area of Ecosystem Productivity. In order to achieve this, a needs assessment in this area will be conducted, using both a formal survey and local focus groups. Results of this assessment will be forwarded to the FIA-Forest Science Research Program advisory committees for consideration in their research strategies.

For further information on this project, please contact kathie.swift@forrex.org.