2018 Fall Field Tour
September 24 – 26, Thompson Rivers Forests near Kamloops
Post-Fire Landscapes – Past and Current Practices Considered
Is there a “New Climate Normal”?
And How do Silviculture Practitioners and Range Managers Address the Effects of Present and Future Large Wildfires on Forest and Range Values?
Across much of BC, wildfires in 2017 and 2018 have resulted in record-setting impacts on communities, and the forest and rangelands that surround and support them.
Many of our social, economic and ecological objectives and expectations for resources and values such as timber, livestock forage, identified wildlife, biodiversity, recreation, tourism, and watershed services are threatened, damaged or destroyed by extensive wildfire.
Following wildfire, silviculturists and range managers from diverse backgrounds are tasked with establishing productive forests and rangelands, however clarity on what treatments to implement and the efficacy of treatments is often poor or lacking.
In addition, the question remains whether past approaches and treatments are relevant if there is a “new climate normal”.
“Luckily”, there have been previous wildfire seasons when extensive areas burned and many locations where silviculture and range professionals worked hard to re-establish timber and forage values.
The 2018 Summer SISCO will visit wildfire areas from 1998 and 2003 to illustrate and discuss the consequences of treatments applied 15-20 years ago.
SISCO speakers that were involved with reforestation and range prescriptions following the 1998 and 2003 fires will present information on the context and rationale for the treatments applied, the perceived efficacy of the treatments and their views on what can and should be improved at the stand or landscape level to make post-wildfire management more efficient or reliable.
If you have concerns about the management of post-wildfire areas for any values, or are tasked with operational issues in managing wildfire areas, come join the 2018 Summer SISCO tour and join in a dialogue of how present and future silviculture and range professionals can improve the management of wildfire events.
Agenda Topics
We will look at the silviculture treatments that have been undertaken, and natural processes that have occurred, in landscapes created by recent-past and long-past wildfires.
We’ll consider how fire has affected these natural processes, discuss the efficacy of past treatments, and explore treatment options available today to achieve future stand objectives.
We’ll also discuss the role of silviculture in the bigger picture of wildfire management.
Itinerary
Monday Sept 24: registration and social get-together in the White Spot Lounge at the Holiday Inn North Kamloops (accommodation and marshaling venue)
Tuesday Sept 25: Greenstone Mountain Fire, Banquet on the way home at Privato Winery
Wednesday Sept 26: Elephant Hill Fire
Come join your colleagues to exchange ideas and knowledge about silviculture practices in post-fire ecosystems.
Thank you for your continuing support of SISCO!
The SISCO Executive
2018 WINTER WORKSHOP
COAST HOTEL, KAMLOOPS
FEBRUARY 12 – 14, 2018
Forest Management Practices in the Context of Climate Uncertainty: Using Silvicultural Tools to Address Droughts and Wildfire Rehabilitation
In BC’s Southern Interior, the summer of 2017 was marked by historic losses to wildfire and widespread drought, clearly showing yet again that in spite of the best made plans …“nature rules”.
Our 2018 Winter Workshop agenda explores some of the background and issues brought up by the 2017 season, and the likely future conditions forest and range managers will need to address. The wildfires and drought affected many economic, ecological and social values, clearly illustrating how closely intertwined Southern Interior communities are with their surrounding environment. SISCO speakers will present their views and engage with the audience in a dialogue on stand and landscape management practices important to a number of challenges including regenerating drought-prone sites, addressing the salvage and rehabilitation of wildfire areas and best management practices to anticipate and prepare for future droughty seasons.
Come join us in discussing and contributing to the next steps in the never-ending journey of improving forest and range management practices.
2017 FALL FIELD TOUR
October 16 – 18, 2017
Silviculture in Arrow and Kootenay Lake Forests; Diverse Species (the “Kootenay Mix”), Complex Terrain, and Multi-Use Landscapes
This year’s Fall Field Tour is brought to us by ATCO Wood Products, Kalesnikoff Lumber, and Monticola Forest, and we’ll be touring the West Kootenays with sites in the Nancy Greene/Rossland/Nelson/Salmo-Castlegar areas.
We’ll start on Monday early evening (Oct 16) with Registration at the Flying Steamshovel Inn, with hosted hors d’oeuvres and craft brews.
Day One stops are near Rossland and Nancy Greene; Day Two stops are near Nelson, and between Salmo – Castlegar.
Bag Lunches and Morning and Afternoon Refreshments are provided, as is dinner at the scenic Redstone Golf Course, which features an arboretum of ornamental (non-native) trees; we’ll be having a tree-id contest, with a free bottle of wine for the dinner, for the winner.
Come join your colleagues to talk about silviculture, and enjoy a lovely Autumn Excursion in the West Kootenays.
Thank you for your continuing support of SISCO!
The SISCO Executive
Agenda – Detailed (click here) 2017_SISCO_Fall_Field_Tour_Agenda
Agenda Overview
REGISTRATION EVENING: Monday October 16th
5:30 – 8:30 The Flying Steamshovel Inn, Rossland, Hosted Hors d’Oeuvres, Cash Bar
DAY ONE: Tuesday Ocotber 17th
6:30 Breakfast in Gabrielle’s Restaurant, Prestige Hotel (included in reg fee)
7:30 Depart Prestige Hotel, Rossland for Stop 1
Stop One: Summs Creek on the Nancy Greene Plateau: Mounding Versus No Mounding – Different Mounding for Different Objectives and the Effects on Stand Establishment: What Was Done, When And Why – A Results Comparison, and Live Excavator Demo.
REFRESHMENT BREAK
Stop Two: Hannah Creek / Black Jack Ski Trails, Rossland, Public Interaction – Forestry Operations in a Community Watershed and High Use Recreation Area.
LUNCH
Stop Three: Cascade Creek Km9: Aspen Brushing / No Brushing; Douglas fir Thinning; Commercial Thinning (70 year old Douglas fir / Western Larch stand harvested 2017).
Stop Four: Tiger Mountain: Managing for Cedar Poles: 10% Stand Retention with Plantation Regeneration and 35% Stand Retention with Natural Regeneration
4:10 Arrive Redstone Golf Course, Social Time: No Host Bar with subsidized beer and Hosted Hors d’oeuvres; Arboretum Tour and Tree Identification Contest; Fall Colours Appreciation Time; Short Round of Golf ?
5:00 Wine and Craft Beer Tasting with local vineyards and breweries
6:00 Banquet at Redstone Golf Course
7:00 Return to Rossland
DAY TWO: Wednesday October 18th
6:30 Breakfast in Gabrielle’s Restaurant, Prestige Hotel (included in reg fee)
7:30 Depart Prestige Hotel, Rossland for marshalling point – Selkirk College
8:10 Depart Selkirk College for Stop 5
Stop Five: Rover Creek: John Sedlac Long-Term Soil Productivity Trial, and Forest Health Treatments / Effects; Hipholoma Biocontrol for Armillaria Root Disease
REFRESHMENT BREAK
Stop Six: Selous Creek: Wildland Urban Interface Management; Douglas fir Beetle Management
LUNCH at Ymir Waterfall Pull-Out Park
Stop Seven: Champion Creek: PROBE Brushing Trial – Surprising Results from PROBE Trial Plots!
3:45 Depart for Selkirk College marshaling point
4:00 Arrive Selkirk College marshaling point
2017 WINTER WORKSHOP
Monday January 30 to Wednesday February 1
The Coast Hotel, Kamloops
Speaker presentations are available by clicking on underlined name
How We Can Apply Today’s Most Up-To-Date Knowledge to Improve Forest Stewardship
The 2017 winter workshop agenda explores current research and innovative practices that enable our profession to improve forest stewardship. Panel sessions looked at the different components of forest stewardship, and the means by which foresters can improve practice by implementing practical research applications and innovative operations. Discussion Sessions covered a range of topics on forest science research and current silviculture practice and forestry operations.
Registration Evening: Monday, January 30, 2017,
The Coast Hotel Kamloops, Romeo’s Lounge
6:30 pm Registration, Cash Bar with Hosted Snacks, and Social Time
Day One: Tuesday January 31, 2017
8:15 am Welcome & Opening Remarks
Cathy Koot, Research Coordinator, UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest, 2017 SISCO Chair
Plenary Session – Setting the Stage for Panels 1 and 2
The Value of Growth and Yield Models to the Operational Forester
Lorne Bedford, Manager Harvest and Silviculture Practices, Resource Practices Branch, FLNRO
Panel 1: Current Issues in Growth and Yield
Moderator: Ian Cameron
Growth & Yield information applied to both stand-level and forest-level analyses in BC. At the stand level, there are G&Y components to decisions about planting density and that application of other silvicultural treatments such as juvenile spacing, commercial thinning and fertilization. G&Y projections and G&Y metrics can be used to formulate management standards such as stocking standards. At the forest level, G&Y predictions are the foundation of the stand-level components applied in TSR and silviculture strategies, and G&Y metrics are used to define key benchmarks such as minimum harvest age. In this session, the panelists will focus on G&Y issues currently topical in stand-level and forest-level analyses, such as:
- The linkage between establishment density and the yield and value at harvest.
- Metrics for minimum harvest age in TSR.
- Stand-level and forest-level effects of some silviculture decisions.
- Data that underlie the growth projections used in TSR.
- How changes in young-stand performance affect yield at harvest.
Panelists:
Ian Cameron, Growth & Yield Analyst, Azura Formetrics Ltd
Catherine Bealle Statland RPF, A/Team Lead,Stand Development Modelling, FLNRO
Eleanor McWilliams, Analyst, Associated Strategic Consulting Experts
10:20 SISCO AGM
Cathy Koot, 2017 SISCO Chair
Panel 2: Stand Establishment, and Timber Supply
Moderator: Dennis Farquharson
Panelist 1: Rainfall Partitioning by Tree Canopies: Throughfall, Stemflow and Canopy Interception Loss
Darryl Carlyle-Moses, Associate Professor/Chair, Dept of Geography & Environmental Studies,TRU
Panelist 2: Soil Moisture in the Dry IDF: Mature Forest, Partial Cuts, and Openings
Brian Wallace, Range Soil Ecologist, Thompson – Okanagan, FLNRO [presentation not available, but you can contact brian.wallace@gov.bc.ca]
Panelist 3: Young Stand Monitoring
Rene deJong RPF, Forest Growth Data Analyst, Forest Analysis & Inventory, FLNRO
Panelist 4: The Link Between Stand Level and Forest (Landscape) Level which Occurs in Timber Supply Analysis
Jeff Stone, RPF, RPBio, Timber Supply / Geomatics Forester, FAIB, FLNRO
Plenary Session – Food for Thought … on the Way to Lunch
Measures to Manage Invasive Species in Canada –Legislation, Regulations and Tools
Sue Staniforth, Education and Outreach Manager, Invasive Species Council of BC1
12:30 Lunch
Discussion Sessions 1-4
Session 1: Example, Practical Applications of Lidar and UAV Acquired Photo-Based Point Clouds in BC Forest Industry
Cam Brown, Strategic Planning Forester / Team Leader, Forsite Consultants
Tristan Goodbody, Integrated Remote Sensing Studio, Faculty of Forestry, UBC
Session 2: How to Get the Best Managed Stand Growth and Yield Predictions Ever! Panel 1 further explorations
Ian Cameron, Growth & Yield Analyst, Azura Formetrics Ltd
Eleanor McWilliams, Analyst, Associated Strategic Consulting Experts
Jeff Stone, Timber Supply / Geomatics Forester, FLNRO
Jim Goudie, Growth and Yield Expert (retired)
Discussion Session 3: Genetics, Breeding and Deployment of Western Larch in BC
Barry Jaquish, Research Scientist, Kalamalka Forestry Centre, FLNRO
Discussion Session 4: Invasive Species and Forest Management – Best Practices and Tools for Preventing the Spread
Sue Staniforth, Education and Outreach Manager, Invasive Species Council of BC2
3:45 Adjourn for the day
5:30 Cash Bar Opens, ABCFP All Members Meeting
6:30 Banquet
7:30 Banquet Presentation: Fire Management in Nepal Communities
John Karakatsoulis, Senior Lecturer & Dept Chair, Natural Resources Sciences, Thompson Rivers University
Day Two: Wednesday February 1, 2017
8:15 Announcements
Cathy Koot, 2017 SISCO Chair
Plenary Session – Setting the Stage for Panels Three and Four
Managing for Multiple Values in Complex Changing Landscapes
Doug Lewis, Research Section, Thompson – Okanagan, FLNRO-1
Panel 3: Riparian Tree Retention Practices During Forest Harvesting for Max Benefits
Moderator: Doug Lewis
Retaining trees during forest harvesting is a practice that forest professionals can use to manage for multiple resource values in the short term and through stand re-establishment and development. The question of how much and where to focus tree retention to maximize benefits and mitigate potential impacts to resource values is often less well understood. In this panel, speakers will discuss how tree retention can be applied to manage stream channel stability to help ensure water values (water quality, aquatic ecosystems, fish habitat) are maintained. Operational recommendations on where to focus available tree retention budgets during harvest will be discussed.
Panelist 1: The Functional Role of the Riparian Zone on Stream Channels–Implications for Aquatic Ecosystems
Rich McCleary, Regional Aquatic Ecologist, Thompson – Okanagan, FLNRO
Panelist 2: Small Stream Riparian Zones: Management Opportunities
John Rex, PhD,P.Ag, Research Hydrologist, Omineca Region, FLNRO
Panelist 3: Exploring Geomorphic Differences Between/Riparian Requirements of Fish Bearing/Non-Bearing Channels
Michael Milne, Consulting Hydrologist, M.J. Milne and Associates
Panelist 4: Effects of Riparian Retention on Alluvial Fan Channels
Tim Giles P.Geo, Geomorphologist, Research Section, Okanagan Region, FLNRO
10:10 Coffee on the run … participants take their refreshments to the discussion sessions.
Discussion Sessions 5 – 9
Discussion Session 5: Partial Cutting to Address Mid-Term Timber Supply
Jean-Martin Lussier – Silviculture and Forest Productivity
Cosmin Filipescu – Forest Ecophysiologist
Mike Cruickshank, Forest Pathologist
Research Scientists, Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Wood Fibre Centre
Discussion Session 6: Mitigation of Forestry Impacts to Natural Range Barriers – Findings and Recommendations From a Recent Special Investigation; and New FRPA Guidance on Natural Range Barriers
Doug Wahl, Manager, Audits and Investigations, Forest Practices Board
Clayton Bradley, Range Practices Specialist, Range Branch, FLNRO
Discussion Session 7: Developing Best Management Practices for Whitebark Pine
Don Pigott, Forest Consultant, Yellow Point Propagation
Randy Moody, Senior Ecologist, Keefer Environmental Services
This survey (link below) is a way to contribute to the information database on Whitebark Pine
Discussion Session 8: A Discussion Based on Practitioner Input About the Need for Changes in Regeneration and Stand Tending Practices and Regulations that Promote Resilient, Valuable Forests
Stephen Mitchell, UBC Faculty of Forestry
Discussion Session 9: Incorporating Watershed and Fish Values in the Timber Supply Review
Doug Lewis, Research Section, Thompson – Okanagan, FLNRO
Eric Valdal, Thompson – Okanagan Research Section, FLNRO
12:20 Lunch
Panel 4: Important Non-Timber Values
Moderator: Walt Klenner
Silviculture plays a large role in shaping stand development following disturbance and although the main emphasis of silviculture in BC has been and remains focussed on managing stands for timber production, current and future non-timber issues will require developing or implementing silvicultural practices that address non-timber values. Globally, many jurisdictions manage forested lands primarily for non-timber objectives such as water, visual/recreation, wildland-urban fuel management, etc., with commercial timber production only a by-product of these activities. Our panel speakers will identify current and evolving non-timber issues that they face, and challenge you to integrate managing for these values into existing or novel silvicultural practices to achieve multiple objectives at the landscape level.
Panelist 1: An Operational Forester’s Approach to Managing Multiple Forest Values
Panelist 2: Managing for Water
Rita Winkler, Research Hydrologist, Thompson – Okanagan, FLNRO
Panelist 3: Managing for Livestock Forage on Cut Blocks
Harold Hetherington, P.Ag., Okanagan – Shuswap, FLNRO [presentation not available]
Panelist 4: Managing for Pine Marten
Doug Lewis, Research Section, Thompson – Okanagan, FLNRO-3
Plenary Sessions –Food for Thought on the Drive Home
The Ever-Changing Health of Our Forests: Old Pests and New Challenges
Lorraine Maclauchlan, Entomologist, Thompson-Okanagan, FLNRO
New Initiatives in FLNRO: The Forest Enhancement Program
Dan Peterson, Director, Forest Enhancement Program, FLNRO
3:30 Closing Remarks
Rainer Muenter, Monticola Forest
Incoming SISCO Chair