September 26 – 28, 2016

Summerland, BC

“Back to the Future”:  Looking at Previously Harvested Stands to Help Predict What Current Harvesting Practices Might Bring in the Future

Agenda:  2016 SISCO Fall Field Tour Brochure

Field Tour Highlights included:

• 40 year old research trials that provide meaningful long-term results
• A real-time Drone Demonstration in the field on Wednesday
• An Entertaining After-Dinner-Speaker on Tuesday
• This year’s field tour is in the heart of Central Okanagan wine country, and we will explore that industry at our pre-banquet wine tasting on Tuesday night.

Background Information About the Focus of the Field Tour

Recent timber supply analysis completed in the southern interior shows that over the next couple of decades, available timber will largely come from managed stands.  The future of forestry in the interior of BC is changing – the majority of timber will come from these managed forests within the ‘matrix’ – the managed portion of the forested land-base in between reserves or inoperable areas. These forests will also be critical for managing for multiple values; water, forage, wildlife habitat.

The 2016 SISCO Fall Field Tour looked back to a series of partial harvested, thinned and fertilized stands near Summerland, BC.  These stands were harvested in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s and provide a snapshot of what many recently harvested forests may look like in the future.

We asked the questions:

• Regarding the quantity and quality of timber from these managed stands
  1. Is the volume of timber consistent with projected volumes used in timber supply analysis?
  2. Is the quality of the timber\fibre being generated sufficient to meet market demands?

• Will these forests provide habitat for a variety of species, and stewardship of other resource values?

There was a live drone demonstration with examples of actual field applications.

Thank you for joining your colleagues for a conversation about silviculture in the Southern Interior!

The SISCO Executive

Forestry Opportunities For Positive Results on the Landscape

February  23-24,  2016                                                                                                                                                                             The Coast Hotel, Kamloops

Agenda and Speaker Presentations – please do not copy or use in any way the speakers’ material posted on this site.

Day One: Tuesday February 23, 2016

Welcome & Opening Remarks
John Karakatsoulis, Senior Lecturer, Natural Resources Sciences, TRU
2016 SISCO Chair

PANEL ONE: Foresters as a Positive Force for Change on the Landscape

The role of the professional forester has changed dramatically over the last half century. Along with the skills required to manage forest stands, a forester in the 21st century must be adept in understanding land-use issues, First Nations concerns, ecosystem management, wildlife management, riparian areas management and the economic impacts of forest management within a variety of different communities throughout BC. This session will highlight some of the important work our foresters are engaged in that are a positive force for change on the landscape.

Moderator: John Karakatsoulis

Planning Activities on the UBC Research Forest
Stephanie Ewen MSc, RPF, Assistant Manager, UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest

Kalamalka Research Program- Focusing on the Future Forest
Ward Strong, Forest Pest Researcher, Kalamalka Research Centre, FLNRO

Opportunities for Directing Change on the Landscape  Doug Lewis
Doug Lewis, FLNRO

Paths to Walking Together with First Nations  Scott Scholefield
Scott Scholefield First Nations Area Supervisor, Tolko

PANEL TWO: Smarter Forest Fibre Resources Utilization

Large cull piles seen in most cut blocks are a common by-product of most harvesting operations that remove high quality sawlogs. With current and future technologies and a decreasing supply of forest fiber, the material in these cull piles likely represents a resource that can generate revenue and employment, be used for pulp or biofuel (hog fuel, pellets, etc.) and may support small- to mid-scale secondary manufacturing. Such an approach would help increase the utilization of forest resources while addressing concerns about carbon pollution and health issues associated with the smoke generated when this waste material is burned. In this session and a companion discussion session this afternoon, you will hear perspectives on the growing demand for material currently being disposed of by open burning, the important role this material plays in forest ecosystems, and case studies on the potential use of this material.

Moderator: Walt Klenner

Introductory Comments
Rick Sommer, District Manager, Thompson Rivers District

A European Perspective on Bioenergy and Biofuel Markets
Dominik Roser, Research Manager, Forest Biomass & Wildfire Operations FPInnovations

Biofuel Opportunities in Western North America  Bill Bourgeois
Bill Bourgeois, President, New Direction Resource Management

A Case Study of the Forest Fibre Currently Not Being Utilized in Conventional Sawlog Harvest Operations  Walt Klenner
Walt Klenner, Wildlife Habitat Ecologist, FLNRO, Thompson-Okanagan Region

Wildlife Impacts of Forest Fibre Removal and Options for Mitigation
Tom Sullivan, Professor, Forest and Conservation Sciences, UBC

Forest Sciences Research and Operational Issues of the Day

Discussion Sessions 1 – 11

Discussion Session 1: Selective Breeding and Its Effects on the Climatic Adaptation of Lodgepole Pine and Interior Spruce Seedlots: Implications For Future Reforestation
Ian MacLachlan, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, UBC

Discussion Session 2: Applied Landscape Level Planning: Three Case Studies
UBC Graduate Students in Master of Sustainable Forest Management Program (all FITs)
Instructor Deborah Delong

West Boundary Community Forest (for Dan MacMaster RPF)
Patrick Ferguson

Private Land Management Near Salmo (for Rainer Muenter RPF)
Emma Driedger, Mike Harrhy, Julius Huhs, Tom Kasperkiewicz, Alysha Van Delft

Nakusp Community Forest (for Hugh Watt RPF)
Jess Duncan, Ben Kwiatkowski, Jade Laramie, Jill MacDonald, Lauren Shinnimin

Discussion Session 3: Utilizing Forest Fibre Resources – Emerging Opportunities Beyond the Sawlog Market

Small Trees – New Markets – New Silviculture (?)
Jim Thrower, Kamloops

Secondary Manufacturing Opportunities in Waste Piles
Ed Hermitage, Hermitage Forest Products

Discussion Session 4: Direct Seeding
Bill Chapman, Soil Scientist, MFLNRO
Jerome Girard, Area Supervisor – Silviculture, Tolko Industries

Discussion Session 5: What Works and What Doesn’t in the Planting Season: Planting Time, Fertilizing, Thawing, Planting Techniques, Plug Sizes, Species Problems, Brush Problems, Pests/Rodents Etc.!
Darius Bucher, Regeneration Specialist, Integral Forest Management
Dennis Farquharson RPF, Silviculturist, GRO TRZ Consulting

Discussion Session 6: The New BEC Guidelines and Guidebooks for the South Central Columbia Mountains and Thompson Okanagan Region
Deb MacKillop, Regional Ecologist, FLNRO
Mike Ryan, Regional Ecologist, FLNRO

Banquet Speaker: Nicole Schabus, Law Professor, Thompson Rivers University  Nicole Schabus

Day Two: Wednesday February 24, 2016

Forest Sciences Research and Operational Issues of the Day continued

Discussion Session 7: Drone Technology – Applications in Forestry
Brian Quinn RPF, Senior Manager Business Information, BC Timber Sales Branch, FLNRO

Discussion Session 8: The Wildfire Trifecta: Forests, Fuels, and Climate – an Illustrated Poster Session

Dr. Lori Daniels and Graduate Students, Tree Ring Lab at UBC
Forest and Conservation Sciences Department, Faculty of Forestry, UBC-Vancouver

Three Centuries of Fire History at Vaseux Lake
Alexandra Pogue, MSc Student

Altered Fire Regime Reduces Montane Forest Diversity
Raphaël Chavardès, PhD Candidate

How to Degrade Dry Forests:High-Grade Then Suppress All Fires for a Century
Gregory Greene, PhD Candidate

Fuelling the Debate: Managing Mule Deer Winter Range
Marc-Antoine Leclerc, MSc Student

Wildfire in a Warming World
Lori Daniels, Associate Professor

Discussion Session 9: Comparing Harvest Methods for Partial Cutting  RainerMuenter
Ken Day, Manager, UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest
Rainer Muenter, Private Land Forest Manager, Monticola Forest

Discussion Session 10: Resistance to Forest Pests and Pathogens in BC: An Update on Resistance Screening and Breeding Strategies
Nicholas Ukrainetz MSc, RPF, Research Scientist, Tree Breeder
Trevor Doerksen, Research Scientist, Tree Breeder
Kalamalka Forestry Centre, Tree Improvement Branch FLNRO

Discussion Session 11: From Incidence to Impact: Measuring and Modelling the Effects of Stem Rusts in Lodgepole Pine
Richard Reich RPF, MSc, Instructor, Researcher, College of New Caledonia
Jim Goudie, FLNRO Inventory Branch

PANEL THREE: The Role of Social License in Better Forest Management

Social License might be generally defined as the acceptance by a community of a corporation or some corporate activity. The terms acceptance and community are open to interpretation. Acceptance can include formal processes like the granting of regulatory approvals, but may also involve purchasing products, offering informal word-of-mouth promotion or extending unspecified good will. Similarly, the term community is not necessarily constrained by either size or proximity. The forest industry in British Columbia, which operates primarily on public land, has always depended on some form of social license. In this panel, we have speakers who will offer their perspectives on the relationship between social license and the promotion of better management of BCs forests.

Moderator: Ian Cameron

Building Useful Forest Stewardship Plans
Del Williams RPF, Manager, Audits and Investigations, Forest Practices Board

The South Chilcotin Stewardship Plan –
A Collaborative Resource Management Initiative
Mike Simpson, RPF, Senior Regional Manager, Fraser Basin Council

A Woodlot /Private Land Owner Perspective on Social License in Close Proximity to Rural Communities  Rainer Muenter2
Private Land Forest Manager, Monticola Forest

EMERGING ISSUES IN FORESTRY
Moderator: Cathy Koot
Landscape Level Reforestation Standards  Gary Quanstrom
Gary Quanstrom RPF, Silviculture Supervisor, West Fraser

Wildland Urban Interface: New Regulations to Implement Fuel Mgmt in Operational Forest Practices – The Cariboo Pilot Project
Kelly Osbourne, Fire Management Planning Forester, BC Wildfire Service

Closing Remarks and Adjourn
Cathy Koot, Research Coordinator, UBC Alex Fraser Research Forest, Williams Lake
Incoming SISCO Chair

 

2016 SISCO Winter Workshop Brochure

 

Managing Root Disease – the Costs and Benefits                                                                                                                    September 15-16,  2015                                                                                                                                                                   Salmon Arm

Are you Stumped About Stumping …?

This year’s fall field tour is a retrospective examination of the ecology and management of root rot infected stands. We will visit both a long-term research trial site and an operational site to see the linkages between research and operational application.

At the research site (Skimikin) we will discuss the ecology of root rot, its impact on site growth and yield, and and the costs / benefits of stumping. At the operational site (White Lake), we will see how treatments were applied and how the stands developed subsequently. We will also hear about some work in progress for identifying diseased stands on the landscape.

Who Should Come …

Planning and development foresters, as well as silviculturists, will benefit from this tour – root disease management begins at the early stages of stand management.

DAY ONE: Tuesday September 15^th   

Skimikin Long-Term Research Trials

In 1968 a trial was established near Salmon Arm in the southern interior of British Columbia to determine if whole tree logging reduced mortality in the next rotation on a site infested by root disease. In stumped and not stumped blocks, seedlings of Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, western redcedar and paper birch were planted alone and in all combinations of two species in three 0.04 ha plots per block; western larch and Engelmann spruce were planted on one plot in each block.

The highest survival after 40 years occurred in plots where stumps were removed, especially in those of Douglas-fir alone or in mixture or of spruce or larch.  We will review each species survival and growth and determine the economics of stump removal and species mixtures, and discuss the practical implications of stump removal. We will focus on western redcedar as an alternative species for disease control and discuss some of its economics and silviculture.

On hand to lead the discussion (in order of appearance) will be:

• Mike Cruickshank, Forest Pathologist, Natural Resources Canada, NRCan Catherine Bealle Statland, MFLNRO Research Scientist
• Jim Goudie, Stand Modeling, FLNRO
• Patrick Asante, Economist, FLNRO
• Cosmin Filipescu, Ecophysiologist, Natural Resources Canada, NRCan
• Sandy Allen, Regional Coordinator, Natural Resources Canada, NRCan
• David Rusch, Regional Forest Pathologist, FLNRO

DAY TWO: Wednesday September 16^th

White Lake Operational Treatments

At White Lake we will look at sites that were stumped about twenty years ago, to examine and discuss the effectiveness of the treatments, the risks of partial and incomplete stumping, and technical details such as is there a maximum stump size/diameter that can be stumped? Is there an area of risk around stumps? What interactions are created by tree retention areas and site disturbance? And how can we improve our detection techniques and recommendations for root disease once detected?

On hand to lead the discussion (in order of appearance) will be:

• Jill Werk, Stewardship Forester, FLNRO
• Harry Kope, Provincial Forest Pathologist, FLNRO
• Dana Manhard, Timber Pricing Forester, FLNRO
• Jim Wright, (retired),Silviculture Forester, FLNRO

Join your colleagues for an interesting excursion into the lovely Fall landscapes of the Shuswap.

The tour will be based out of Salmon Arm. The Prestige Inn has rooms set aside for us, and it is the location of our registration evening on Monday night and our banquet on Tuesday night. Buses will leave from, and return to the Prestige Inn.

2015_SISCO_Fall_Field_Tour_Brochure

2015_SISCO_Fall_Field_Tour_Regform.pdf         2015_SISCO_Fall_Field_Tour_Regform.doc

Program at a glance

Workshop Booklet Agenda and Presenter Abstracts

February 9-11,  2015                                                                                                                                                                  Thompson Rivers University Campus                                                                                                                                           Kamloops

Placing BC in a Global Forest Management Context – How Do We Measure Up?

Plenary Sessions

The 2015 winter workshop opening theme explored the way that BC functions in a global forestry context, from our forest management strategy for multiple resources and public expectations, to our wood products innovation and marketing strategies. 

 

Key Forest Management Issues of the Day – How Do We Measure Up?

Panel Sessions

The panel discussions look at pieces of the puzzle of this global context – specific key forest management issues of the day that, though always evolving, remain ongoing critical challenges. The panel of experts will provide information and perspectives on the issues, describe the current state of affairs, and propose to what extent these issues have been resolved or what progress is being made to address them. After the experts’ presentations there will be questions from the floor, to allow you to engage in in-depth discussion with the panelists and your colleagues.

 

Forest Science Research – Practical Applications

Discussion Sessions

The workshop discussion sessions covered a range of forest science research topics and their practical silviculture applications, and the format provides you an opportunity for small-group, interactive conversation, exchange, and debate on the topics.

 

TRU Culinary Arts

The renowned Thompson Rivers University Culinary Arts Program designed a menu of outstanding lunches for us on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the banquet on Tuesday was catered by the Campus Activity Centre cuisine.

 

Bruce Archibald, Paleontologist and Research Associate at SFU, the BC Royal Museum, and the Museum Comparative Zoology, Cambridge was our spellbinding after dinner speaker.

Thank you for attending the 2015 Winter Workshop!

For information please see the following links:

http://canadianforestry.com/wp/?page_id=343

http://www.abcfp.ca/about_us/events/national_forest_week.asp