Lesson 1: Federal Government — Canadian Forest Service

The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) is part of Natural Resources Canada, a federal government department. The Canadian Forest Service is Canada's foremost forestry research organization and has been studying the health of our forests for more than a century. Its role is to ensure both a healthy forest and a strong forest industry for Canada, for now and for the future. Its research priorities include promoting the sustainable development of forests and increasing economic opportunities within Canada's forest industry.

The Canadian Forest Service operates mainly from six establishments across the country. These include five research centres, two national research forests, and a headquarters office in Ottawa. The Canadian Forest Service frequently conducts its research in partnership with other government departments, universities and industry. Topics of Canadian Forest Service research include climate change, pathology, entomology, forest management, and socio-economic issues.

In Alberta, the Canadian Forest Service operates out of the Northern Forestry Centre. Two examples of the numerous research projects currently being conducted at this facility are

• determining how climate change might affect the frequency of forest fires in the future

• evaluating best practices in the fight against the Mountain Pine Beetle