Unit 3 - Types of  Forest Research


Lesson 3: Silviculture

Companies that harvest Canada's public forests are required to regenerate them in a manner that reflects the forest's original natural diversity. Silviculture is the art and science of growing a new forest. Practices in this area must address ecological issues as well as timber production.
The Oil Sands Leadership Initiative companies seek methods of growing forests in a shorter period of time. Seedling trees are provided by a tree nursery in Bowden, Alberta.


Click on the PLAY icon to the right to see their video "Faster Forests."  


Researchers in Canada have been looking at ways to grow new forests at a faster rate. "Pre-commercial thinning" is one technique that is proving to be very successful. This process involves removing undesirable trees from young forests before the trees are large enough to have any commercial value. This leaves more space, sunlight, moisture, and nutrients for the trees that are left behind.
Because of pre-commercial thinning, trees stay healthier and mature faster. This means they can be harvested sooner. Thinned forests also contain trees that are relatively uniform in size, which lowers harvesting and wood processing costs.

Pre-commercial thinning is also good for many wildlife species. Thinned forests more quickly provide mature forest habitat which is precisely what many wildlife species need.





 

 

In 2019, work began to restore tens of thousands of kilometres of seismic lines; the oil and gas sector then collaborated with the Canadian Forest Service to access the existing knowledge from the forest sector.

Natural Resources Canada worked with Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) to develop a Silviculture Tool Kit consisting of videos, fact sheets, guidebooks, etc. to support the practice of growing trees and managing their life cycle.

Working to restore the environmental changes caused by the seismic lines crisscrossing Alberta, specifically, is important for the soil, plants, trees and wildlife. Information in the Silviculture Tool Kit can be applied to these disturbed areas in order to work toward restoration and a return to forest cover.

In the image to the left, courtesy of Natural Resources Canada, Katalijn MacAfee of the Canadian Forest Service's Cumulative Effects Program, prepares a demonstration site in Northern Alberta.

This collaboration between industry and forest experts will go a long way to treating the seismic lines and restoring the forest land.



  Think About it!

You may be aware of the decline in caribou population in both Alberta and B.C.; this has been a concern for a number
of years.  What is interesting to know is that wolves can travel twice as fast on a seismic line as they can in an
adjacent forest. This means the wolves can travel much faster when searching for prey, such as the Boreal Caribou.
Obviously this is a concern for the caribou and those working to protect them!