“I live near a protected Garry oak ecosystem, and I bring my daughters there, so I know how important these areas are,” says Alina.

A recent outbreak of spruce budworm infestation in Quebec contributed to millions of dollars in lost revenue potential for Canada’s lumber industry and threatened forests in northern New Brunswick. This prompted researchers at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and Carleton University to partner in the development of solutions to ward off the forest pest.

With Eric’s research, we can go out our clients and confidently tell them what native trees are best for their area for environmental benefit because we’ve got the data to prove it.

For Dr. Rebecca Tittler, the Mitacs Accelerate Quebec internship she undertook with the forestry company AbitibiBowater proved to be “the best of both worlds”, she said, referring to the balance between her academic research independence and working in partnership with industry.