This project aims to provide real-world, verifiable estimates of impacts to watersheds from usage of back-country logging and resource roads. fRI in partnership with the University of Alberta, MiTACS and Canfor is testing computer-based tools developed in the United States to apply them to watersheds in Alberta. Given the different geography, soil types, and relief in Alberta, these tools may need to be refined to reflect the unique conditions present in our foothills natural region.

Informed decisions on resource management and development require an understanding of how projects will impact the resource, other resources, and the ecosystem. Because the ocean and land are intricately connected along coastal areas, development projects in either will invariably affect the other. However, Ecological Risk Assessments do not consider the two in tandem because the connections between the land and ocean are not well defined and an analytical tool does not currently exist to predict those connections for areas where they have not yet been measured.

The proposed research project is to a) research and determine what are the best water monitoring components and scientific instruments that can be used in remote settings b) research the existing software which allows for simple interface with water monitoring data and the data user/contributor c) research and establish overarching system to pair water monitoring technologies and software in a manner that reflects the values and goals of the SWGIL project, including OCAP protocols for indigenous users d) submit said research to the SWGIL grant operators with suggestions on which technologie

In order to satisfy the housing demand in major Canadian cities, there is a renaissance in the use of tall wood-based buildings. Timber is the most sustainable and environmental friendly construction material with higher seismic resistance. In April 2009, the British Columbia Building Code was amended to increase the height limit of wood-frame buildings from 4 to 6 story. In the current 2015 NBCC, the height limit was increased for entire Canada. With the use of mass timber, timber-based high-rise buildings are constructed around the world.

FPInnovations has developed FPInterface, a software platform in which forest operations are simulated in order to estimate fibre supply costs, including harvesting and transportation. It currently has 7 sub-modules including MaxTour and FPAlloc. The goal of this project is to develop and validate optimization techniques in order to implement new sub-modules to FPInterface that will allow for more accurate scenario valuations.

Although the benefits of using timber in mid- and high-rise construction (namely reducing the environmental footprint by sequestering carbon and cost savings through reduced construction time) are undisputed, there are perceived shortcomings with respect to a corresponding lack of appropriate design guidance for seismic loads. Overcoming these perceived shortcomings will allow timber, and
its wood product derivatives, to further expand into the non-residential construction sector.

This research project will explore what barriers -- economics, policy, or otherwise -- exist to restoring unhealthy Douglas-fir forests in central British Columbia. These forests have reached a state where it is currently not feasible for timber companies to make any profit from harvesting timber in those stands, which only serves to worsen the problem. In order to find a solution, not only do the barriers need to be identified, but also the risks of both action and non-action.

The current approach for testing compounds of interest in blood such as drugs or nutrients involves drawing blood samples into vials that then require refrigeration prior to testing. Since transportation to remote laboratories is challenging, people need to go into medical labs to have their blood tested. This research will develop improved techniques that enable blood samples to be collected from a finger prick onto a specially designed card that eliminates biohazards and makes the sample stable at room temperature so that it could be mailed or sent by courier to a lab.

This project recognizes the significant business challenges First Nations forestry enterprises face which have the effect of limiting the benefits to First Nations from forests (Wellstead and Stedman 2010). There is limited awareness of the conditions that affect the success and failure of Aboriginal enterprises in the forest sector (Trosper et al 2008).