Isolated instances of toxicity have occurred at AbitibiBowater, a Pulp and Paper industry in Thunder Bay, Ontario. For the past four years (2005-2008) AbitibiBowater Thunder Bay's cooling water has failed Canadian regulatory rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss) toxicity limits during the month of April. This project will investigate the potential cause of such rainbow trout toxicity […]

Urban forests, characterized by trees and green spaces in urban areas, are highly prized for their socioeconomic and environmental contributions to society. Models to quantify the benefits of urban forests exist (energy savings, storm water mitigation etc.), but there is no process by which the models’ results are then directed towards the broader planning goals […]

  Understanding the fate of biochar in boreal soils is critical in order to develop appropriate application rates and carbon credits. Accurate models of biochar stability and carbon density are required for proper carbon accounting. The intent of this study is to model the long term stability of charcoal in northern forest soils. We will […]

Malting company waste water contains high concentrations of many valuable nutrients such as sugars and proteins. Those compounds have to be removed before discharge the waste water. The removal of those compounds costs a lot of money to the company. But we have bacterial strains which can grow in the waste water and produce hydrogen. […]

The proposed research will create value added models that will be used to predict wood quality attributes (wood density and fibre dimensions) on the landscape within Ontario’s boreal forest. This will be achieved by modeling stem and stand attributes from airborne laser scanner data (LiDAR). The derived stems and stand attributes (such as tree height, […]

This study will examine the relationship between reclamation methods and when deactivated roads become suitable for caribou, using developing UAV technology to monitor caribou while testing UAV effectiveness in the field. This will be done by establishing long-term cameras along reclaimed road sites, monitoring wildlife movement through the study areas and by completing aerial wildlife […]

This research represents the evolution of an existing partnership between USC Canada and Food: Globally Embedded, Locally Engaged (FLEdGE), a SSHRC Partnership Grant project conducting community-based research on sustainable food systems. The intern will work with these partners to explore the theory and action of agroecology and food sovereignty at the global level and the […]

In forestry, the two major costs of delivering wood to the mill are the costs of forest road construction and transportation of harvested wood. Given the magnitude of the costs involved, and the complexity of the planning problem, computer optimization models are used. In this research project, we have outlined a research plan by which […]

Recreational fisheries in Canada are estimated to provide over $2.5 billion dollars to local economies each year. There is a growing concern that industrial activities, climate change, and other factors may negatively impact the productivity of these fisheries and the freshwater ecosystems that support them. However, direct estimates of fish productivity are extremely challenging to […]

The proposed Mitacs program will provide internships for six graduate (thesis-based MSc and PhD) students, and two Post-Doctoral Fellows (PDFs) in a competitive R&D environment at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI) – Canada’s newest health research institute. Interns will be involved in research projects which aim to develop and commercialize the next […]

Ontario has recently acquired a new forest inventory, based on aerial photos, and for the first time, a technology called single photon Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). This technology allows users to not only see the forest, but precisely calculate tree heights, drainage, and other things by collecting dozens of measurements per m2. A first […]

In an underground gold mine, the movement of ore and waste material occurs on a massive scale and short-term excavation activities should be scheduled so that that the right proportions of these materials are moving through the mine in order to meet production targets. In the proposed project, a mathematical optimization model will be formulated […]