This project, in partnership with Cascades, will develop novel functional materials prepared from a biopolymer generated at Cascades. The development of these novel materials and composites will help to fine-tune the properties of the final paper sheet produced at Cascades and access high performance materials for many of their core business activities. The new polymer […]

The boreal mixedwood forests of the Abitibi region of Quebec are often characterized by a canopy of trembling aspen with shade tolerant species such as white spruce and balsam fir in the subcanopy. In many cases, harvesting has converted complex mixedwoods into simpler, even aged forests. Due to the differences in regeneration and tree growth, […]

La mission du Zoo de Granby est orientée vers la préservation du monde animal. En partenariat avec un étudiant à la maîtrise à l’Université Laval, l’équipe de chercheurs du Zoo de Granby participe au projet sur l’utilisation de l’habitat naturel pendant la saison de reproduction du Martinet ramoneur (Chaetura pelagica). Cet insectivore aérien possède le […]

The Honna River is the drinking water source for the Village of Queen Charlotte (pop. 950), and is also important salmon habitat. Sediment from unpaved forest roads near the river may be entering the channel in significant quantities. In a previous internship, intern David Reid implemented a channel reach-scale study of all sediment sources in […]

Northern high-latitude ecosystems experience disproportionate levels of climate change. This strongly affects the previously temperature-limited vegetation in the sub-arctic tundra. Treelines, the boundaries between forests and the tree-less tundra, are expected to shift northwards in response. However, only half of the examined treelines have advanced since 1900. Why warming is associated with treeline advances in […]

Insect pests pose a major threat to forestry in Canada, the UK and globally, particularly in the context of a changing climate and global trade. Effective survey and detection tools are needed to provide early warnings of pest outbreaks and provide information to guide decisions about the need for management action. For eruptive and invasive […]

The certification of food products, their authenticity and origins has become a growing priority amongst consumers and producers. The differentiation of the different Canadian maple groves necessitates the development and implementation of forensic tools to link maple syrups to their corresponding terroir. Strontium (Sr) isotopes have shown to reflect the local geological conditions of the […]

This research project aims to investigate the potential of a Vancouver Island Model Forest. A model forest is a partnership-based process for working towards sustainable development of a forested landscape. We will arrange a stakeholder meeting to establish a common understanding of the concept and see if there is commitment from stakeholder groups to procees […]

Compte tenu de la nouvelle loi sur l’aménagement durable des forêts et de la mise en place d’aires d’intensification de production ligneuse, l’éclaircie commerciale est une pratique qui devrait augmenter en importance pour répondre au besoin d’approvisionnement de l’industrie du bois à court terme et pour améliorer la productivité et les rendements des peuplements à […]

Many ethnic minorities in the southern mountainous region of Yunnan Province, China are being increasingly marginalized by ill-informed policies implemented by lowland-based, ethnic-majority officials, aiming to intensify socio-economic integration, promote agricultural intensification, and promote cash cropping, and restrict natural resource access. In the Yunnan borderlands and the site for my intended study, many sizeable extractive […]

To decarbonise, the participation of the oil industry is key. Rather than process crude oils, refineries are able to co-process biogenic feedstocks alongside their fossil fuel to reduce the carbon intensities of the fuels they produced. Our project will evaluate what’s the impact of adding these biogenic feedstocks to the existing refining units by long […]

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an invasive plant in North America that produces glucosinolates and flavonoids as defensive chemicals. Production of these chemicals includes both plastic and genetic components, but the genes involved in these responses have not been characterized. We propose to use high-throughput sequencing and comparative genomic tools to characterize the complete set […]