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About the FGrOW Project Teams

There are 6 project teams within FGrOW.

  1. Foothills Pine Project Team (FPPT)
  2. Mixedwood Project Team (MPT)
  3. Policy & Practice Project Team (PPPT)
  4. WESBOGY Project Team (WESBOGY)
  5. Empirical Post-Harvest Stand Growth Assessment (EPH)
  6. Tree Improvement Alberta (TIA)

FPPT

The Foothills Pine Project Team (FPPT) continues the work of the Foothills Growth & Yield Association (FGYA), which formed in 2000 to co-operatively forecast and monitor managed stand growth and yield in Lodgepole pine.

FPPT continues to pursue the mission of the FGYA:

  • forecasting and monitoring responses to silvicultural treatments
  • facilitating the scientific development and validation of yield forecasts used by members in managing their tenures
  • promoting knowledge, shared responsibility, and cost-effective cooperation

The FPPT has four active projects (click on the title to go directly to the Project page):

  1. Regenerated Lodgepole Pine (RLP) Project
  2. Cooperative Management of Historical Research Trial
  3. Stand Dynamics After MPB Attack
  4. Establishment of an MPB PSP Network

FPPT members are:

Alberta Newsprint Company; Blue Ridge Lumber, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Canfor Corporation; Edson Forest Products, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Hinton Wood Products, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Millar Western Forest Products Ltd.; Spray Lakes Sawmills (1980) Ltd.; Sundre Forest Products, a Division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Weyerhaeuser Company, Alberta Forestlands

MPT

The Mixedwood Project Team is continuing the work of the Mixedwood Management Association (MWMA). The MWMA officially came into existence in the summer of 2001 with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the eight member companies and the Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. Originally hosted by the Alberta Research Council, it changed to the University of Alberta from June of 2003 until March 2015.

The MWMA acted as a forum to collectively address practical and scientific issues around the implementation of managing mixedwood stands to sustain their mixed species characteristics. The Mixedwood project team continues to address its goals to:

  • Increase  knowledge through financial and in-kind support of basic and applied research
  • Enhance the forest community’s understanding of mixedwood through support for workshops and conferences
  • Increase information collection, sharing, dissemination, and its application to day-to-day forest management activities.

Its current projects are:

  1. Dynamic Aspen Density Experiment
  2. Strip Cut Understory Protection Project

MPT members are:

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.; Slave Lake Pulp, A division of West Fraser Mills; Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd.; Millar Western Forest Products Ltd.; Tolko Industries Ltd.; Weyerhaeuser Company, Alberta Forestlands

PPPT

The Policy and Practice Project Team evolved from the Alberta Forest Growth Organization (AFGO). It provides its members with a venue for discussing and addressing forest management opportunities and challenges.

Its three current projects are:

  1. Provincial Growth and Yield Initiative
  2. Cutblock Inventory Classification Subcommittee (formerly Strata Subcommittee)
  3. Growth and Yield Model Development Support

PPPT members are:

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.; Slave Lake Pulp, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Canfor Corporation; Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd.; Edson Forest Products, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Hinton Wood Products, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Millar Western Forest Products Ltd.; Sundre Forest Products, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Tolko Industries Ltd.; Weyerhaeuser Company, Alberta Forestlands

WESBOGY

The purpose of the Western Boreal Growth and Yield Association (WESBOGY) is to conduct research projects that contribute to the development and dissemination of growth and yield information and modeling technology for both natural and regenerated stands growing in the boreal mixedwood region, primarily aspen and spruce.

WESBOGY has been operating since 1987 and is now housed at the University of Alberta under the direction of its chair, Dr. Phil Comeau. WESBOGY became a project team of FGrOW on January 1, 2015.

To learn more about WESBOGY, visit their webpage.

WPT members are:

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry; Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.; Slave Lake Pulp, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Canfor Corporation; Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Canadian Forest Service; Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd.; Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd.; Manning Forest Products, A division of West Fraser Mills Ltd.; Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment; Weyerhaeuser Company, Alberta Forestlands

EPH

The Empirical Post-Harvest Stand Growth Assessment project was initiated through a FRIAA Open Funds proposal, which was supported by the FGrOW membership.It builds on a 2008 project which collected data from post-harvest stands, with a focus on obtaining paired observations that represented growth trajectories in the 0-30 age range.

This extension of the 2008 project will focuses on using these data to improve our understanding of how juvenile post-harvest stands change over time, and what impacts silviculture treatment has on these stands; specifically:

  1. Changes in stand succession and forest structure over time, important for providing non-timber (social and ecological) values in addition to wood production.  
  2. The ability of growth models to forecast post-harvest conditions relative to observed growth patterns and silviculture treatments.
  3. An understanding of the impacts of management interventions (site preparation, reforestation methods and vegetation control) on reforestation success and growth.

TIA

Tree Improvement Alberta (TIA) started in 2011 with an adhoc group of companies interested in tree improvement at a time following a period of severe economic downturn for the forest industry. Industry participants concerned over the continuity of funding program activities due to perceived insufficient return on investment and lack of clarity on how benefits of tree improvement might be realized. The group identified the need for greater communication and coordination amongst industry, government and academic representatives to create clear objectives for tree improvement in Alberta and mechanisms for achieving them.

On November 8th, 2011 a workshop was held including senior level representatives from industry, government and academia to generate and discuss ideas towards a new tree improvement model for Alberta. In April of 2012, Tree Improvement Alberta became a consortium of industry and government representatives under fRI Research.

Tree Improvement Alberta was established to facilitate the delivery of programs or projects related to forest genetics in Alberta. The initial project under TIA authority was the three year Tree Species Adaptation Risk Management project funded by Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC). 

In 2016, TIA membership voted to transition into a project team of FGrOW. A new Terms of Reference for TIA was ratified by members in March of 2016.

TIA’s purpose is to:

  • Advance forest genetics and tree improvement in Alberta by coordinating, implementing, or supporting collaborative research projects in forest genetics and operational tree improvement activities to maximize efficiency among its members and collaborators.
  • Promote communication among members through business meetings, workshops and field excursions, which enhance learning and knowledge transfer making it easier for members and other stakeholders to coalesce to common tree improvement priorities in Alberta.
  • Provide an avenue for constructive dialogue between forest companies involved in tree improvement and the Alberta government.
  • Promote and facilitate communication among Forest Genetics, Growth and Yield, and Silviculture practitioners on all forest genetics related matters.
  • Maintain communication and collaboration with the Alberta Forest Genetic Resources Council and other stakeholders with interest in the management of forest genetic resources in Alberta.

The role and function of TIA will continue to evolve to accommodate changes, emerging challenges and potential opportunities. Additional programs, projects, or other related work may be added in consultation with TIA membership.