Millar Western forest research wins national award
Edmonton, Alberta – A Millar Western-sponsored project researching soil and water quality in the boreal forest, the recipient of major grants earlier this year, today garnered additional national recognition. The Forest Watershed and Riparian Disturbance (FORWARD) research initiative, a collaboration including Millar Western Forest Products Ltd., Lakehead University, the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation and other university and industry partners, has won a 2004 NSERC Synergy Award for Innovation.
The FORWARD project models the impacts of timber harvesting, as well as natural disturbances such as fire, on soils, hydrological processes, water quality and water flow in Canada’s boreal forests. The results are used to develop decision-support tools for responsible, science-based forest management planning. “FORWARD is aimed at developing innovative approaches to forest management that will help protect water, soils and the full range of forest values by providing forest companies across Canada with an improved ability to predict and shape the effects of their management practices and other disturbances within the forest,” said principal investigator Dr. Ellie Prepas of Lakehead University.
The project partnership involves research teams from Lakehead University, University of Alberta, and University of Saskatchewan. In addition to lead industry participant Millar Western, other forest companies are participating in the project: Alberta Plywood, Blue Ridge Lumber, Bowater Canadian Forest Products, Buchanan Forest Products, LP and Vanderwell Contractors.
Millar Western Chief Forester Jonathan Russell noted that FORWARD will contribute to sustainable economic development benefiting Aboriginal and other rural and northern communities, while helping ensure that Canada’s forest industry remains internationally respected and globally competitive. “By working collaboratively on long-term research aimed at protecting forest values,” said Russell, “this partnership is promoting better forest management practices and better forest policy across Canada, and will provide environmental, social and economic benefits for future generations.”
Millar Western and the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation this year signed a Forest and Economic Development Agreement (FEDA) to increase economic opportunities for the Alexis community, incorporate community input into the forest management planning process, and encourage advanced education for Aboriginal students through scholarship awards. Through the FEDA, Aboriginal concerns, values and knowledge will help guide FORWARD research and other forest management initiatives. This builds on a long-standing relationship between Millar Western and the Alexis peoples, who have worked with the company for many decades.
The Synergy Awards for Innovation were launched in 1995 by NSERC to recognize partnerships in research between universities and industry. Candidates are judged on factors including innovation and creativity, quality of research, superior management processes and effective use of university and industry human and technical resources. The Synergy Award to FORWARD, announced today by NSERC, will be presented later tonight in Waterloo, Ontario, along with awards to six other partnerships singled out for national recognition this year. The winning university researchers receive a $25,000 NSERC research grant, while their industry partners receive a Synergy sculpture commemorating their shared achievement.
FORWARD has received more than $1 million in Collaborative Research and Development grants from NSERC, including an Industrial Research Fellowship (IRF) granted earlier this year valued at $60,000, with matching funds provided by Millar Western. The IRF, granted following an internationally recognized peer review process that deemed Millar Western to have the vision and commitment to conduct world-class research, will provide funding for the study of soil classification as the basis for watershed management within detailed forest management planning processes. To date, NSERC has also awarded three Industrial Postgraduate Scholarships to graduate students involved with FORWARD, along with a Discovery Grant of $339,000 to Dr. Prepas at Lakehead University for forest-related research.
FORWARD is also supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The CFI, in partnership with the Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT) and Millar Western, earlier this year awarded an Innovation Fund Grant to Lakehead University to sponsor the training of personnel and building of infrastructure for FORWARD watershed study sites in the boreal forest. Funding includes $1.1 million from CFI and OIT, $1.7 million in funding from Millar Western and $400,000 from other industry and university partners.
Science and Engineering Research Canada (also known as NSERC) is a key federal agency investing in people, discovery and innovation. It supports both basic university research through research grants, and project research through partnerships among postsecondary institutions, government and the private sector, as well as the advanced training of highly qualified people.
Lakehead University is a comprehensive university in northwestern Ontario with 7600 students, 1600 faculty and staff and eight faculties, including the Faculty of Forestry and the Forest Environment – the only forestry faculty in Ontario. A key element of the University’s mission is educating students to be aware of their social and environmental responsibilities, a focus put to practice in resource management of the boreal forest.
One of Western Canada’s largest privately-owned forest companies, Millar Western is a family-owned business operating technologically-advanced lumber and pulp manufacturing facilities in Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as progressive woodlands operations supplying timber to the operations on the basis of sustainable forest management.
For more information, please contact:
Janet Millar
Communications Manager
Millar Western Forest Products Ltd.
(780) 486-8249
jmillar@millarwestern.com
Eleanor Abaya
Director of Communications
Lakehead University
(807) 343-8372
eleanor.abaya@lakeheadu.ca
Michael Dwyer
Media & Public Affairs Officer
NSERC Newsbureau
(613) 992-9001
michael.dwyer@nserc.ca