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| Research > Previous Initiatives |
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Graduate Student Pilot Project 2006 - 2009 In 2006/07, the FIA-FSP established a 3-year pilot project to facilitate academic research by graduate students on applied topics in forest science and conservation. The graduate student pilot project provided $375,000.00 in funding and scientific mentorship to B.C.'s future forest scientists. The project helped address a critical future need for well-trained applied scientists by providing core research funding to MSc and PhD students, and matching those students (and their supervisors) to research mentors in government, private sector, and non-profit organizations. Overall, the pilot project trained 10 graduate students in applied research in the real world of forest management.
Collaborative Research Initiatives Collaborative Research Initiatives have been used by FIA-FSP to foster a more strategic, efficient, and stable funding environment for priority research of a collaborative nature. No CRIs are currently active. The FIA-FSP funded two CRIs in the past: the Growth and Yield Modeling CRI (GYM-CRI) and the Future Forest Ecosystems CRI (FFE-CRI).
Growth and Yield Modeling Collaborative Research Initiative In 2007, the Forest Science Board (now the CF-FSAC) established a Growth and Yield Modeling Collaborative Research Initiative (GYM-CRI). The GYM-CRI was intended to foster a more strategic, efficient, collaborative, and stable funding environment for priority growth and yield (GY) research. GY models have become critical tools in predicting future forest values under a wide range of alternative management regimes, natural disturbances, and climate change scenarios. Stand structure predictions from GY models serve as key inputs for predictions of future timber and non-timber values including habitat, biodiversity, and visual quality. GY models increasingly serve as synthesis platforms to integrate applied research in other fields (e.g., genetics, nutrition, pathology, entomology). The GYM-CRI focused research on priority issues identified by:
The Growth and Yield Modelling CRI Business Plan and Strategy 2009-2012 (July 2008) outlined the development of five projects: four strategically important, established GY models reflecting different approaches and applications, and one short-term project focusing on post-MPB regeneration. The four models (FORECAST, PrognosisBC, SORTIE, and TASS) have all received prior FSP support and are the main established models in B.C. at this time. Due to funding constraints, the GYM-CRI was cancelled in 2009. Remaining multi-year projects approved in 2008-09 will continue to receive funding, contingent on annual project reviews, until completion. Other project priorities defined by through the work of the CRI will be rolled back into the main FIA-Forest Science Program. Number and value of continuing GYM-CRI projects supported in 2009/10, by duration
Future Forest Ecosystems Collaborative Research Initiative Climate change is a major issue confronting forest and range managers in British Columbia and elsewhere. The FIA-FSP has been funding research related to this topic since its 2004, and priority rankings on all of the many topics associated with climate change have increased in the last 2 years. In December 2005, the MFR initiated the Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative (FFEI) to focus on understanding the changes in policy, regulations, inventory, and other aspects of forest and range management needed to respond to the climate change challenge. The collaborative research portion of the FFEI was partially funded through the FIA-FSP as a collaborative research initiative, based on a focused business plan. Coordination of MFR research and other research agencies took place under the FIA-FSP and the FFEI Project Committee. Number and value of continuing FFE-CRI projects supported in 2009/10, by duration
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