SFI Awards $32,000 Research Grant to Protect Water Resources in the Boreal Forest

THUNDER BAY, Ontario, May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Sustainable Forestry Initiative^® (SFI) announced today the Forest Ecosystem Science Co-operative Inc. (Forest Co-op) will receive a $32,000 grant to support graduate research activities to test current forest management practices in the Boreal Forest and develop best practice recommendations for protecting water resources. The grant is being awarded under SFI^®'s Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program.

The Forest Co-op partners participating in this collaborative include the Ontario SFI Implementation Committee, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Canadian Forest Service, Lakehead University and seven SFI-certified program participants: Ainsworth Engineered Canada LP, Dryden Forest Management Company, LP Canada Ltd., Miisun Integrated Resource Management Inc., Resolute Forest Products, Wagner Ontario Forest Management Limited, and Weyerhaeuser Company Limited. 

"This important research will help us, at both the site and watershed scale, learn how well current forest practices emulate natural disturbance patterns," said Dianne Miller, General Manager of the Forest Co-op.  "The results of our work can be used by SFI, forest managers and government agencies alike to ensure that forestry practices maintain water quality, and healthy, natural aquatic ecosystems. 

The Forest Co-op project is one of five SFI Conservation and Community Partnerships Grants that will be awarded in 2012, and brings the total for the 29 grants awarded since 2010 to more than $1.2 million US.  This two-year project will result in science-based recommendations on how forest harvesting practices can better mitigate impacts on water resources.

"This research brings together non-profit, industry, government and academic partners to pursue important research that will help support water resources in managed forests," said SFI Inc. President & CEO, Kathy Abusow. "The outcomes will help companies meet SFI program objectives for water quality and inform future management practices throughout the Boreal region."

Since 1995, SFI program participants have contributed more than $1.3 billion for research activities, including forestry research, science and technology. In 2010, SFI Inc. created the Conservation & Community Partnerships Grant program to foster partnerships between organizations interested in improving forest management in the United States and Canada, and responsible procurement globally. In 2012 SFI Inc. devoted its grant dollars to projects that support water resources.  Through the involvement of partners, these research projects leverage additional resources, achieving a total investment of $4.8 million.

The SFI 2010-2014 Standard is based on 14 core principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value, and encourages community involvement. The SFI program is the only forest certification standard in North America that requires participants to support and engage in research activities to improve forestry forest health, productivity and sustainable management of forest resources. 

About SFI Inc. (www.sfiprogram.org)
SFI Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, and is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative program. Across North America, more than 195 million acres/79 million hectares are certified to the SFI forest management standard, making it the largest single forest standard in the world.

About The Forest Ecosystem Science Co-operative (www.forestco-op.ca)
The Forest Ecosystem Science Co-operative Inc. (Forest Co-op) is a partnership of organizations investing in forest science initiatives for the purpose of supporting sustainable forest management and reducing uncertainties associated with forest management decisions.  This unique forum includes representatives from the forest industry, provincial and federal governments, academic institutions, research organizations, and consulting firms.

SOURCE Sustainable Forestry Initiative