Bats are a crucial part of healthy ecosystems, providing vast economic benefits through control of forest, agricultural and human pest insects (including mosquitoes!). Unfortunately, bat populations face many threats, including an exotic fungus causing white-nose syndrome, which is lethal to bats. It is important to understand how we can enhance bat habitats so they can […]

Many forest carnivores in British Columbia (BC) meet their nutritional requirements by preying on squirrels, hares and grouse. Although considerable effort has gone into studying the predator species, there is a substantial information gap on the habitat needs of their prey items. Knowledge of prey species habitat requirements provides another important dimension to our ability […]

The Mixedwood Growth Model (MGM) is used by forest managers in estimating growth and yield outcomes for common boreal tree species in North America. MGM has been shown to effectively model both managed and unmanaged stands in Alberta and surrounding regions. Currently, climate effects are not accounted for in growth functions used in MGM. Recent […]

The wild food system of northern Quebec is a critical natural resource, health resource, and cultural resource of the people of Eeyou Istchee and Nunavik, which has and will be impacted by climate change in many, diverse ways. The research proposed here seeks to identify the likely climate change impacts on key wild food species […]

Research problem: Reclamation practices in regions known to be undergoing rapid climate change must consider what adaptive measures could be implemented to maximize short-term reclamation success and long-term resilience of reclaimed sites. Objectives: I will investigate how a multi-scale ecological classification system can be used to predict regeneration success of different forest tree species at […]

In collaboration between Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and Beaver Meadow Farms (BMF), we propose to investigate the invasive foreign red seaweed Mazzaella Japonica as a food additive for ruminant livestock, primarily cattle. BMF is a multi-faceted agricultural company based on northern Vancouver Island built around organic pasture-raised cattle but also the harvest of storm-cast Mazzaella […]

Agricultural production of crops requires an intensive amount of inputs that go beyond just planting the seed, such as fertilizers, pesticides and biological inoculants. As the need to produce a greater quantity of crops increases with the population, it is our duty to ensure we are using these inputs efficiently. Our research will examine how […]

While there is recognition of the value social enterprises can provide for economic development, there is less movement in supporting the emergence and development of sustainable forms of these organizations (Marsland, 2013). The recent focus on social enterprises strengthen the notion that support and incubation of these entities are needed. This project will study an […]

In collaboration between Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and Beaver Meadow Farms (BMF), we propose to investigate the invasive foreign red seaweed Mazzaella Japonica as a food additive for ruminant livestock, primarily cattle. BMF is a multi-faceted agricultural company based on northern Vancouver Island built around organic pasture-raised cattle but also the harvest of storm-cast Mazzaella […]

In recent years the lithium consumption for batteries has remarkably increased because of the extensive applications of rechargeable lithium batteries in portable electronic devices, electric tools, electric vehicles, and grid storage. The surging demand for these applications asks for innovative solutions for recycling of the spent lithium ion batteries. This proposed project is an attempt […]

Ontario has recently acquired a new forest inventory, based on aerial photos, and for the first time, a technology called single photon Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). This technology allows users to not only see the forest, but precisely calculate tree heights, drainage, and other things by collecting dozens of measurements per m2. A first […]

The fundamental challenge when reclaiming oil sands areas is to ensure not only survival, but vigorous growth of the plant material. Finding plants suitable for high salt conditions has offered the opportunity for Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. to investigate the potential role of using native balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) as a key reclamation species for […]