Managing Our Natural Resources

Putting Best Practices for Forest Management into Practice

Since its inception in 1995, the Sustainable Forest Management Network has translated research findings into policies and practices that support the forests, the environment and the livelihood of forest-dependent communities across Canada. In Alberta, for example, the province is incorporating SFM Network research findings into its Forest Management Planning Standards. Ducks Unlimited Canada is using network research to develop more effective multi-partner initiatives to conserve wetlands and waterfowl habitats throughout the Boreal Forest. SFM Network research is also providing practical knowledge that forest companies need to improve current forestry practices.

Paving the Way for Resource Development in Canada’s North

The likelihood of vast hydrocarbons beneath the Arctic Ocean seabed is attracting considerable international attention. In response, ArcticNet is working on several fronts to map the seafloor and geological structure of the Northwest Passage and other regions of the Canadian Archipelago as a first step towards the management of resource exploration and increased intercontinental ship traffic. ArcticNet researchers are also examining how these mapping data can assist the Canadian government in securing its sovereign rights over the seabed, even beyond the international 200 nautical mile limit.

Boosting Oil Production Without Harming the Environment

The Petroleum Technology Research Centre - Sustainable Technologies for Energy Production Systems (PTRC-STEPS) network is fast-tracking development of technologies that can extract inaccessible heavy oil and bitumen beneath Saskatchewan and Alberta, and in a way that leaves a smaller environmental footprint. The network brings together competitors and suppliers, along with government partners and academic researchers, to identify technologies and systems that can be taken out of a laboratory environment and tested in the field – all within four to five years.

Improved Management of Water Resources in British Columbia

Canadian Water Network researchers have worked with the city of Chilliwack in British Columbia to install rock pits behind each lot in a new subdivision. It means that 95% of rainfall is now absorbed into the soil instead of overflowing storm water sewers or flooding agricultural land. In North Vancouver, CWN researchers have worked with homeowners on ways to harvest rainwater for gardening, ensuring that more water is absorbed into the ground.