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The Petawawa Research Forest (PRF) is proud to be part of the Adaptive Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) Network as well as its first international site. 

Project Area:

Partners discuss potential treatments at the PRF ASCC site
Managers and scientists initiate planning of the PRF ASCC site. Photo Credit: Courtney Peterson, Colorado State University

 

The Petawawa Research Forest (PRF), located in Chalk River, Ontario, Canada, is a 10,000 hectare (24,711 acre) research forest. Operated by Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, the PRF aims to be a living laboratory for innovative forest research as well as a hub for forest knowledge transfer. The PRF was establish in 1918, and has since continued to build upon a rich history of data and observations to help researchers develop solutions for the challenges facing the forests of today. 

The PRF is located within the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forest region that features white pine, red pine, red oak, yellow birch, sugar maple, and red maple as common dominant species. Soils are typically sandy loams, and the topography ranges from flat to rolling.  

The ASCC research site at the PRF will be situated in stands with dominant and co-dominant components of white and red pine, and mid-canopy components of red oak, aspen, white birch, red maple, balsam fir, and white spruce. In these stands, the understory is predominantly hazel and ferns, with a limited herbaceous layer. Soils are well-drained sandy loams that vary in depths between shallow and deep. Reflecting the topographical heterogeneity of the region, study sites will represent level to upper slope positions.

Learn more about the PRF here

 

Site Leads & Partners:

Partners convene in Pembroke, ON to develop treatments for the PRF ASCC site.
Partners convene in Pembroke, ON to develop treatments for the PRF ASCC site. Photo Credit: Courtney Peterson, Colorado State University 

The Petawawa Research Forest ASCC study is led by Natural Resources Canada: Michael Hoepting (Silviculture Forester), Jeff Fera (Forest Innovation Research Officer), Trevor Jones (Research Scientist), Nelson Thiffault (Natural Resources Canada), and Liz Cobb (PRF Operations Manager). Additional collaborators include Dr. Lisa Venier (Natural Resources Canada) and Dr. Junior Tremblay (Environment and Climate Change Canada), who are conducting wildlife usage monitoring with autonomous recording units (ARUs) and camera traps. Dr. Anthony Taylor (University of New Brunswick) is modeling the treatment development using a tool he is developing called Silvatran, a stand-level model that grows individual trees based on site characteristics and climate. 

A three-day workshop to initiate planning of the PRF ASCC site was hosted by The Canadian Institute of Forestry, FPInnovations, and Friends of the Petawawa Research Forest, July 16-18, 2019 in Pembroke, ON.  Staff from these organizations as well as researchers and practitioners from the following organizations were part of the team that developed the trial treatments at the workshop and may have long-term involvement in the trial:

  • Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service
  • Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry
  • University of Toronto

 

Petawawa Research Forest ASCC Site Co-Lead


Petawawa Research Forest ASCC Site Co-Lead


Petawawa Research Forest ASCC Site Co-Lead


Petawawa Research Forest ASCC Site Co-Lead


Petawawa Research Forest ASCC Site Co-Lead