Research Stations Research Stations
The Research Branch provides an infrastructure of support services to ensure
that research can be conducted to a high and consistent standard. The Branch
operates three facilities: Cowichan Lake Research Station, Kalamalka Research
Station, and the Research Branch Laboratory, where the
Analytical Chemistry
Laboratory is located. The Research Stations support active research
programs, including coastal and interior tree improvement and genetic conservation,
propagation and seed handling,
forest fertilization, growth and yield, and nursery stock production. They also
provide
laboratory space for reproductive and forest soil biology.
The
Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
offers extensive soil, water, and plant testing services on a cost recovery
basis. The These research facilities significantly support the scientific foundation underlying many Ministry forest stewardship goals. The coastal and interior tree improvement and genetic conservation programs significantly increase industry competitiveness and now occupy an important niche, given industry trends to reduce investment in tree improvement and seed orchards. Cowichan Lake Research Station
The Cowichan Lake Research Station is a 450 hectare site located 63 km northwest
of
The
Cowichan Lake Conference Centre is adjacent
to the station and available to the provincial government and others for
meetings, workshops and training sessions, as well as for forest education
purposes and to house Ministry work crews. Click
here to access
the Cowichan Lake Conference Centre site.
Click
here
for an entertaining
history
of the Cowichan Lake Research Station based on archived records and interviews
with old-timers, providing a rare glimpse at almost 80 years of forest research
and management on Directions to Cowichan Lake Research Station.
Ministry Contacts
Mark Griffin, Station Manager Kalamalka Research Station
The Kalamalka Research Station is located 3 km south of Vernon on Highway 97. The station is now the centre for the interior tree improvement and genetic conservation programs, with active research programs being conducted for interior spruce, lodgepole pine, interior Douglas-fir, western larch, and white pine. Staff provide technical expertise and services in propagation, seed handling, and tree breeding, as well as maintaining the gene archive for the interior. An in-house grower now provides stock for small research trials. Ongoing research projects at the station include: silviculture, forest fertilization, growth and yield, yield estimation, nursery stock production, cone and seed pests, and soil biology and productivity. Ministry
Contact Research Laboratory (North Road)
The Research Branch Laboratory is located in
The
Analytical Chemistry
Laboratory
has built a reputation for quality, consistency, and accuracy. It offers
extensive testing services, using a cost recovery system, to the entire Research
Program across The Research Branch Laboratory supports Ministry initiatives such as the Forest and Range Practices Act Forest Resource Evaluation Program (FRPA/FREP), the Future Forest Ecosystems Initiative and contributes to improving our understanding of the impacts of climate change the mountain pine beetle, second-growth management, and industry competitiveness. Ministry Contact
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