WELCOME TO THE B.C. FOREST SERVICE RESEARCH BRANCH WEB SITE

MISSION OF THE FOREST SCIENCES PROGRAM

"To provide innovative solutions to high-priority forest resources management problems in British Columbia and to seek opportunities to advance resource stewardship based on sound scientific principles, so that Ministry responsibilities under the Ministry of Forests Act, Forest Practices Code of British Columbia Act, Forest Act, Range Act, and other related statutes can be fulfilled."

The program mission supports the B.C. Forest Service's mandate for resource stewardship of all Crown forests, as provided by the Ministry of Forests Act. We are directed to encourage maximum productivity of our forest and range resources, to manage, protect, and conserve them, and to plan their use in an integrated manner.

Our Branch strives to provide a sound scientific basis for forest practices and policy decisions in British Columbia. We have a rich history of providing world-class forest research for nearly 75 years in varied disciplines such as forest productivity, ecology, soil science, wildlife biology, hydrology, tree genetics, fisheries, and growth and yield. Our research is peer-reviewed to ensure scientific and technical accuracy. More than 55 scientists and technicians from the Research Branch work in Victoria, regional and district offices, and research stations. Another 40 scientists and technicians in Regional Forest Sciences Groups comprise the remainder of the Forest Sciences Program.

The dominance of provincial Crown land ownership, combined with the current tenure system, creates an obligation for the Forest Service to be involved in a wide range of activities to ensure stewardship. The Forest Sciences Program provides staff with access to in-house scientific expertise, timely advice, and applied research capability to address current forest resource management issues, anticipate future problems, and assure long-term stewardship and sustainability. The Branch has concentrated on the biological aspects of sustainable forest management, such as hydrology, fisheries, and forest genetics, while topics such as wood products research and forest engineering are the responsibility of other research agencies. The Forest Practices Code requires the Forest Service and forest resource companies to plan and implement management practices that will result in the long-term sustainability of forest ecosystems, while at the same time continuing to provide sources of wood and fibre for economic and employment stability. This requires technical input from Forest Service science specialists.

In contrast to many other forest science groups in British Columbia, forest scientists working for the Forest Service operate in an environment where they confront problems in their real operational form and are accountable to people who must solve the problems in their real-world context. By virtue of our close working relationships with and accountability to policy developers, statutory decision-makers, and field operations personnel, our distinctive role is:

• to apply available scientific information and provide expert advice in a form needed by the practitioner to solve a particular problem,
• to provide leadership to organize and co-ordinate forest science resources to address field problems and opportunities, often in partnership with other research agencies and academic institutions,
• to provide the necessary long-term scientific research commitment that is expected from the B.C. Forest Service in such areas as forest ecosystem management, silvicultural systems, site productivity, tree breeding, and growth and yield.

Tools such as simulation modelling, geographical information systems, and remote sensing are used alongside the more traditional basic field research. These pages describe our research program, the work we do, and the people who do it.

Full text of the Research Branch Strategic Plan is included in this web site.