NEW at the WNMF: Updated July 9, 2007

WNMF chosen as Forest Communities Program site - Posted: July 9, 2007

The Western Newfoundland Model Forest (WNMF) Partnership has been named one of 11 successful sites under Natural Resources Canada’s new Forest Communities Program (FCP). Peter MacKay, Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, announced the $25-million, five-year program in Green Hill, NS on Saturday, July 7 on behalf of Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn.

The 11 program sites were chosen from 58 proposals received nation-wide. Under the new program, the WNMF will be expanding its ongoing work with communities to deal with emerging issues facing the natural resource sector, and, along with its current partners, will engage new forest community networks in five regions: White Bay South, Humber Valley to Gros Morne Corridor, Great Northern Peninsula, Labrador/Nitassinan, and Eastern Newfoundland. The FCP is based on the successes of Canada's Model Forest Program, which began in 1992 and ends this year.

For more information on the FCP, please visit the Natural Resources Canada website.

CMFN Program Update - Posted: June 22, 2007
Model Forests across the country are still anticipating an announcement on the Canadian Forest Service’s Forest Communities Program. In the interim, CFS has offered a second, three-month extension to the current program, covering the period from July 1-September 30, 2007. The WNMF’s updated workplan for this period is available for viewing. Read More.

We have received word that the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and NL Department of Industry, Trade and Rural Development have accepted our funding proposal for a marketing strategy for the new program. Information on this partnership will be available from ACOA soon.

The WNMF Management Group and Board of Directors met on June 20 and 21 respectively to hear details of our plans for the next three months and future development of the program.

Project Update - Posted: June 22, 2007

Education and Communications
The 15-year WNMF partner success publication “The Heart of the Model Forest” is complete and has been distributed to partners and friends of the WNMF. Please contact lindaskinner@wnmf.com if you would like to receive a copy.

NL Envirothon
Team Driftwood of Elwood High School in Deer Lake will represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the Canon Envirothon in Geneva, New York in July. We had a great provincial event at Killdevil Camp and Conference Centre May 24-26, with nine teams participating from Grand Falls-Windsor, Cow Head, Deer Lake, Corner Brook, and Labrador City/Wabush. Team Labradorimi also won the first annual Dr. Neal Simon Team Spirit Award. For photos, please visit the NL Envirothon site.

This event wouldn’t have taken place without our 2007 sponsors including: Canon Envirothon, Iron Ore Company of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, NL Department of Natural Resources, Newfoundland Hydro, North Atlantic Refining Ltd., NL Department of Education, and Newfoundland Power. Judges were Darrin Sooley, DFO, Aquatic Ecology; Martin Moroni, Canadian Forest Service, Soils; Reg Parsons/Bruce Pike, Canadian Forest Service, Forestry; and Shelley Pardy-Moores, Wildlife Division, Wildlife. Krista House, Public Outreach Coordinator with Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador, judged the current theme, Alternate/Renewable Energy. Oral presentation judges also included Dara Walsh, Tina Newbury and Linda Skinner. Thanks to coordinator Judy Bond for helping to run a fantastic Envirothon.

NL Envirothon chair Linda Skinner will attend the Atlantic Canada Association of Science Educators (ACASE) conference at Memorial University in St. John’s July 12-14 to promote NL Envirothon.

Exploring East Coast NL Forest Communities Network
GM Jim Taylor and Project Manager Sean Dolter met with about 15 representatives from communities on the Eastport Peninsula in June to discuss options for establishing a Forest Community Network in that area. The response was favorable, and work will continue to further explore the potential for this partnership. Other proposed Forest Community Networks include White Bay South, Humber Valley to Gros Morne Corridor, Great Northern Peninsula, and Labrador/Nitassinan.

Geo-referencing tourism values
This project will end as a pilot on June 29. Mapping specialist Adam Anderson has surveyed 27 tourism operators in the Gros Morne – Deer Lake corridor and has established a geo-database and digital map layers for all activities. The Geospatial Research Facility (GRF) at College of the North Atlantic will receive Adam’s files and will develop a web-based ARC-IMS viewing platform for the tourism sector to review. This pilot will be evaluated by Hospitality Newfoundland & Labrador and the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation for future expansion to the rest of the province.

City of Corner Brook watershed planning process
Watershed planner Tina Newbury is actively collecting data to contribute to the characterization of the Corner Brook Lakes watershed. She is concurrently developing a public survey and participation strategy to be implemented this fall.

Annual report
Our 2006-07 annual report is available for viewing, or contact lindaskinner@wnmf.com for a hard copy.

Public opinion survey released
The Forestry Services Branch of the Department of Natural Resources Forestry and Agrifoods Agency has released a public opinion survey commissioned in 2006. “Public Attitudes Towards Forest Management in Central and Western Newfoundland” was an attitude and knowledge study conducted by A. Bath and Associates to determine Newfoundland residents’ understanding of forest management issues on the island of Newfoundland. Based on some of the information contained in the survey, the WNMF plans to proceed with a third domestic cutting workshop. The Bath report is available on the NL government web site at http://www.nr.gov.nl.ca/nr/

CMFN Program Update - Posted April 11, 2007

Chairs of the 11 Model Forests across the country are supporting a letter to Natural Resources Canada Minister Gary Lunn asking for a meeting to discuss delays in announcing the Forest Communities Program, and making recommendations on how to deal with the upcoming program. WNMF Management Group Chair David Smallwood attended the conference call on this issue.

At the local level, the WNMF has developed a three-month workplan to cover the interim funding period from April 1 – June 30, 2007 and is available for viewing. Read More.

The Forestry Services Branch of the NL Department of Natural Resources has agreed to cover the cost of Jim Taylor’s salary for the three-month period.

Exploring East Coast NL Forest Communities Network - Posted April 11, 2007

The Model Forest Communities of Newfoundland and Labrador proposal outlines the potential to establish four, Forest Community Networks (MFCN) in the province: White Bay South, Humber Valley to Gros Morne Corridor, Great Northern Peninsula, and Labrador/Nitassinan. The Forestry Service Branch and WNMF are investigating the possibility of a fifth community network focusing on eastern Newfoundland. Beginning in May, WNMF staff will begin to explore a network in the Terra Nova area.

Education and Communications update - Posted April 11, 2007

The 15-year WNMF partner success publication is ready for printing. “The Heart of the Model Forest” will be distributed to partners within the next two weeks. Thanks to all partners who were so helpful to Linda Skinner in producing this document.

Work is continuing on Forest Education Tool Kits. We recently received a batch of “tree cookies” from Kerry Hutchings at Corner Brook Pulp and Paper to add to our kits. Thanks to Kerry for acquiring the cookies and to Martin Moroni and Darryl Harris at CFS for the use of their lab to prepare them. We now have samples of black spruce, white spruce, balsam fir and eastern larch to give students a hands-on look at NL tree species. As part of our tool kits, we have also created an online resource for educators, students, and anyone interested in learning more about tree species and identification. Visit the Boreal Forest Education web site.

We’re expecting our best NL Envirothon event yet May 24-26, with 11 teams currently registered to participate. Teams will join us at Killdevil Camp and Conference Centre from Cow Head, Labrador City/Wabush, Corner Brook, Deer Lake, McKays, and Grand Falls-Windsor.

2007 sponsors to date include: Canon Envirothon, Iron Ore Company of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, NL Department of Natural Resources, Newfoundland Hydro, North Atlantic Refining Ltd., NL Department of Education, and Newfoundland Power. A full slate of judges is in place for this year’s event, including Darrin Sooley, DFO, Aquatic Ecology; Martin Moroni, Canadian Forest Service, Soils; Reg Parsons, Canadian Forest Service, Forestry; and Shelley Pardy-Moores, Wildlife Division, Wildlife. Krista House, Public Outreach Coordinator with Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador, will be the judge for the current theme, Alternate/Renewable Energy. The Conservation Corps has also offered to visit registered schools to talk about alternate/renewable energy.

Any WNMF partner interested in observing Envirothon or providing material or giveaways for students are asked to contact coordinator Judy Bond at 637-7306, or email judybond@wnmf.com.

Model Forest staffing update - Posted April 11, 2007

NL Envirothon coordinator Judy Bond has accepted a call-in position with Western Health, but will still continue to work on Envirothon and coordinate this event with us.

Office assistant Natasha Butt has finished her six-month contract with the WNMF but is working with us on a call-in basis.

Marketing consultant Glenda Tulk has also completed her six-month contract at the WNMF, and has moved on to a new contract with Thundermin Resources Inc./Queenston Mining Inc’s Duck Pond Mine, based in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Three-month extension granted to MF program - Posted: March 8, 2007

The Western Newfoundland Model Forest (WNMF) Partnership, which was slated to conclude its third five-year phase on March 31, 2007, has been granted a three-month extension while partners await a funding announcement on a new forest-based initiative. Read more.

Forest Communities Program Proposal Update - Posted: March. 7, 2007

The Canadian Model Forest Network Board of Directors met in Ottawa on March 1, 2007 with the General Managers and Secretariat staff to: review progress on the launch of the new Forest Communities Program, confirm the short-term transition strategy, provide direction on the 2007/08 Network work plan, and start the process for developing future strategic initiatives. Read more.

LLI Workshop in Argentina - Posted: March. 7, 2007
WNMF Projects Manager Sean Dolter has been selected to co-facilitate the upcoming Model Forest Local Level Indicator Workshop in Argentina this month.Sean was selected following a national call for a Model Forest site representative to co-facilitate the sessions. Read More.

Newfoundland and Labrador Envirothon - Posted: March 7, 2007

Excitement is building for NL Envirothon 2007 to be held at Killdevil Camp and Conference Centre May 24-26. We are expecting 10 teams to participate this year, including students from Deer Lake, Corner Brook, McKay’s, Labrador City, and Grand Falls-Windsor. The deadline to register is March 30. Read more.

Model Forest staffing - Posted: March 7, 2007

Many WNMF partners may not realizes that our Model Forest employs an average of 16 peopleannually. Along with our “permanent” staff of four, other staff members come on board on a project-by project basis. These projects include: exotic species policy development, watershed planning, provincial forestry status, geo-referencing tourism values, beaver trapline, aquatic species, natural areas system plan, biodiversity assessment, Envirothon, species at risk, administrative assistance, and marketing.

Geo-referencing tourism values - Posted Feb. 21, 2007

Tourism operators in the Gros Morne area are working on a project to identify the features in the forest landscape that make their products special – and saleable – to tourists. Read more.

Riparian Zone Strategy - Posted: Feb. 7, 2007

The Newfoundland & Labrador Riparian Zone Working Group has agreed to release the NL RiparianZone Management Strategy document around the end of February 2007. The working group met Feb. 1, including representatives from Abitibi Consolidated, Corner Brook Pulp and Paper, Canadian Forest Service, Wildlife Division, WNMF, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Jason Globe, UNB Masters Candidate.

Discussion centered on possible operational trials in central Newfoundland, Jason’s research on modeling windthrow in riparian zones in Newfoundland, and the Wildlife Division’s project of monitoring terrestrial and invertebrates indicator species within the riparian zone.

Integrated Watershed Management Framework - Posted: Feb. 7, 2007

The WNMF and the Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) have recently forged a project partnership to assist in the development of a sustainable, integrated watershed management framework. This five-year project is a joint multidisciplinary approach investigating three Atlantic Canada watersheds. Of these three watersheds, the Humber River Basin will be the focus under the guidance of Dr. Murray Rudd, Canada Research Chair in Ecological Economics at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College. Read more.

CBM-CFS3 User's Guide is published - Posted: Feb. 7, 2007
The Operational-Scale Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS3) Version 1.0: User's Guide has been published and is available for free download at the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) Online Bookstore : http://bookstore.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/detail_e.php?recid=12586097

The CFS carbon accounting team is planning to release version 1.1 of the CBM-CFS3 this spring. This new version of the model will contain bug fixes, updates to text, tutorials, disturbance matrices, mean annual temperature values, dead organic matter parameters, and volume-to-biomass parameters. A description of the implications of these changes will be included with the next release announcement. The new version will also contain new accounting capabilities for land-use change disturbances.

Watershed Management Plan for the City of Corner Brook - Posted: Feb. 1, 2007

The City of Corner Brook is working with the WNMF to develop an integrated watershed management plan for its water supply to determine the impact development in the watershed may have on water quality, and develop a protocol to protect drinking water quality when and if other activities and developments occur in the watershed area. Read more.

INFO SERIES:

View our Quick Notes Series to learn about some of the WNMF's projects and activities: WNMF Program, Biodiversity Assessment Project (BAP), Sustainable Forest Management Training, Newfoundland and Labrador Envirothon, Stream Crossing Inventory Project, Newfoundland Marten Research, Buffer Zone Working Group, and Urban Forest Ecology Walking Tour.

Click here.

FORESTRY CAREERS: Interested in a career in forestry?
Click here for information on the forest sector
and where to study.

FORESTRY EDUCATION: The WNMF and its partners are researching the State of Forestry Education in NL. Click here to access Dr. David Smallwood's report, State of Forestry Education and Careers: A Newfoundland and Labrador Perspective

OUTDOOR EDUCATION: Resources for outdoor educators are available at our Boreal Forest Education Web Site.