INTRODUCTION

The Canada-Ontario Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Cooperation in Forestry (MOU) was developed through the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers' Framework for Federal-Provincial/Territorial Cooperation in Forestry, which was signed in January 1995. The Framework outlines the importance of forestry to the Canadian, provincial and territorial economies, and to the environment and society in general. It also recognizes the provincial governments' exclusive responsibility for forest resources on provincial crown lands; the federal government's responsibilities for international relations and trade, federal and Aboriginal lands; and the shared responsibilities of both levels of government in areas of science and technology, industrial and regional development, and the environment. The Framework also states: "While each government has its own responsibilities, their common interests are better met through federal-provincial/ territorial cooperation."1 One of the ways for serving the common interests of the two parties is in the production of a report on the current situation regarding collaboration. This report will serve as a benchmark to determine where gaps in forest research are, based on the priorities of the two parties.

The MOU, signed in December 1997 recognizes the long history of collaboration between the two parties. Collaboration extends back almost three-quarters of a century to the 1920s, when initiatives started on several fronts. Collaboration in insect and disease surveys and the provincial Air Service started with cooperation from both levels of governments. Later, collaboration in reforesting parts of southern Ontario during the Depression years took place. Another area of early collaboration was in fire management. In the late 1940s, when forest management in the province was starting, the two levels of government worked together to develop the forest resource inventory program. In the 1950s, silviculture became important and through a federal-provincial agreement, a significant reforestation program started. In the late 1970s, collaboration in research and infrastructure took a front seat; roads, nurseries and silviculture camps were enhanced as a prelude to a significant increase in silvicultural activity in the province. This period marked the start of forest ecosystem research and the advent of modern-day forest management strategies.

A new round of federal-provincial collaboration started in 1984, with the signing of the Canada-Ontario Forest Resource Development Agreement (COFRDA, 1984–1989), a 150-million dollar program aimed at expanding all aspects of silviculture on federal, provincial and private lands in Ontario. Research was a strong component of COFRDA, resulting in the completion of ecosystem, soil and site surveys for much of northern Ontario. The agreement provided the first fire decision support system for the province, and started the process toward digitizing all forest resource inventory maps, as well as an expanded silviculture program. More recently, the Canada-Ontario Northern Ontario Development Agreement, Northern Forestry Program (NODA-NFP, 1992–1995,) carried forest research ahead with the establishment of such sites as Fallingsnow, the Black Sturgeon Boreal Mixedwood Research program (which unfortunately burned in the Spring of 1999), and the Rinker Lake Forest Ecosystem Site. A Biodiversity Indicators Program, linking digital elevation models of the province to climate and other factors, has proven useful in determining habitat for rare and threatened species.

In 1992, shortly after the signing of NODA, the federal government announced it would be withdrawing from activities seen to be duplicating provincial responsibilities, including regional development agreements in forestry, tourism and mining.

Over and above this layer of collaboration have been federal-provincial advisory committees in forestry, the most notable being the Canada-Ontario Joint Forest Research Committee. These committees strove to coordinate forest research efforts in Ontario and thus ensure no duplication of effort. One of the biggest legacies from COJFRC was the holding of annual federal-provincial symposia, known as the COJFRC Symposiums. These were held from the late 1970s through to 1990 and specialized in single theme, three-day workshops.

In 1993, Canada and Ontario jointly sponsored Silvilog '93, an outdoor exposition of forestry equipment, demonstrations and research presentations held north of Barrie, Ontario.

Historical Perspective in Canada

Both levels of government have evolved over the decades. The British North America Act gave exclusive rights to the provinces for the management of forests on provincial crown lands, and this right has held up over the years. The Canadian Forest Service, created in 1899 with the appointment of the first Timber Inspector for federal lands, grew into a forest research organization. Its most famous research area continues to be the parcel of land set aside as a buffer for the Petawawa Military Reserve near Pembroke. The very first permanent research plot was established there in 1918 and is still providing valuable data on forest management of white pine (Pinus strobus L.) and red pine (P. resinosa Ait.) in natural stands. Early research concentrated on the establishment of forests, and the needs of the seedlings. Later, as significant losses to the forests through fire and insects and diseases occurred across Canada, research into these areas started. The CFS, in cooperation with its provincial partners, developed the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System, a now internationally applied system. The CFS also started surveys into forest pests that were destructively invading the forests of the country. Another early success story was the development of an innoculum and injection system for white elm (Ulmus americana L.) in the fight to prevent its destruction by the introduced Dutch Elm Disease.

As forest research matured, so did the evolution of CFS research activities. Research in pines gave way to research in spruce (Picea, spp.) and jack pine (P. banksiana Lamb.) as the forests of northern Ontario were opened up to pulp and paper mills. An extensive program of research into container stock was started in the mid-1960s to ensure the success of this fledgling program. This resulted in new protocols for growing, handling, planting and maintaining container stock.

In the late 1940s, responding to needs in forest pest management, the first presence in Sault Ste. Marie was established with the Forest Insect and Disease Survey Unit in the Church Street complex of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR). Later the site of the present Great Lakes Forestry Centre was started with the building of the Forest Pathology Centre. In 1965, the Ontario regional program of the CFS was centralized in Sault Ste. Marie. The Centre's research establishment was constructed and opened in 1975 with an expansion being completed in 1985. This establishment housed not only the Ontario regional program but also the national Forest Pest Management Institute that spearheaded research into forest pest management.

In 1982, with the devolution of federal participation in regional development programs to field departments (rather than the former Department of Rural Development—now part of Industry Canada) a new development section was created to administer the federally implemented parts of federal-provincial regional development agreements in Ontario. The unit also had responsibility for job creation programs during the 1980s, a tree planting program called Tree Canada and various Aboriginal programs in forestry, the latest being the First Nations Forestry Program. Another program administrated regionally is the Model Forests of which there are two in Ontario—the Lake Abitibi Model Forest and the Eastern Ontario Model Forest. These two areas are examples of collaboration and cooperation between the two levels of government and an extensive group of non-governmental organizations and stakeholders.

In 1995, the federal government underwent an extensive review of programs. The review confirmed the government's intent of withdrawing from federal-provincial regional development agreements, and restructured the CFS into national science and technology networks based on priorities determined through country wide consultations. Involved in all five of the present networks, the Great Lakes Forestry Centre has lead administrative responsibility for the Forest Ecosystem Processes Network.

Historical Perspective in Ontario 2

Back in 1882 the American Forestry Congress met in Cincinnati and Montreal to discuss the failures and hopes of forestry. Throughout the 100+ papers presented the theme most often voiced was ecological. Foresters talked about man destroying nature's beauty, harmony and balance; they worried that wanton destruction of the forest was altering the climate, causing water pollution and soil erosion, and driving away wildlife. A second predominant theme was that we were running out of timber. Of the many recommendations made at the Congress, two stand out. First, the general public needed more information to give them a better understanding of the value of forestry practices and thus a greater willingness to invest in them. Second, more study of the forest was absolutely necessary. The Congress called for more government aid to establish experimental stations and plantations, and urged that greater emphasis be placed on forestry in universities and agriculture schools.

In 1883, one year after the Congress, R. W. Phipps was appointed as the first Clerk of Forestry in Ontario. He was followed for a brief period in 1895 by C.F. Fraser who was replaced by Thomas Southworth. Southworth was said to be the founder of Ontario forest policy. In 1898 the provincial clerk's office became the Bureau of Forestry.

During the period from 1880 to 1900, the Ontario Agricultural College at Guelph began a number of projects and founded an arboretum along with experimental plantations of white oak, white ash, black walnut, hickory, maple, catalpa and pine. Several studies of windbreaks and shelterbelts were also undertaken to ascertain "what trees to plant for windbreaks and shelterbelts". In 1904, Edmund J. Zavitz, later to become Ontario's first Provincial Forester, joined the college as a lecturer in forestry. In 1906, Judson Clark and Edmund Zavitz became the first foresters in the Department of Lands and Forests and began to build a tradition of provincial research. In 1907, the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto was formed.

In 1908, the tree nursery at Guelph was transferred to St. William's, near Lake Erie, where some barren land was planted as a demonstration of waste-land reclamation. But it wasn't until 1927 when the Government of Ontario passed the Forestry Act that the first formal recognition of the need for forest research occurred. In 1929, the Pulpwood Conservation Act was passed requiring all companies to plan their future management on a sustained-yield basis. The Forestry Act required that a board be established to advise the government on the province's research needs. By 1929, a research unit was set up in the Forestry Branch of the Department of Lands and Forests, with six foresters and 27 students under the direction of J.A. Brodie. The unit was to operate in North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Sudbury. Their first task was to study spruce and pine regeneration after logging because it was thought that both were doing poorly. Maps were prepared showing physical features of and prevailing species in each area. But by 1935 the research effort was abandoned and the staff dismissed due to the hardships of Depression financing.

In 1941, the Department of Lands and Forests established a Research Division with a part-time chief, but wartime restrictions sharply curtailed the program. In 1945, the Research Division at Maple became fully operational. Early forest research included work in the use of aircraft to spray the forest with insecticides, site classification, and control of white pine blister rust. In 1950, yellow birch studies were established at Swan Lake Research Reserve in Algonquin Park and ecosystem research began on hard maple and yellow birch. Breeding studies were initiated to develop a blister rust-resistant white pine and faster-growing poplar. The Brohm aerial seeder was constructed and the first forest scarifier was designed. By 1960 long-term studies on spruce ecosystems began and Ontario led the world in the production of container seedlings. In 1968 the Department of Lands and Forests reorganized and a new Research Branch was created. In 1970 research began to focus on growing trees as a crop, thereby closing the regeneration gap, and frost hardiness studies began. In 1972 the newly named Ministry of Natural Resources created a Forest Research Branch. By 1977 the Forest Research Branch evolved into the Ontario Forest Research Centre.

Intensive studies on seedlings and extended greenhouse culture commenced in 1980. At this time, a hybrid poplar program began to overshadow other research. Earlier research on techniques for regenerating hard maple and yellow birch became operational. Stock production research was carried out (and eventually lead to the Stock Quality Assessment Program). Work in silviculture lead to the present day tree-marking program. The growth and yield program began. Earlier work by Hills 3 on ecoregions was expanded to soils and soil moisture regime matrices. Site classification work was carried out in the Clay Belt in the context of forest ecosystem classification. Work was also done to review and expand Hills work in terms of ecoregionalization at a broader scale applied to eastern North America and eventually China. These efforts continued in the 1970s and 1980s with the development of stand-level forest ecosystem classification systems. Other work during this time included lowland silviculture, tree nutrition research and initial efforts to model forest production and determine allowable cut in relation to sustainable yield.

In 1981 another new name was given to the forest research organization – the Ontario Tree Improvement and Forest Biomass Institute – and the ensuing eight years focused on genetics and fast-growing hardwoods like poplar (Populus) and willow (Salix).

During the 1970s and 1980s the Northern Forest Research Unit in Thunder Bay focused its research on issues in the northwest part of the province. Researchers worked on projects investigating aspen thinning, strip cutting, scarification, silvicultural systems, bare root stock plantation establishment, identification of white spruce seed trees, and stand structure and spacing trials in white pine, red pine and black spruce, balsam fir thinning and release, enhancing conifers in a mixedwood context including succession, competition, stand dynamics (later this work was transferred to the northeast in the form of modified harvesting investigations), and adaptive management as an approach to understanding forest ecosystems.

In 1978 MNR's first Technology Development Unit (TDU) was established in Brockville. A TDU was established in Timmins in 1983, and subsequently one was established in North Bay and Thunder Bay in 1987. Later to be named Science and Technology Transfer Units (STTUs), these units contribute greatly to the forest research effort particularly in an applied research context. Applied research in the northeast included stock production, site preparation, and spacing trials. In the Northwest and Southcentral Regions vegetation management, pre-commercial and commercial thinning, and harvesting are the major focus. Regional demonstration trials are used to effectively transfer applied science results to resource managers.

Many valuable pieces of work have been produced by these Units over the past two decades. Some examples are silvicultural guides, forest ecosystems classification interpretations, and autecology guides. In addition to these examples of operational scale research, the Units provide support to policy, silvicultural effectiveness monitoring, growth and yield initiatives, and genetics programs.

In 1989, the forest research organization located in Maple was renamed the Ontario Forest Research Institute. The following year the Institute moved staff from Maple, Midhurst, Sault Ste. Marie and Thunder Bay to a new state-of-the-art facility in Sault Ste. Marie.

In 1991, Ontario's Sustainable Forestry Initiative further broadened the research focus. Studies were initiated to understand impacts of management decisions on ecosystems at all levels (genetic, individual tree, stand, landscape). Partnerships with researchers in related disciplines, including fisheries and wildlife, were developed.

In 1992, the Institute grew to include the MNR's Applied Science and Technology Section (ASAT) and the Forest Health and Protection Section (FHAPS). ASAT brought specialists in genetics, mensuration, landscape ecology, ecological land classification, and modeling. FHAPS contributed experts in vegetation management and forest pathology. The addition of both sections added a wealth of provincial-scale applied science expertise.

In 1996 the Science Development and Transfer Branch (SDTB) was formed which brought together the forestry, fisheries and wildlife activities. These activities were organized in research sections and regional STTUs.

Forest research of the ‘90s covered all parts of the province while investigating a variety of forest science questions. A province-wide network of growth and yield plots was established to monitor forest fibre production. Several projects cover many areas of interest on the landscape, including vegetation management, bioindicators of forest condition, ecology of intensive plantations, ecological effects of site preparation on white pine, science support to operational tree improvement, modified cutting in mid-successional mixedwood forests, eastern white pine restoration, management impacts assessment, forest/lake ecosystem interactions, red oak genecology, and a disturbance history for the province. In particular, landscape-level studies of old growth distribution, forest harvesting and historical fire disturbance patterns across the province and the development of software tools that help forest managers understand forest dynamics at larger scales have changed the way forest management planning is done in the province.

SDTB staff forged new partnerships with forest industry and a host of others to meet the forest science needs of the new millennium. These new science needs include determining how climate change affects forests and which forest management practices could combat the effects of climate change; how more intensive forest management practices like thinning could help improve tree growth to mitigate expected wood supply shortfalls; and, how the production and harvest of non-timber forest products such as wild mushrooms and nature-craft supplies could improve the economies of struggling northern communities if integrated with timber management.

In February 2000, a Forest Science and Technology (S&T) strategy was released. This business-oriented strategy "focuses on improving the alignment of the needs of Ministry of Natural Resources' (MNR) Forest Management Program, in the broadest sense, with the business of forest S&T in serving sustainable forest management goals and legislative responsibilities".

In January 2001, the SDTB was realigned. The result was the establishment of two new branches; the Applied Research and Development Branch (ARDB) and the Science and Information Branch (SIB). The forest research function is nested in the ARDB. This realignment addresses the current business demands and government priorities while providing an opportunity to integrate science and information.

The forest research work in OMNR is enriched by having the Canadian Forest Service as a partner. Through the collective efforts of OMNR and CFS, forest research efforts in Ontario will continue to advance resource management practices throughout the province and around the world.

Over the years, many informal and formal collaborative activities have taken place between Canada and Ontario regarding research and other initiatives. At first, these initiatives consisted largely of person-to-person contact at the District level and research plots established with the agreement of the District staff. Efforts were taken by both sides to protect the many sites. These contacts continue through today. The CFS prepared a document 4 that listed the locations of all GLFC- related study plots with the intention that the lands would be protected from disposition or damage. This was distributed to OMNR Districts as it was updated. More recently, information on field sites has been entered into the Province's Natural Resources Values Information System (NRVIS) as a layer in the system to ensure consistency in information as well as aiding in protecting the site from any disturbance.

There continues to be significant collaboration in forest research. A recent search of GLFC's study plan (Network Managers Information System, or NMIS) produced many of the summary sheets attached to this Introduction. As the information is somewhat out of date, newer collaboration initiatives need to be inserted into the summaries. In addition, input from the OMNR for the existing summaries and notations of missing collaboration efforts is needed.

This is intended to be a work in progress, with periodic updates as new initiatives are documented, old ones are completed and deliverables identified.

R.L. Macnaughton, R.P.F., and T. Taylor, B.Sc., C.E.D.
Compilers
May, 2002