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Years of research on the trembling aspen tree is protecting birds and mammals while helping the forestry industry make its retention practices more efficient.

With its long history as one of the world's major suppliers of wood and wood products, Canada has a natural interest in protecting and preserving its forests. Since 1995, researchers at the Sustainable Forest Management Network (SFM) have been developing methods to improve forestry practices.

Ironically, one of the network's longest running projects involves a tree that is not widely used by the forest industry, but instead plays a key role in protecting wildlife. The trembling aspen, a broad-leafed deciduous tree, is much loved by the woodpeckers of British Columbia who, essentially, soften it up for a line of other creatures to call home.

Dr. Kathy Martin, an SFM researcher and professor of Forest Sciences at the University of British Columbia, has pinpointed the trembling aspen as the tree of choice for cavity nests among 20 species of birds and six species of mammals – including woodpeckers, the key players in the complex "nest web."

The woodpeckers create holes in the trees for their own use, and for other species such as songbirds, ducks, birds of prey and small mammals. Dr. Martin compares the nest web to the food web in which species are dependent on other species within the community.

Aspen are favoured by the creatures because they are more susceptible to heartwood rot, which provides a soft material to excavate while keeping a solid bark structure. While the trees are not normally sought after in large commercial forestry operations, they often are cut down during the clearing process.

Dr. Martin says the work she and her students have done is preserving aspen and helping to save critical habitat elements for the woodpeckers, songbirds, ducks and owls.

"They (forest industry companies) are retaining the aspen and leaving patches of old forest for wildlife use. This is a significant improvement because before they were knocking them all down or leaving some live trees. They now recognize the benefit of leaving some live unhealthy trees because these trees are easy enough for birds to create cavities in for nests."

The research work she and her students have done has not only saved wildlife, it helped the forestry industry refine retention practices and cut costs.

"Her research showed us there is a threshold density at which aspen is useful and that aspen in a mixed stand is more valuable than pure type," says Shawn Meisner, a senior planning forester with Tolko Industries Ltd. "It caused us to develop some rules around how to think about retention – to save aspen but leave something with it to enhance the value. It saved us money. Her research showed us to save all of the aspen didn't make a lot of sense. So we adapted our harvesting practices to save aspen as clumps."

Dr. Martin says her ongoing project has involved more than 70 students over 11 years. "This is an ideal project for students to work on," she says. "They have gathered masses of useful data and have used this experience to move on to jobs in the forest, wildlife or biodiversity sectors."

Her project students have gone on to work in Canada in government, science conservation, field ecology and education. They also have moved on to work and teach in Tasmania, Germany, Switzerland, Peru, and New Zealand. Monika Breuss, for example, is doing her PhD on grouse in old forests in Austria after gaining experience doing field work with Dr. Martin.

As well, the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Division frequently recruits Dr. Martin's trainees.

"We've hired several. We've very been impressed. They were excellent students and obviously have been trained well," says Matt Vander Haegen, a senior research scientist with the Wildlife Program of Washington State's Department of Fish and Wildlife.

While NCE funding of the project is complete, Dr. Martin's research is carrying on. She believes that students can find training opportunities in other SMF research projects.

"The NCE program allows students to gain experience that they wouldn't have had otherwise. It is obvious to see how intense training benefits both Canada and the world."

www.ualberta.ca/sfm