FRIAA supported the development of a 20-year seed inventory project for white spruce and jack pine—two of the major species in Alberta’s forests. As a result, our province is far better positioned to ensure that proper reforestation can be achieved.

These inventories provide valuable knowledge to the forest industry about where they should take extra care in their operations and planning. This helps companies ensure that timber harvesting happens in respectful ways that acknowledge important cultural and historical truths.

Forest managers use different tools to help replanted trees take root and grow, including herbicides. Recently, FRIAA supported a project that used a more natural technique, trialing the use of sheep grazing to control competitive vegetation in reforested areas.

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technologies generate detailed topographies, helping scientists to study vegetation over large geographic areas. Thanks to FRIAA’s support, most of the Green Area of Alberta has now been LiDAR-acquired.

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