Funding helps researchers develop sustainable forestry practices, protect water supplies and wildlife habitat

The Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) project brings members of the environmental community, universities and industry together to look at land use and how it can be carefully managed so that our forests can not only supply the raw materials industry needs but also conserve wildlife and continue to protect the valuable ecosystems we all depend on for our survival and our future.

The Government of Canada is promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to funding in applied environmental research and, according to Don Floyd, Director of the Sustainable Forest CURA project, it is paying off.

"This is a huge step forward," says Dr. Floyd. "During the first two years of this five-year project, we have worked collaboratively to identify priorities and discuss how to conserve biodiversity and old forest habitats.

"The goal of the project is to build our capabilities to solve problems together," he says. "We know the future holds environmental challenges like climate change, so we need to be able to work together to solve large problems."

One example on how new ideas are being brought forward to support sustainable forests can be found in the watershed program headed by Van Lantz at the University of New Brunswick's Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management.

Dr. Lantz is heading a study across Canada on valuing watersheds, supported by $230,000 in funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, a member of the Industry Portfolio. This study may have a significant impact on how future decisions about protecting our water supplies, wildlife habitat and forests are made.

"We all live in a watershed," explains Dr. Lantz. "Our water supply is all around us, above and below ground. The safety of that watershed—keeping it healthy—is important to all of us."

Dr. Lantz points to two examples of how government has moved to protect watersheds. "Right now, the Government of Prince Edward Island has an Alternative Land Use Services program that pays landowners to implement best management practices, such as taking sensitive land out of production, to protect watersheds," he says. "And in New York State, the government saved hundreds of millions of dollars in protecting the quality of their drinking water by paying landowners to change practices rather than build a new water treatment plant. With the right information, we can help make the right decisions for our future."

Dr. Lantz and his colleagues are conducting a benefit-cost analysis on four watersheds in Canada, including two that are rural (Little River near Grand Falls in New Brunswick and Salmon River near Salmon Arm in British Columbia) and two that are urban (Credit and Humber rivers in southern Ontario).

"We used information from Environment Canada and other sources that assess the quality of these watersheds and are studying the benefits and costs associated with their enhancement," he states. "Watersheds are greatly affected by how the land surrounding them is used, so we're looking at activities on that land, their effects on water quality and wildlife habitat, and we are also surveying the public to find out what they would be willing to pay for improvements to these natural environments."

Additionally, "We're asking land owners what they would be willing to accept in payment to take their land out of production—whether it's being used for agriculture, forestry or other development—in order to preserve the watershed and improve water quality and wildlife habitat."

Their findings will help governments determine how to evaluate watersheds, future valuations of benefits and their surrounding lands. Dr. Lantz says that the project, which began in 2009, will yield results that could be felt for years to come.