In the Media | Forest Watershed Research Center

ShortCuts - Environmental Impacts of Forwarding, 2013.

The LiDAR-based depth-to-water maps produced by the Watershed Center was featured in the Skogforsk 2013 (1) edition of ShortCuts, a quarterly report that showcases the latest forest research news from Sweden.

Climate Change Adaptation: Evaluating hydrological risks using LIDAR mapping

May 1, 2013 at the UNB Wu Conference Center, Fredericton, NB

A summary dealing with hydrology risks in New Brunswick and how to utilize LiDAR mapping to delineate areas of high risk.

The 22nd Annual Emerald Awards, June 6, 2013, Edmonton

Among the finalists (Government Institutions): Alberta Department of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD)

Alberta’s ESRD Department actively pursues innovative solutions to balance economic, environmental and social concerns. In part, doing this places emphasis on conserving aquatic habitats and sensitive lands. The problem is that traditional mapping of water and soils relied upon photo-interpretation. But unseen wet areas, unknown locations of sensitive soils, and stream channels hidden under vegetation canopies have made resource planning unduly difficult and expensive. The Department therefore commenced on what has become a nine-year journey with researchers at the University of New Brunswick to develop algorithms and functional data sets to map hydrological and soil features at unprecedented resolution by way of geographic information technology. In this process, wet-areas mapping has become a means for recognizing an innovation opportunity, and a model for moving good science towards simple, robust and cost-effective tools with a growing array of applications. Altogether, this initiative is about empowering Albertans by providing them with readily visualized information to achieve environmental excellence in land-use planning and management.

New Brunswick Climate Change Adaptation Project Profiles

February 12, 2013

Using LiDAR generated point cloud data, the Forest Watershed Research Center is assisting the province of New Brunswick in mapping and classifying potential hydrological risks (especially flooding and erosion) inland and along the coasts. The project will provide provincial and municipal authorities with a means to scope, evaluate and classify hydrological risks in a comprehensive manner across the Province.

Alberta's Wet Areas Mapping Initiative: Innovation supporting continuous improvement in environmental performance

February 11, 2013

Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, in close partnership with the University of New Brunswick, has completed the development of wet area datasets for 14 million hectares along its Foothills to Boreal Region. These datasets, done at 1 meter resolution using light distance and ranging (LiDAR) technologies, are now freely available for users. A one-day workshop, addressed to the energy sector, was conducted to demonstrate the utility of wet areas mapping in reducing operational costs and fostering stewardship of Alberta’s landscapes.

Flood risk & depth to water mapping. Presentated at: Preparing for Climate 2100 - Tools and strategies for NB communities. November 14th to 16th, 2012, Fredericton Convention Centre http://atlanticadaptation.ca/node/260

The Forest Watershed Research Centre presented the current state of LiDAR-based wet-areas mapping in New Brunswick, in a series of three 30 min presentations, with an attendance of 40 per session. This mapping approach also featured in a number of community oriented conference banners.

Wet-areas Mapping in Northern Alberta - Field Tour of Slave Lake, Alberta

Field Tour Guide Slave Lake, Alberta on September 25th 2012

FP Innovations August 2012

Enhanced prediction of soil disturbance in forest harvest operations

Research at FP Innovations furthers the understanding and protection of forest soils through activities focused on real-time tracking of harvest machines and related machine-soil interactions. These activities contribute to developing a soil trafficability model, led by researchers at the Forest Watershed Research Centre, Faculty of Forestry and Env. Mgt., University of New Brunswick. This is done in UNB partnership with J.D. Irving Ltd. and FP Innovations, with CRD support from NSERC.

July 9, 2012. Video coverage of LiDAR relevant to wet-areas mapping process and application in Alberta

Members from the Forest Watershed Center participated in the March LiDAR workshop titled "Building a sustainable Alberta through the application of LiDAR technologies" held earlier in Calgary this year, March 1-2, 2012. Click here to see the videos of the presentations relevant to the UNB-generated wet-areas mapping process and subsequent applications.

March 19, 2012: Video coverage on Lidar News.

[We found] an impressive video from the wet-areas initiative at the Forest Watershed Research Centre of the University of New Brunswick. The animation was done by the Targetlock studio in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The video was created using full-resolution LiDAR point cloud elevations and high-resolution image drapes to showcase some of the applications that can be derived from these data.

March 1-2, 2012: Edmonton, Alberta

LiDAR workshop 2012: Building a sustainable Alberta through the application of LiDAR technologies

- Greening Alberta's Energy Sector: Lessons leaned from the Rainbow Pipeline Spill of 2011 (Jae Ogilvie, Barry White, Paul A. Arp)
- Application of LiDAR within government of Alberta: ASRD; Alberta Culture and Community Spirit; Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation; Alberta Geological Survey (Barry White, Robin Woywitka, and Duke Hunter)
- LiDAR and its Operational Role in Alberta Environment and Water (Don Page and Geniene Sabilla)
- LiDAR - Demonstrating Value to Parks through 101 Uses (Duke Hunter)
- Use of LiDAR-based Digital Terrain Analysis in Archaeological Modeling (Robin Woywitka)

For more about this event, download the agenda package.

ASTECH Gala Event, Calgary, 28. Oct. 2011

Alberta Advanced Education and Technology nominated the Forest Watershed Research Center's wet areas mapping team Barry White, Jae Ogilvie and Paul Arp as ASTECH Honourees in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Environmental Technology and Innovation, sponsored by Agrium Inc.

Making Better Business Decisions Using Enhanced Forest Inventories - by Steve D'Eon Viewpoints BC Forest Professional / May-June 2011

LiDAR also provides extremely accurate terrain mapping for optimizing road location, cut block layout and wet area mapping. The Wet Areas Mapping Initiative in Alberta has imported a tool developed at the University of New Brunswick and is in use by JD Irving. The LiDAR data recently acquired by the AB government has made it possible to begin mapping ephemeral streams and wet areas that otherwise would go unnoticed under the normal vegetation cover. This means fewer surprises when planning roads and cutblocks.

LiDAR-based vegetation type mapping in Alberta - by Paul Arp, Doug Hiltz and Barry White and Innovation spurs stewardship solutions - by Paul Arp, David Campbell and Barry White The Edge: Forest Innovation for Western Canada’s Forest Landscapes, People and Products (March 2011)

CBC Radio Interviews with Dr. Arp on the issues surrounding the predictive wet areas map in New Brunswick
Fredericton Interview (March 25, 2011 at 7:41am)
Moncton Interview (March 25, 2011 at 7:20am)

New Brunswick Regional Adaptation Collaborative Project Newsletter (English / French) - (February 2011)

Profs defend wetlands mapping system, by Adam Huras Telegraph Journal (February 21, 2011)
(with comments in response to article)

Wet Area Mapping (WAM) development at the University of New Brunswick, by Barb Scott, University of New Brunswick (April 2010).

Alberta's Wet Areas Mapping Initiative: A Cost Effective and Innovative Approach to Facilitate Sustainable Development, by J. B. White, P. Arp and J. Ogilvie. Peatland Ecosystem Analysis and Training NETwork Conference: Reclamation and Restoration of Boreal Peatland and Forest Ecosystems: Toward a Sustainable Future. Edmonton, Canada. March 25-27, 2010 (Abstract)

Wet areas mapping project uncovers benefits, by David Holehouse - The Edge: Forest Innovation for Western Canada’s Forest Landscapes, People and Products (June 2008).

Mapping software helps take the surprise out of land management, by David Holehouse - The Edge: Forest Innovation for Western Canada’s Forest Landscapes, People and Products (November 2009).

Alberta's New Wet Areas Mapping Initiative. SFMN Network Workshops (November 2009).

High-resolution flow-channel and wet-areas maps: a tool for better forest operations planning, by Paul A. Arp. SFMN Research Note # 55 (December 2009).

Alberta’s new wet-areas mapping initiative, by Kristen Foreman, B.I.T - BIOS. Alberta Society of Professional Biologists (Winter 2009).

Four-stop road show introduces managers to innovative mapping software. AFEX - the Alberta Forest Extension Network - The Edge: Forest Innovation for Western Canada’s Forest Landscapes, People and Products (November 2009).

Partnerships key to sustainable forest management , by Gavin Mealing. Media West Communications Inc. (October 2008).

Wet Areas Mapping and Flow Accumulation Channels. Wet-area maps for down-loading. Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia (November 2009).

Mapping Potential Wet Areas for Operational Land-use Management and Planning. NOVA Forest Alliance, Nova Scotia (October 2008).

Soil Survey Information + Wet Areas Mapping. Harvesting on Wet Ground Workshop, by Kevin Keys, Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia (pdf file).

Synopsis of on-going Canadian research on biomass harvesting and site productivity, by Brian Titus, Shannon Berch, Dave Morris, Rob Fleming, Paul Hazlett, David Pare, and Paul Arp. The scientific foundation for sustainable forest biomass harvesting guidelines and policy. SFMN Biomass Workshop. Toronto. 2008. See also Panel presentations on “Current site productivity research in Canada”. February 18-21, 2008. Toronto, Ontario.

Maritime Knowledge Exchange Workshop. SFMN Network Workshops (March 2007).

Modeling and Mapping Sustainable Biomass Yields and Nutrient Expectations, with Forest Policy and Forest Operation Perspectives, by Paul A. Arp, Mark Castonguay, and Jae Ogilvie, Faculty of Forestry & Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick. PowerPoint Presentations in PDF from the 2008 FPS Eastern Canadian Section Spring Meeting, Bio-energy – Panacea or Pandora’s box? (pdf file).

Considering water-table depth in forest management: towards better forest management planning and operations practices, by Gaetan Pelletier, J.D. Irving. October, 2009 (pdf file). Restigouche River Watershed Council Inc. (pdf file).

CFRU Wet Areas Mapping Project , by Will Mitchell. Cooperator Workshops: Research, Results, and the Resource - May 25, 2006 (Orono, ME).