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Wildfire mitigation strategies for increased wildfire resilience in wildland-urban interface communities
Get PDFHistoric wildfire management strategies across the North American boreal forest
have resulted in fire deficit forests. These landscapes are characterized by an unnatural
build-up of wildland fuel, forest densification and irregular age class distributions that
lend to increased risk of wildfire disturbance to Wildland-Urban Interface communities.
Under current climate projections wildfire frequency, intensity and area burned are
projected to increase resulting in increased disruption to social and economic activity.
Analyzed in this report were a variety of wildfire mitigation strategies designed to
reduce wildfire behaviour. Fuel reduction treatment efficacy and longevity were
explored in the context of increasing community resilience to wildfire disturbance. A
special focus was given to remote communities disproportionately affected by wildfire
disturbance events. Current barriers to application were explored to highlight areas
within the Canadian wildfire management system that require further amendment to
achieve increased mitigation efficacy and widespread application
Indigenous led conservation – a critical review of Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Get PDFEvaluating the importance of Indigenous - Based Conservation with a critical
review of Traditional Ecological Knowledge Studies can provide a useful framework for
future management efforts. Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Ecological
Knowledge have been used in the past few decades to collect and examine Indigenous -
Knowledge and ecological knowledge Indigenous peoples have gained through oral
teachings and traditional practices. Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Ecological
Knowledge studies are thought to be inclusive frameworks to help represent Indigenous
perspectives and values, for environmental assessment and management purposes,
conservation management and environmental health studies. However, the development
and implementation of the overall Traditional Knowledge framework and formation of
theory, was developed through western-based perspectives and science, therefore
resulting in heavy Euro-centric biases towards the topics and definitions of Traditional
Knowledge and Traditional Ecological Knowledge studies. The idea and development
for a new modern and Indigenous - based framework to discuss, form and collect
Indigenous knowledge is both important, and necessary. To facilitate Indigenous selfdetermined and - defined Traditional Knowledge, interviews were conducted with Fort
William First Nation band members to gain an understanding of the Indigenous
perspective. Indigenous perspectives and self-definitions help to further the
understandings of racially biased scientific protocols and to reduce these biases in
environmental and conservation management
Moving towards self-care and self-determination: improving the role and organization of tribal councils in remote First Nations wildfire evacuations
Get PDFDuring climate change, wildfires will increase in frequency and size, equating to
an increase in wildfire evacuation frequency and duration. Keewaytinook Okimakinak
Tribal Council (KO) struggled to identify a role and scope of practice during the 2021
wildfire evacuations of their communities due to the absence of a defined role of tribal
councils during emergency evacuations. To identify the role of KO, and improve their
response, there were three research questions: 1) What is the current role of self-care
and self-determination in KO service? 2) what were the perspectives, experiences, and
recommendations from KO service providers and community volunteers who played a
role in the wildfire-driven evacuations of several KO communities in the summer of
2019 and 2021? 3) What recommended practical and systematic changes can be
suggested that promote self-care and self-determination while considering SDH
differences and is culturally appropriate? [...
Evaluating the winter diet of a pack of coyotes (Canis latrans) in a periurban environment on Georgian Bay
Get PDFThis thesis explores the diet of a pack of coyotes in a periurban environment on
the southern extent of Georgian Bay, west of the Town of Collingwood. Coyotes have
seen a massive expansion in their range, and even though they are occupying
increasingly urban areas, their biology has stayed relatively unchanged. Coyotes for
years have been a focal point in many news articles and local politics due to a perceived
threat on human safety and the safety of pets. Through the winter months of 2021, their
diet was evaluated using scat dissections. Their diet was found not to differ significantly
from other studies, with lagomorphs and rodents comprising at least 39%; their diet was
partially supplemented by the availability of domestic dogs, but there was little evidence
of garbage in their scats. It is suggested that education and informative postings in
Collingwood and other similar communities should be increased to inform the public
and mitigate risk of conflict between these canids and humans
Production of wood pellets from forest product waste
Get PDFWood pellet production is increasing due to lower costs and supply stability as compared to
natural gas and has less environmental concerns. A wood pellet is made mechanically from a
uniform substance that has initially been hammered and ground into a homogenous dough-like
mass by squeezing it through a press into a cylindrical shape. Wood pellets have an approximate
size of 6-10 mm in diameter and lengths vary between 10-30 mm usually. The production of
wood pellets from biomass is environmentally feasible and sustainable contributing to the
economy of North America. Municipal waste is a modern method of energy production and, in
addition to wood and agricultural products, municipal waste is the third most important biomass
resource for energy production. Torrefaction is another method of converting raw material into a
more energy dense fuel that could play a significant role in the production of wood pellets.
Biomass fuels have received a lot of attention as a potential alternative to fossil fuels because of
their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biomass fuels, however, have storage,
transportation, and energy density issues. Low density values can reduce energy density,
resulting in higher transportation and storage costs. In the world, China is the largest producer of
wood pellets, while United States is second followed by Canada and then Vietnam
An adaptive neuro-fuzzy controller for vibration suppression of a flexible structure in aerial refueling
Get PDFAir-to-air refueling (AAR) has been commonly used in military jet applications. Recently,
civilian applications of AAR have been garnering increased attention due to the high cost of air
travel, which is largely dictated by the cost of jet fuel. There are two types of AAR approaches:
probe-drogue and flying boom systems. This work explores the probe-drogue AAR system in
commercial applications. Typical AAR applications deploy a drogue connected to a long flexible
hose behind a moving aircraft tanker. The drogue is connected to a probe in a receiver aircraft
before initiating fuel transfer and is retracted back into the tanker when the fuel transfer is
completed. In order to ensure a safe and efficient refueling operation sophisticated systems need
to be developed to accommodate the turbulences encountered, particularly in respect to vibration
reduction of the flexible hose and drogue. The objective of this work is to develop a probe-drogue
system for helicopter AAR applications. The first project is to make a preliminary design of a new
AAR system for helicopter refuelling from a modified AT-802 tanker aircraft. [...
How to achieve meaningful consultation/accommodation with First Nation communities: The need/benefits for community-led forest management plans in Ontario’s forest industry
Get PDFThe inherent Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations people continue to be infringed
upon in Ontario’s forest industry. The province of Ontario continues to abuse its colonially
obtained Section 92 powers and has supported its forestry practices under the Crown Forest
Sustainability Act 1994 regardless of those practices violating the constitutionally protected
rights of First Nations people under Section 35 of the Constitution. This thesis's objective was to
investigate how the implementation of community-led forest management plans can assist the
province of Ontario to achieve its constitutional obligations under Section 35 by providing
meaningful consultation and accommodation to First Nation communities affected by forest
operations in Ontario. An analysis of the different perspectives of meaningful consultation and
accommodation, current policies and legislation and examples of pre-existing community-led
forest management plans was conducted to explore how a community-led forest management
plan can satisfy the requirements of meaningful consultation and accommodation and the
additional benefits that implementing community-led forest management plans can have in
Ontario’s forest industry. It was concluded that implementing community-led forest management
plans in Ontario’s forest industry can allow the province to achieve its constitutional obligations
to provide meaningful consultation and accommodation to First Nation communities and that
there is a great need for implementing these plans as they benefit all parties involved. Although
the conclusion of this thesis presents a great opportunity for First Nation communities, there is
still the realization that First Nations must work within the colonial system. This emphasizes the
importance of reconciling Section 92 with Section 35 of the Constitution and ensuring that the
never extinguished Aboriginal title of First Nation communities is respected
Comparing optimal and actual forest road locations using least-cost analysis in QGIS
Get PDFFor the Lakehead Forest licence, west of Thunder Bay, Ontario, a least-cost
roads model was built in QGIS using provincial Digital Elevation Model (PDEM) data,
and data provided by Greenmantle. A cost-surface was also generated from the PDEM
using a script created in the ArcPy module of Python. The model identified the most
cost-efficient routes for operational roads within a limited criterion, connecting terminal
points in harvested stands to terminal points along primary access roads. The modelled
roads were then compared to existing roads mirroring the modelled versions, to analyze
whether differences were significant. The network of roads as a whole was significantly
different at the 0.05-alpha level, while 41 of 42 individual road pairs were significantly
different at the 0.05-alpha level
The promoted growth of genetically lodgepole and white spruce in Western Alberta compared to natural stocks
Get PDFForest regeneration has been an important focus across Alberta and the rest of
Canada over recent decades. An industrial company in Alberta known as Canfor have
recently began regenerating using a genetic stock where a seed bank has been used from
an orchard to create the tallest, strongest and fastest growing trees in the vicinity.
Although the trees are genetically improved they are not considered GMO’s simply
because they have been bred properly and have not endured any unnatural tampering.
GMO’s are considered genetically modified organisms which have had modification
done on them. Orchard trees are improved be breeding the best mother and father within
the orchard for cone production and reproducing with these cones. The idea behind this
stock is to speed up the reforestation process in post-harvest stands to shorten the harvest
rotation and to recreate habitat in a shorter period of time. The results from the findings
show a direct comparison between the genetic stock and the natural stock at different
age classes from seedling to 5 years of age. The results derived from this experiment are
significant to forestry due to its potential for rapid growth which will speed up block
regeneration and harvest rotations noticeably in the future
The role of beavers in ecosystem restoration and the environment
Get PDFThis thesis analyzes the role of beavers in ecological restoration and the environment. At the same time, it discusses controversies related to beavers and gives
final recommendations. This paper analyzes the impact of North American and Eurasian beavers on wetland habitats and some species populations by consulting and integrating a large amount of literature data, and summarizes the importance of
beavers to ecological restoration and their negative effects on the ecological
environment. At the same time, this paper makes a further comparative analysis of
these two influences. The results show that from the current situation of the fragmentation of biological habitats and the continued increase in the number of
endangered species, beavers have the ability to build dams and carry out other actions
to protect biological habitats from damage to a certain extent; however, considering the aggravation of forest land degradation, the beaver restoration project is not
conducive to the improvement of the forest land environment, and it will also affect
the growth of some aquatic organisms. Therefore, in order to promote the restoration of ecosystems by beavers and reduce the harm of beavers to related species, it is
necessary to manage the population of beavers reasonably. This article provides a comprehensive literature on the role of beavers in ecological restoration and the environment, and at the same time it gives reasonable suggestions for the management and development of subsequent beaver restoration projects and lays the foundation for future ecological restoration programs