To highlight the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Laurentian Forestry Centre, a one-day conference on insects and fire will be held on February 11, 2010. The conference is being organized jointly by the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada and the iFor Consortium. It will feature lectures on fire ecology, economic issues and the impact of harvesting burned wood on biodiversity. Practitioners will also have the opportunity to present their points of view. The day will end with a poster session on research work in this field.

Poster - Conference on insects and fire.

Program

Program for the conference on insects and fire (in French only) (PDF Document, 15 kb)

Registration (obligatory)

To register, contact Jacques Larouche at 418-648-7661 or at jacques.larouche@rncan-nrcan.gc.ca

Deadline for registration: February 4, 2010

Where

Laurentian Forestry Centre (LFC)
1055 du PEPS
Quebec, QC, G1V 4C7

Road map showing how to reach the LFC

Background

Because of reduced forest logging opportunities, the salvaging of burned wood is increasingly becoming a measure that may help to maintain the wood harvest volumes necessary to keep the forest industry in operation. However, burnt trees are colonized by many species of longhorn beetles that significantly reduce the commercial value of the wood.
Burnt forests are also a biodiversity rich environment. In Scandinavian countries, where fires are extinguished so efficiently that only 0.01 % of the land is burned every year, the red list of endangered species includes many species whose existence is fostered by fire.

In an ecosystem management context, it is therefore important to determine methods that will make salvage operations cost effective while promoting regeneration and maintenance of biodiversity.

Objectives

• Assess the impact of fire on animal communities;
• Share the latest scientific knowledge of fire within a context of sustainable forest management;
• Promote a dialogue between practitioners and researchers;
• Identify research requirements.

Target clientele

• Managers
• Planners
• Academic community
• Conservation organizations
• Aboriginal communities
• Anyone interested in sustainable forest management