YourForest

Conservation is a word we are all familiar with, but what does it mean really? There are so many ways to define conservation based on what you are measuring and what you hope to accomplish. To some, it is pure, untouched wilderness, void of human contact. To others, protecting a small wetland or riparian area is also success. What about our role in protecting species from extirpation or extinction...

Healthy landscapes are something everyone wants. But what does that mean? How do we define what “health” in a landscape looks like? How do we know that we are correct in our assumptions? How do we know the parameters we use to measure sustainability are objective? How do we find out what is right for ecological health and resilience? David Andison has spent decades researching these questions and...

Sustainability starts with education. If we want to see a sustainable future, one where we focus on the importance of ecology, conservation and sustainable energy, we need to spend time instilling environmental values on the children of today. Forest education is at the forefront of creating an eco-centric future. We need to teach our children the excitement and wonder that exists in our forests a...

We all want healthy forest ecosystems, clean water and vibrant communities. We can achieve these goals through sustainable forest management(SFM). However, we need to continue to push the boundaries of what SFM is in order to ensure we don’t miss something. This means constant research, consultation and not being afraid to change how we do things in order to protect all values for all people, for...

Fire is a crucial part of the boreal forest. Without it the whole system falls apart. First Nations people have been using fire as a tool to manage the forest and help maintain ecosystem health for thousands of years. They would regularly burn the landscape, under safe and manageable conditions, in order to achieve very specific and controlled outcomes. These outcomes include habitat creation, gro...

We don’t know a planet like this. There is more CO2 in the atmosphere today then there has ever been in the entirety of human evolution, which is over 3 million years. This means that the greenhouse effect is in full swing and even if we stopped greenhouse gases today, the earth would continue to warm beyond what we have ever known. Adaptation is a necessity, and we need to be ready. It’s not the...

I thought we could take a look back into our history to see how we got here, and perhaps tease out what might happen next. I wanted to talk to someone with first hand experience with the evolution of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Luckily, I knew a guy. Peter Murphy is a legend in environmental management circles. He has devoted the last 70 some odd years of his life to environmenta...

Wildfires are becoming more and more of a problem for modern society. In the past decade, we have seen an unprecedented increase in the number of catastrophic fires. Climate change has lengthened the fire season, increased temperatures, and increased severity and longevity of droughts. These new conditions drastically increases the probability of catastrophic fires, as is evident by the community...

Chemicals used on our crops and forests are of huge concern to society in general. Especially after problematic pesticides, like DDT, nearly wiped out bald eagles in the United States some decades ago. Now we are ever on the lookout for the next culprit. Which chemical will be the next big problem that affects our children’s development, our water, environment? Luckily for us, after the DDT scare,...

Wildlife conservation is often a sad story. We hear that some species has been pushed to the edge of extinction because of us, and our lack of foresight or empathy. Until recently, Trumpeter Swans were not very different. Through nearly a century of effort, cross border partnerships, intense research and passionate nature lovers, we were able to make a difference in this species’ future on the pla...

Humans are naturally curious beings. We want to know why, how and what is going on in the world around us. Science is the only tool we have to help us sort out the truth from the misconceptions. The scientific community is ruthless in its scrutiny and it will not ease up on any research that doesn’t hold up to logic. Science doesn’t care how you feel or what your bias’ may be, all logical fallacie...

We buy so much of our food. As a result, we have next to no connection to what we put into our bodies. Where did it come from, how was it growing, what was next to it, what was the weather like, what did we have to go through to get it. The forest is a natural grocery store. We can forage leafy greens, berries, mushrooms, root vegetables, eat meat that we harvested ourselves and we know exactly wh...

Only a select few species have the ability to manipulate their environment to make a suitable home. Humans are one such species, beavers are another. They are ecological engineers, meaning they build and create habitat for many species. They are a keystone species that creates unique opportunities for biodiversity on the landscape. They also tend to consume all the resources in an area until they...

Imagine traveling from Canada to Argentina every year, and back again. Sounds kinda nice actually, only you need to travel using only the tools nature gave you. Even with wings this is a tremendous task. Wildlife biologist, Richard Krikun and the Executive Director of the Boreal Center for Bird Conservation (BCBC), Patti Campsall joined me to discuss the creatures that make that journey. We discus...

When it comes to a career path, a lot of people, including myself, spend their lives following societal norms. We want more money, more prestige, more whatever. Michelle is in love with wildfire fighting, and she knows it. After a full career in wildfire management, she recognized that she was happier and more fulfilled when she was back on the front lines, where she had started her career. Now, s...

There is no better way to connect with nature than to immerse oneself completely into the wilderness and unplug from the hustle of modern society. Arguably, one of the best ways to accomplish complete immersion is to take up bowhunting. Some of you may scoff at the notion of needing to kill something to connect, however, what other activity forces you to endure all that nature has to offer for day...

Arctic Grayling and Bull Trout are two species of fish that are of special concern in Alberta. Both have had tough times recently due to human impacts on their environment. Poor water crossings, over fishing, climate change, and sedimentation has all had a degrading cumulative impact on population numbers. Both fish are native to the waters and can be conserved if proper steps are taken. Luckily,...

In the past, forest management was done with mainly wood fiber in mind. Today we practice a much richer and dynamic approach to forest management. By taking into consideration all forest values we can achieve a more harmonious and truly sustainable system. Values such as soil and water quality, wildlife habitat and conservation, wood fiber and socio-economic impacts all play a role in the decision...

February 7, 2009 is known in Australia as Black Saturday. Close to 400 wildfires started that day, 173 people died and many homes and communities were lost. Preceding these fires was an unprecedented 8 year drought that created one of the most volatile and dangerous wildfire situations on record. Harold Larson is a Canadian wildland firefighter that was working his first summer in Australia when t...

We all live in a world with finite resources. With a growing population, we need to start being more resourceful and efficient. There is strain on both the agricultural and energy systems to keep up with demand in a sustainable way. We, as individuals, can help relieve that strain by being responsible for our own consumption, or at least a small part of it. Whether you have a garden, collect your...

The importance of understanding where we have been so we do not make the same mistakes twice can not be understated. Understanding the role resources like coal and fossil fuels played in our societies development and prosperity help us to comprehend where we would be without them, likely burning whale fat in our lamps and heating ourselves with wood stoves riding horses and spending most of our ti...

What happens to wood after it has served its purpose. Construction and demolition material, sawdust, wood chips, pallets, old furniture, harvest residues, all gets either thrown into a landfill or burned. Wood waste is a resource just like anything else and we can utilize that resource to create a number of products that can assist in climate change mitigation and increase sustainability. Wood was...

Stuck! Stranded in the bush with no radio or cell coverage. What do you do? Where to begin? Shelter? Fire? Food? Water? Kelly Harlton is an expert in bushcraft and primitive skills. He has been teaching himself, and others, all he can about the boreal forest and how to "survive" in it for decades. From fire and shelter building, water and food acquisition to how to make tools and clothes from your...

Millions of people every year take to the mountains and surrounding forest to take in our planets beautiful scenery, flora and fauna. These experiences often give people pause and allow us to rethink our place in this world. David is a longtime member and past Chair of the Alberta Hiking Association and was kind enough to come on and discuss hiking and what it has done for his life and how it coul...

What happens to the trees in your backyard after they are taken down? Do you know? Often the arborist will buck it up, turn into fire wood, chip it for other uses, but what about turning it into art? A lot of the wood in our cities is not looked at as a valued resource after it is removed. Eric from Relic Woodworks is one person trying to give those trees a "second life". He has a system in place...