Edmonton, June 20, 2006 – Principal Investigator Dr. Fangliang He, Canadian Research Chair, Biodiversity and Landscape Modelling, will receive $540,000 over three years to help us better understand the conditions necessary to safeguard the wide range of living organisms in Canada's forests. This award is part of a $3.3 million investment over three years made by the Government of Canada through a Network of Centres of Excellence, the Sustainable Forest Management Network (SFMN), in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick.

The investment coincides with the opening of the SFM Network's fourth scientific conference, being held at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton. More than 300 participants, representing the forest industry, provincial governments, First Nations, and non-government organizations, as well as forest practitioners and researchers from Canada and abroad, will discuss the latest developments in integrated land management, evolution of sustainable forest-dependent communities, water-management strategies, public participation in planning processes, natural disturbance management and emulation, climate change adaptation, and tenure reform.

"In many parts of the world, including boreal forests, there is poor understanding of what comprises biodiversity, how that diversity should be measured, what components of diversity are to be observed and monitored, and how the knowledge of biodiversity can be practically used to predict the effect of management and to guide sustainable forest management." said Dr. Fangliang He.

Driven by concerns about multiple functions of the boreal forest and the sustainability of forest ecosystems over the past decade, the management paradigm for mixedwood forests has been shifting in concept from timber production to integrated management aiming at conserving biodiversity and ecosystem functionalities. Traditional sustainable management for mixedwood forests is centered on individual species, particularly the larger, charismatic wildlife species. "Although this wildlife-centered approach is widely appreciated by the public, key assumptions underlying this approach are largely untested and its effectiveness as criteria and indicators is poorly understood. It is far from clear whether an ecosystem will be safeguarded by management aiming to protect just a small group of species," said He.

Dr. He's proposal went through an extensive scientific peer-review process. His project received significant support from Natural Resources Canada (Canadian Forest Service), Government of Alberta and forward-thinking forest companies including Ainsworth Lumber Company Limited, Canadian Forest Products Ltd., Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd., and Manning Diversified Forest Products Ltd.

Dr. He will be supported by Dr. Brian McGill, McGill University, Drs. John Spence and Felix Sperling, University of Alberta; Dr. Tim Work, Université du Québec à Montréal and Dr. Charmaine Dean, Simon Fraser University along with four other research collaborators.

About The Sustainable Forest Management Network
The Sustainable Forest Management Network facilitates collaborative, applied research partnerships among 32 industry, government, Aboriginal, and non-government partners in supporting the work of more than 190 researchers. Their research efforts are accomplished thanks to 300 highly qualified personnel working at 35 participating institutions across Canada. The SFM Network represents one of the few forums to bring Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal forest resource managers and policy makers around one table to promote dialogue and the development of a common understanding in a non-confrontational environment.

About the Networks of Centres of Excellence
Networks of Centres of Excellence create unique partnerships among all stakeholders, governments, businesses, workers and communities, and are an initiative of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and Industry Canada.

For more project information, contact:

Dr. Fangliang He
Canada Research Chair, Biodiversity and
Landscape Modelling,
Dept. of Renewable Resources, U of A
Tel: (780) 492-7575
E-mail: fhe@ualberta.ca

More information about SFM Network:

Marvin Abugov
Communications Manager
SFM Network
Tel: (780) 492-2492
E-mail: mabugov@ualberta.ca