BC Government Provides Funding for World Class Forest Research Centre
October 16, 2006
UNBC is a key player in one of the world’s most advanced forest
research laboratories. EvaluTree is a partnership involving UNBC, UVic,
and the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada (PAPRICAN), which
is based in Vancouver.
Click here to access the BC Government News Release
EvaluTree has received $2.5 million in funding from the BC Government’s Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF), matching an earlier contribution from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. It is the largest grant for research infrastructure that UNBC has ever received from BCKDF. While some of the research equipment is located in Vancouver and Victoria, the following state-of-the-art technology is being used at UNBC in Prince George:
X-Ray Densitometer
Located in the I.K. Barber Enhanced Forestry Lab, this equipment uses X-rays to gain insight into the wood fibre properties of entire trees, just by analyzing cores from standing trees. It is the only equipment of its kind in Northern BC, providing information on tree growth rates, fibre density, and wood quality. The equipment will be used in the short term for research on how water affects wood. This will involve research on trees that are particularly dry (killed by the mountain pine beetle) as well as those that are unusually wet (submerged in reservoirs behind hydroelectric dams).
Portable Acoustic Tree Assessment Tool
EvaluTree has received $2.5 million in funding from the BC Government’s Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF), matching an earlier contribution from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. It is the largest grant for research infrastructure that UNBC has ever received from BCKDF. While some of the research equipment is located in Vancouver and Victoria, the following state-of-the-art technology is being used at UNBC in Prince George:
X-Ray DensitometerLocated in the I.K. Barber Enhanced Forestry Lab, this equipment uses X-rays to gain insight into the wood fibre properties of entire trees, just by analyzing cores from standing trees. It is the only equipment of its kind in Northern BC, providing information on tree growth rates, fibre density, and wood quality. The equipment will be used in the short term for research on how water affects wood. This will involve research on trees that are particularly dry (killed by the mountain pine beetle) as well as those that are unusually wet (submerged in reservoirs behind hydroelectric dams).
Portable Acoustic Tree Assessment ToolThis
equipment is used for assessing timber quality of standing trees.
Forestry professor Ian Hartley is shown using the equipment in the
photo at left. It is a portable device that uses sound waves between
two probes. The
speed that the sound wave takes to travel from one probe to the other
is used to detect internal cracks and/or rot and measure properties
such as wood strength. This information is transmitted via Bluetooth
technology to a portable handheld device (PDA) for further analysis on
a computer. Research applications include the shelf life of trees
infected by the mountain pine beetle, routine inspection of utility
poles, and in-the-field identification of trees most suitable for
secondary manufacturing products ranging from furniture to musical
instruments.
Both of these tools are non-destructive to standing timber.
Contact:
Ian D. Hartley, Forestry professor, UNBC – 250.960.6054
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622
Both of these tools are non-destructive to standing timber.
Contact:
Ian D. Hartley, Forestry professor, UNBC – 250.960.6054
Rob van Adrichem, Director of Media and Public Relations, UNBC - 250.960.5622
