FPInnovations, NCASI Canada and the Fundy Model Forest are among the organizations receiving grants for conservation projects from The Sustainable Forestry Initiative® Inc. SFI has awarded more than $400,000 to 10 conservation projects as part of its 2014 Conservation and Community Partnerships Grant Program. These projects support efforts towards continuous improvement in sustainable forest management and forest conservation throughout North America.
“The 2014 conservation grant recipients represent a wide and invaluable cross section of research supporting future forests across the United States and Canada," said Kathy Abusow, president and CEO of SFI Inc.
This year's projects include improving wildlife habitat management, mitigating impacts on wetlands, and conserving indigenous cultural features.
FPInnovations’ funded project will create a national best management practice guide for field practitioners to mitigate the impact of forest roads on Canadian wetlands.
NCASI Canada will use the funds to help ensure survival of young caribou by using new scientific methods to study nutrition in forest stands.
In New Brunswick, the Fundy Model Forest is also receiving a grant. This project provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of forest harvesting 20 years post-harvest at a site where initial biodiversity studies were started in 1992.
SFI's 2014 investment includes ongoing multi-year research grant commitments for projects awarded to groups like Nature Trust B.C. to mitigate impacts on biological diversity through management of invasive plant species, and to the American Bird Conservancy to showcase the value of habitat improvements, including thinning, understory management, and the creation of snags for bird conservation within the context of meeting economic and forest health goals.
SFI Inc. is an independent, nonprofit organization that is solely responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving the internationally recognized Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI®) program.