novaNAIT Boreal Research Institute

Weberville Community Model Forest

Background

The Weberville area is located near Peace River, Alberta. The Weberville Community Forest encompasses about 130 square miles (333 square km) of Crown and private land.

The initial concept for a community forest arose from the overlapping mandates of the  Agro-forestry Woodlot Extension Society, formerly the Alberta Woodlot Extension Program, and FPInnovations (FPI). Both organizations saw the need for woodlot owners in the area to work together to achieve common goals.

The two organizations and local landowners therefore launched the Weberville Community Forest Project to build and grow a process for a landscape-level woodlot management plan. Community woodlot planning and private land management help landowners set goals for their land and provide support to help achieve these goals. By documenting how this process is developed, the resulting template can be applied to other regions in Canada. Moreover, the community approach combines landowners’ objectives and greater opportunities arising from viewing the bigger picture over multiple properties.

Some of these opportunities include

  • increased awareness of economic, social and environmental implications of forest management in agricultural areas
  • creation of a private forest land inventory
  • diverse market opportunities for timber and non-timber products
  • increased awareness of other resource-related programs (Environmental Farm Plan, Ducks Unlimited, Prairie Farm Shelterbelt program)

Project History

Project history can be summarized as follows:

  • Phase I (2008)
    Phase I included a design for landscape-level woodlot management and inventories on the lands of 11 landowners.
  • Phase II (begun in the spring of 2009)
    Phase II provided more inventories for individual landowners and community-wide projects such as trail development, tree planting and coordinated harvesting.

In the summer of 2010, the Weberville Community Forest joined the 14 other Model Forests in Canada to become a member of the Canadian Model Forest Network and Canada’s fifteenth Model Forest.

Research

The novaNAIT Boreal Research Institute is primary research partner with the Weberville Community Forest Association, (WCFA) which administers the Weberville Community Model Forest.

Research is carried out under the direction of the Webervillle Community Forest Association in consultation with the Research Board. The novaNAIT Boreal Research Institute (nBRI) brings its significant administrative, communications and advisory capacity to the project. The chart below illustrates how research activities will proceed.

DMI - Daishowa-Marubeni Internaional Ltd.
CFS - Canadian Forest Service
ASRD - Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
CNL - County of Northern Lights
PFRA - Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration

Contacts

For more information, contact either of the project co-leads:


or visit the Canadian Model Forest Network or the Weberville Community Model Forest .

Contact Us

novaNAIT Boreal Research Institute
8106 – 99 Avenue, Bag 3500
Peace River, AB  T8S 1V9
Phone: 780.618.2623
Fax: 780.624.0725
Email: Trina Amiot