Newsletter
- December 2002
Inside This Issue
Chairman’s Report
- John J. Doornbos
This is the sixth Chairman’s report I have provided
to the members of the Poplar Council of Canada.
It may now seem like a distant memory but back in
September of 2000, one of the products promised from IPC 2000
was the book Poplar Culture in North America. All those
that attended IPC 2000 should now have a copy of the book. While
the book was a little late in coming, it is an excellent product
and was well worth waiting for. I want to acknowledge our Technical
Director, Jim Richardson, for his persistent effort without which
the book would not have happened. The book makes an excellent
companion to Biology of Populus; both are available from
NRC Research Press (www.monographs.nrc.ca).
For the past several years, myself and other members
have been concerned over the lack of activity of the Technical
Committees and of the representatives of our board. During discussion
last year at our Annual Meeting in Regina, it was agreed that
the network of representatives needed rejuvenation. Subsequently
a number of new people were brought in as representatives. Results
of this effort will be reflected in the reports we receive from
the provincial and sector representatives.
As a planned post-conference activity in Regina
last year, Poplar Council hosted a workshop on the afternoon of
August 15 and morning of August 16 to look at poplar research
activities and needs across Canada with the intent of potentially
rejuvenating some or all of the technical committees.
The workshop had several significant outcomes:
1. Members from across Canada presented summaries
of research activities in their region or area of expertise. Through
a series of subsequent discussions, the workshop participants
developed a list of research needs for poplar and aspen. These
can be viewed on our website under Poplar Science and are reflected
in the last 3 Action Items below. There was strong interest in
having the list of poplar research activities and other poplar
related projects available to the members; this is an ongoing
activity under the first Action Item below.
2. In reviewing these research needs, it was determined
that an approach utilizing Working Groups to focus on a few specific
issues was preferred to rejuvenating the Technical Committees.
As a result, the Technical Committees have been informally disbanded.
Formal restructuring or disbandment would require a change to
our By-laws and the group did not recommend pursuing this at this
time.
3. A key outcome of the workshop was a list of
six action items:
- Establish a directory of poplar experts and
projects > The poplar experts directory is available at http://www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/cfrd/poplar_e.html
(this is hosted by CFS in Victoria). The poplar projects list
is still under development.
- Develop a template for use by representatives
for their annual reports > This has been developed and provided
to representatives and Working Group leaders.
- Request from members information on upcoming
poplar related events and post on our website (pilot) > These
are available at our website.
- Establish a Genetics and Breeding Working Group
> Group has been established and work is ongoing.
- Establish a Herbicide Registration Working
Group > Group has been established and work is ongoing.
- Establish a Working Group to develop an information
package on poplar establishment > Group has been established
and work is ongoing.
Overall response to the workshop from all the
participants was very positive, with a number of commenting that
this was the best Poplar Council meeting they had attended.
The World Forestry Congress, an event sponsored
by the FAO of the United Nations, is held every 6 years. In September
2003, it is being held in Canada and hosted by the governments
of Canada and Quebec. The PCC Executive has had some discussions
on holding our next Annual Meeting in association with this event.
In June, Jim and I met with several people from BIOCAP at Queens
University in Kingston to discuss a possible joint meeting. Unfortunately
our discussions with BIOCAP did not result in the development
of 2003 Annual Meeting plans. This is an issue to be resolved
at this year’s Annual Meeting.
Our financial position remains strong. We did
not have to tap into our Investments (GIC’s at CIBC) in 2001.
In our 2001 Financial Statement, Expenses did exceed Revenue by
a considerable amount ($10,345.49). This does not take into account
project funds earned in 2001 but not transferred to our operating
account until early in 2002 (see Project Account funds in the
Balance Sheet).
2002 has seen a few changes. My responsibilities
and time commitments at CFS have increased and I have not been
able to dedicate the time I would like to Poplar Council activities.
As most of you are aware, Sandra Williams works for CFS on the
SE Asia FDRS Project. Activity on this project has increased and
I have asked Sandra to work on the project fulltime. In order
to keep Poplar Council on-track, we have brought in Melanie Heller
on an Internship to help out with both Poplar Council and the
FDRS Project. Between Sandra and Melanie, Poplar Council needs
have been addressed.
In closing I would like to thank Sandra, Jim and
now Melanie for their hard work and dedication to the Poplar Council
of Canada and its members. Myself as Chairman and all the members
are well served by these people.
Top
Technical
Director’s Report
Jim Richardson
This is the sixth annual report to the Poplar
Council membership from the Technical Director, a position created
by the Executive Committee in April 1997. The general objectives
of the Technical Director are to supply technical services and
advice to the Council, to promote awareness and support for the
Council and to increase membership. More specifically, the responsibilities
of the Technical Director include maintaining and updating the
Council’s website; responding to technical enquiries using E-mail,
phone, fax and mail; providing an international dimension to the
Council through participation in the International Poplar Commission;
contributing to the PCC Newsletter and supporting technical aspects
of the organization of the PCC Annual meeting; and providing services
to members and the Board of Directors of a technical rather than
purely administrative nature. The specific responsibilities have
changed somewhat since the position was originally established.
This reflects the changing ways in which the Council operates
and developing new directions and initiatives of the Council.
Recognizing the limited budget of the Council,
the services of the Technical Director are provided for a minimal
level of compensation. I work out of my home office in Ottawa,
devoting on average two days a week to Poplar Council business.
However, the actual time commitment varies greatly depending on
the tasks at hand.
Website
Our website (www.poplar.ca
) continues to be increasingly well used, with the
number of hits a month now exceeding 12,000. I have maintained
the site throughout the year. There have been a number of additions
to the contents of the site, including all recent PCC Newsletters,
the Canadian national report to IPC 2000 (a valuable information
source prepared by Cees van Oosten), and new sections on ‘Poplar
Science’ and ‘Events’. The Poplar Science page contains information
on the Council’s new working groups which deal with science and
technology issues, a summary of the poplar research needs which
were identified at the annual meeting in 2001, and links to the
poplar scientist subset of the Canadian Forestry Scientists’ Directory
maintained by the Canadian Forest Service. The Events page provides
basic information about poplar-related conferences, workshops
and shows, as well as links to sites where more information can
be obtained. The usefulness of both these new sections of the
website will be increased if members help by drawing our attention
to information and news which could be added. Currently the biggest
event advertised on the website is the 2002 joint conference of
the Canadian Tree Improvement Association, Western Forest Genetics
Association and the Poplar Council, for which our website is the
primary source of information. Maintaining the currency of this
information has been a major focus for most of the past year.
Technical Enquiries
The Technical Director deals with a regular stream
of technical enquiries - sometimes 2-3 per week - most of which
are received through the website and dealt with by E-mail. When
I am unable to provide the information requested myself, I involve
other Council members who are experts in the particular field
of interest of the enquirer. Whenever possible, advantage is taken
of the opportunity to promote Council membership in responding
to enquiries from non-members.
International Dimension
The book Poplar Culture in North America
finally appeared in January 2002. Originally planned as a joint
Canadian-U.S. effort on the occasion of the 21st Session
of the International Poplar Commission held in Portland, Oregon
in September 2000, it has taken three years to complete, much
longer than originally anticipated. However, the commitment to
provide a copy free of charge to each registered participant in
IPC 2000 has still been honoured. Copies can also be purchased
from the publisher, the National Research Council of Canada (
www.monographs.nrc.ca). Recognition
of the Poplar Council’s involvement in the project is contained
on the title page which says that the volume was "published
on the occasion of the 21st Session of the International
Poplar Commission by National Research Council of Canada in association
with Poplar Council of Canada [and] Poplar Council of the United
States." The publication would not have been possible, however,
without the generous financial support of the Canadian Forest
Service, Natural Resources Canada.
When the book appeared, a small gathering took
place at the Faculty Club of the University of Toronto. The four
editors - Don Dickmann (Michigan State University), Jud Isebrands
(USDA Forest Service), Jim Eckenwalder (University of Toronto),
and Jim Richardson - met to celebrate the completion of the project
and to honour Louis Zsuffa, to whom the book is dedicated. Louis
is a professor emeritus of the University of Toronto, a charter
member of the Poplar Council of Canada (as well as chair for many
years), and a pioneer in the study, cultivation and breeding of
poplars and willows.
At the end of August 2002, the third International
Poplar Symposium will be held in Uppsala, Sweden, bringing together
poplar and willow scientists from many countries. Several Council
members will participate, including your Technical Director. Immediately
following the Symposium, the Executive Committee of the International
Poplar Commission will meet at FAO Headquarters in Rome. Both
Canadian members of the Committee - Gordon Miller, Director General,
Science, Canadian Forest Service, and myself - will participate.
Newsletters and Annual Meetings
The Technical Director makes regular contributions
to the Council’s newsletter, including reports from meetings and
other events. As noted above, the Council’s website has been the
primary source of information about this year’s annual meeting
being held in conjunction with a joint conference with the Canadian
Tree Improvement Association and the Western Forest Genetics Association.
Beyond maintaining and continuously updating the extensive information
about this event on the website, I have also been involved in
program development for the conference, including reviewing submitted
abstracts of papers and posters and participating in at least
one meeting of the local organizing committee. At the time of
preparation of this report, all signs indicate that the joint
event will be very successful, with a technical program that includes
a significant proportion of poplar-related presentations.
The new science impetus given to the Council by
the very successful workshop held in Regina last August during
the annual meeting there has given rise to a number of follow-on
activities. The research needs that were identified at that workshop
have been summarized and made available on the website. I have
participated in several conference calls with the Council’s executive
and leaders of the working groups established last year to further
the objectives of these important new initiatives.
The Council has recently established contact with
the BIOCAP Canada Foundation. This national not-for-profit university
research organization affiliated with Queen’s University in Kingston,
Ontario brings together Canada’s leading researchers and decision-makers
to find biology-based solutions to climate change in the areas
of Canada’s carbon cycle, afforestation and agroforestry, agricultural
greenhouse gas management, and bio-based products. Poplars and
willows could obviously play a significant role in several, if
not all of those research areas. John Doornbos and I met with
the Executive Research Director of BIOCAP and several of his colleagues
in Kingston in June to explore possible areas of collaboration.
It became clear from that meeting that our original hope that
BIOCAP might be willing to help organize the Council’s annual
meeting in 2003 did not fit with the Foundation’s schedule and
agenda. However, there is a strong mutual interest in sharing
information and contacts, and good potential opportunities for
working with BIOCAP in furthering our own aims of improving coordination
and collaboration among poplar and willow scientists across the
country.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank John Doornbos and the Council’s
Executive for their continued support and confidence throughout
the year. Despite his busy work and travel schedule with the Canadian
Forest Service, John somehow manages to find time for the Poplar
Council. I also express my sincere appreciation to Sandra Williams,
the Council’s indefatigable Executive Secretary for her hard work,
dedication and support. Her years of experience with the Council
have enabled her to know exactly what needs to be done in any
situation - and to get it done properly.
Top
Executive Secretary’s
Report
- Sandra J. Williams
I am pleased to file my fourth report to the Poplar
Council of Canada. The Executive Secretary’s work involves managing
the finances and daily operations of the PCC, membership invoicing
and services, preparing agendas and recording minutes for meetings,
researching, editing and proofreading the biannual newsletter,
coordinating permanent files and membership lists, maintaining
a library of technical information and providing referrals to
information requests. The Executive Secretary is also responsible
for events planning and organization.
Membership renewal invoices were sent out in early
April and responses went very well. We have gained several new
members this year for a total of 68 individual members to date
for 2002. The PCC welcomes two new Corporate members, Alberta
Sustainable Resource Development and Pelton Reforestation Limited,
for a total of 18 Corporate members with 62 Affiliate members.
Overall membership number trends remain steady from year to year.
For further membership information, please visit the PCC web site
at www.poplar.ca .
2002 has been an eventful year for the Secretariat
for several reasons. First, I have been hired on full-time with
CFS to work on the Southeast Asia Fire Danger Rating System Project.
The FDRS is a temporary CIDA-funded technology transfer project
ending in 2004. Second, in addition to my regular workload with
CFS and the Poplar Council, I sat as a member of the organizing
committee for the conference "Integrating Tree Improvement
with Sustainable Forest Management Practice" at the University
of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, July 22-25, 2002. The PCC Secretariat
served as the registrar, provided administrative support, and
operated as a clearinghouse for relevant information. It had been
agreed in the spring of 2001 that the Poplar Council would engage
in a contract for the conference operations, which will stabilize
the PCC accounts for the next fiscal year and beyond. Third, in
early June I hired student intern, Melanie Heller, to assist with
the increased workload and ongoing projects with CFS and the PCC.
Melanie comes to us through the Federal Public Sector Youth Internship
Program.
Our first conference organizational meeting was
held in April 2001. The Committee met bimonthly for a year, and
monthly as the conference drew near. Committee members included
representatives of the forest genetics community in university,
industry, and government. And, as anyone who has ever sat on a
conference committee will know, event-planning requires time,
patience, co-operation and most important of all, a really good
sense of humour. The committee had an excellent balance of all
these attributes and in four lightning days, it was all over except
the proceedings and financial wrap-up. The conference was well
attended by one hundred and twenty two delegates, primarily from
Canada but also from the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand, and
Finland. I enjoyed seeing and chatting with many familiar forestry
people as well as meeting many new forestry folk.
I thank John, Jim, and the members of the CTIA,
PCC, & WFGA Conference organizing committee for making my
work with the PCC both interesting and challenging. I wish Melanie
continued success in her career development and I thank her for
her enthusiasm and assistance with both a successful conference
and for the Secretariat. I also thank the PCC members who have
become much more active in the affairs of the Council. With the
emergent interest in agroforestry, these continue to be exciting
times for the Poplar Council, its members and the poplar community.
Top
International Poplar Symposium, Uppsala, Sweden
- Jim Richardson, Technical Director, Poplar
Council of Canada
Towards the end of a long hot dry summer in northern
Europe, an international poplar symposium dedicated to the biology
and management of poplars and willows was held in the historic
university town of Uppsala in central Sweden. It was the third
in a series of such symposia which have been organized at about
four-year intervals under the auspices of the International Union
of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Working Group 2.08.04.
The first IPS was held in 1995 in Seattle and inspired the publication
of the NRC Research Press book Biology of Populus and its Implications
for Management and Conservation. (This is the forerunner and
companion volume to the recently published volume on Poplar
Culture in North America with which the Poplar Council was
involved.) IPS II took place in Orléans, France in 1999.
IPS III was organized by the Swedish University
of Agricultural Sciences. The technical sessions took place on
the campus on the outskirts of Uppsala. Also collaborating in
the event were the International Poplar Commission (IPC) and the
Task on short-rotation forestry systems of the International Energy
Agency’s Bioenergy Agreement (IEA Bioenergy).
The symposium aimed to serve as a meeting place
to share experiences and results as well as to discuss new areas
and possibilities with regard to basic and applied aspects of
poplar and willow biology. This was accomplished through a series
of six technical sessions for presentation of papers. Two sessions
dealt with physiology of poplars and willows, one of them focussed
on recent developments in poplar molecular genomics, and the other
oriented more towards ecophysiology. Another two sessions dealt
with ecology and management, one devoted to the use of poplars
and willows for phytoremediation. There were also sessions on
breeding, and on interactions with insects and pathogens. In all,
34 interesting and very diverse papers were presented. Unfortunately,
there is no plan to publish the papers in a proceedings so this
wealth of information will be restricted to those who were able
to participate in the symposium and to obtain a copy of the book
of abstracts which was given to each registered participant.
Several key points emerged from the three days
of indoor technical sessions and one day field study tour. Firstly,
at least as represented by this symposium, the level of interest
and the amount of research on willows has increased substantially
to the point where it is now much closer to being in balance with
the effort on poplars. This partly reflects the particular situation
of Sweden, where poplar - the native European aspen, Populus
tremula, is closely akin to our trembling aspen, Populus
tremuloides - has never been considered an important forest
tree, but willows have been cultivated in short-rotation coppice
systems for the production of biomass for energy for 20 years.
Sweden is the acknowledged pioneer in willow energy plantations
and most of the research and development work has taken place
at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala.
The breeding, management and utilization of such
plantations was the focus of the symposium field tour to the nearby
town of Enköping. This community of 22,000 is supplied with
heat and electricity by a municipally-owned combined heat and
power plant burning exclusively biomass (50% forest residues,
20% bark, 10-15% sawdust, and 10% willows).
ENA Kraft combined heat and power plant, burning
forest fuels - including willows - to supply the city of Enköping,
pop. 22,000
Stig Larsson, willow breeder with Agrobransle
AB company, demonstrating 2-year-old willow plantation to IPS
III field tour participants
A second major conclusion from the symposium is
that very rapid advances have recently taken place in understanding
of the poplar (and to a lesser extent the willow) genome, to the
point where the poplar genome will soon be completely mapped.
Researchers at Canadian universities are actively involved in
this work, though none reported their research at this symposium.
For the traditional poplar grower or breeder, poplar molecular
genetics may seem a very specialized field of research, with its
own, rather arcane, methodology, acronyms and language, but this
work with poplars is close to the leading edge of science.
Finally, the environmental applications of poplar
and willow planting received considerable attention. Increasingly,
poplars and willows are being used for their capability to capture
and remove pollutants from wastewater and soil. Planted poplars
in agroforestry systems can also improve the environment for growing
agricultural crops or grazing livestock.
A total of 134 delegates participated in the symposium.
They came from 22 countries in Europe, Asia, Australasia and North
America. There were five participants from Canada, including three
Poplar Council members - Cees van Oosten, Barb Thomas and Jim
Richardson, from any of whom more information about the symposium
can be obtained.
Top
Student Intern's
Report
- Melanie Heller
When I accepted the student internship with the
Canadian Forest Service in June, I wasn't exactly sure what the
position would entail. Not having had much tree expertise under
my belt, I never imagined that there would be so much detail and
science. It is amazing how much there is to know about something
we see everyday in nature. A lot of people take our trees for
granted, but there is so much more to them than meets the eye.
It is a pleasure to have this opportunity to increase my awareness.
The Poplar Council library was one of my first
tasks as an intern with the PCC. It was a great and interesting
way to get to know the new field of forestry I was entering. It
gave me an opportunity to familiarize myself with new material.
I became aware of the increasing information requests, on topics
such as poplar research information, wood lot management, and
poplar growing advice. So one of my ongoing tasks is to find and
add articles on various poplar topics to the PCC library. Please
note, if there is any material you would like to have listed on
the web site, please forward the information to the Poplar Council.
My next project was assisting Sandra Williams,
my mentor at the Northern Forestry Centre, with her part in the
preparation of the 2002 CTIA, PPC and WFGA Conference held here
in Edmonton, Alberta. My experience with this conference gave
me great insight to the affiliates and associates in tree research
and industry, as well as various aspects of such industries. Not
to mention all the great people I met. I really enjoyed the mill
tour I took to Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries, and found the
conference sessions I was able to attend very interesting and
informative.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
Sandra Williams and colleagues for their insight and assistance
throughout my time with the Poplar Council. Before I came into
the Poplar Council a tree was just that, a tree. My eyes were
opened with a new -found respect for those in the forestry industry.
Top
Treasurer's Report
- Lee Charleson
The year 2001 was a quiet year without any new
projects. Both total operating income and operating expenses were
significantly lower that the previous year. The year closed with
a net operating loss of $10,345.49.
A carry-over activity from the IPC meeting was
the production of the Poplar Culture book in 2001. Income from
a federal grant and from the USDA offset the cost of producing
the book. The Secretariat has unfinished projects which are reflected
in the accounts payable with greater details in notes 3 and 4.
The GIC reserves were not utilized.
Budgeting for 2002 will differ from previous years.
Expenses toward the Executive Secretary’s services will decrease
since Sandra Williams has become an employee of the Canadian Forest
Service. Other changes include projects proposed by the Technical
Committee’s that will require funding if they go ahead this year.
The PCC financial statements were prepared by
Harris S. May in July 2002. Mr. May found that the statements
are a fair representation of the financial position of the Poplar
Council of Canada. Note that the statements are not audited.
Top
Upcoming
Events
Poplar Council of Canada Annual
Meeting 2003
The PCC Annual Meeting will be held
in Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, September 16 -19, 2003. The meeting
will be jointly organized by UQAT (University of Quebec in Abitibi-Temiscamingue),
RLQ (Réseau Ligniculture Québec) and CTRI (Centre
de Transfert des Résidus Industriels). Watch the PCC web
site at www.poplar.ca for
details.
XXI World Forestry Congress
The XXI World Forestry Congress,
"Forests, Source of Life", will be held in Québec
City, Québec, September 21 - 28, 2003. For more information
on the congress, see www.wfc2003.org
for details.
1st World Congress
of Agroforestry
The 1st World Congress
of Agroforestry, "Working Together for Sustainable Land-use
Systems", will be held in Orlando, Florida, USA, June 27
- July 2, 2004. For more information on the congress, see www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/WCA/
Top
Photos
from CTIA-PCC-WFGA Conference, July 2002
Dr. Barb Thomas leading the poplar farm research
tour at Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.
Tim Gylander describing Populus davidiana
trial at Weyerhaeuser Nursery, Drayton Valley field tour
Smoky Lake field tour, Region D1 White Spruce
Seedling Seed Orchard
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