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Inside This Issue

• Chairman's Annual Report
• Technical Director's Annual Report
• Executive Secretary's Annual Report
• Treasurer's Annual Report
• Obituary - Louis Zsuffa
• Western Boreal Aspen Corporation
• Paprican Studies Advancing Industrial Plantation Planning
• Slocan Group - Fort Nelson Operations

Chairman’s Annual Report

John J. Doornbos

This is the seventh Chairman’s Report I have provided to the members of the Poplar Council of Canada.

Last year, Forest 2020 was a discussion item, this year it is a reality. Forest 2020 is an initiative developed by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) a number of years ago. The intent was to increase the production of timber on private and public lands through the use of faster growing species and enhanced forestry practices while at the same time increasing the amount of land available for conservation.

Forest 2020/Greencover was announced in August as a federal component of the CCFM initiative. Forest 2020/Greencover will improve Canada’s capacity to create a strategic carbon reservoir in addition to increasing fiber supply. The intent of this program is three fold:

• to provide demonstrations of fast growing plantations across Canada,
• to support technical and science activities related to afforestation and
• to explore and develop options for channeling additional investment into additional plantations.

More on this new initiative will be provided as this program rolls out.

Two years ago, we went through a workshop process to examination poplar science and research priorities. Out of that process came three Working Groups: the Genetics and Breeding Working Group, the Herbicide Registration Working Group and a group to develop a user’s guide to poplar establishment. The Genetics and Breeding and the Herbicide groups have been quite active and will provide reports at our meeting. The user’s guide group has struggled to get activities under way. This important activity has the potential to provide poplar user’s at all levels with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively establish poplar plantations. With Forest 2020/Greencover about to begin, the need for this kind of product is significant and there may an opportunity for Poplar Council to serve this important need.

For many years, the forestry community has discussed the issues and implications of addressing the many demands placed on provincial forest land. This discussion, and the actions that arose from it, is known as Integrated Resource Management and is part of what became Sustainable Forest Management. Another aspect of this discussion is the growing interest in using private land to meet some of these demands. As mentioned above, the forestry community is also looking at private land to meet some of its needs for fiber and for Carbon storage. Private land can also meet other environmental needs. Poplars can play an increasingly significant role in Environmental Stewardship.

As always, I would like to thank Sandra and Jim for their all their hard work this past year. I would like to express my thanks to the Working Groups for their efforts as well.

Technical Director's Annual Report

Jim Richardson

This is the seventh 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’ and ‘visits’ a month exceeding 10,000 and 1500 respectively, and increasing since fall 2002. I have maintained the site throughout the year, which is important to keep the information accurate and current. All recent PCC Newsletters are available on the website, including photos in full colour that are not available in the printed version. ‘Events’ and ‘Links’ are regularly updated and checked, as is the information about individual and corporate members in the ‘Members Only’ section of the site. The website is being increasingly used as a primary means of distributing PCC-related information. This includes making available an FAO questionnaire on genetic modification of forest crops, a recent contract opportunity for updating a poplar clone directory, and all information and registration forms for the 2003 annual meeting. A new section on ‘Reports’ has recently been added. This presently includes the Provincial reports presented to the 2002 annual meeting. It is hoped to make this more complete in future and to include Sectoral and Working Group reports. The usefulness of such sections of the website as ‘Events’, ‘Poplar Science’ and ‘Reports’ will be increased if members help by drawing our attention to information and news which could be added. Maintaining the website is now a major focus for most of the 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, or who are closer to the geographic location of the enquirer. Whenever possible, advantage is taken of the opportunity to promote Council membership in responding to enquiries from non-members.

International Dimension

At the end of August 2002, the third International Poplar Symposium was held in Uppsala, Sweden, bringing together poplar and willow scientists from many countries. There were 5 participants from Canada, including 3 members of PCC - Cees van Oosten, Barb Thomas and myself. Immediately following the Symposium, the Executive Committee of the International Poplar Commission (IPC) met at FAO Headquarters in Rome. Both Canadian members of the Committee - Gordon Miller, Director General, Science, Canadian Forest Service, and myself - participated. One of the key decisions of that meeting was the recommendation - subsequently accepted by the Director General of FAO - that the XXIInd Session of IPC be held in Chile and Argentina in 2004. A short informal meeting of the IPC Executive Committee is being held in conjunction with the PCC annual meeting this year, and is likely to focus on program planning for IPC2004.

Newsletters and Annual Meetings

The technical director makes regular contributions to the Council’s newsletter, including reports from meetings and other events. Three such articles were contributed to the two newsletter issues that have appeared in the past year, and I have also edited and reviewed others. Once again, the Council’s web site has been the primary source of information about this year’s annual meeting, and I have been involved in maintaining and continuously updating the extensive information about this event on the site. The organizing committee has done a superb job of putting together an excellent technical program for this meeting.

The Council’s Working Groups have been active this past year, particularly those on Genetics and Breeding and on Herbicide Registration. I have provided technical support and advice to these groups through the website and through participation in several conference calls with the Council’s executive and leaders of the working groups.

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 continues 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 calm support. Through her knowledge of and experience with the Council and its members, she is one of its most valuable assets.

Executive Secretary's Annual Report

Sandra J. Williams

I am pleased to file my fifth report to the Poplar Council of Canada. In this report I will briefly address membership, the newsletter, and conference contracts.

Members were invoiced at the beginning of April and the majority of payments were received by July. Since the PCC offers a discounted three-year individual membership at $90.00, I was required to send out 60+ invoices this year. Membership numbers remain approximately the same as last year with a slight decrease in individual memberships from 68 to 63 members this year. The decrease can be attributed to retirement and/or moving without indicating a change of address. Of the current 63 individual members, 41 have taken out one-year memberships, 19 are three-year members, and 3 are associate members. Associate members include members of the US Poplar Council Executive and the PCC past chair.

Corporate membership currently stands at 20 members, up two from 18 members in 2002, with 57 affiliates. The Poplar Council is very pleased to welcome our new members, including individual members Annie DesRochers and Jean Brouard and corporate members, PAPRICAN and Réseau Ligniculture Québec. We encourage our new members to take an active role in the affairs of the Poplar Council.

Twenty forestry and resource libraries across Canada are included in the membership mailing list. In total, the PCC has 160 members, 23 of which (associates and libraries) are non-paying. New members usually find out about the Poplar Council by word of mouth and through the PCC web site. With effective membership submission now available on the web site, membership drives have not been done for quite a few years.

Since our last Annual Business Meeting in July of 2002 at Edmonton, Alberta, the PCC Secretariat has produced two newsletters, one in December 2002 and another in July 2003. We have had considerable input for news items from our members across Canada and we encourage members to continue communicating and updating their activities to colleagues through the PCC newsletter. I am especially grateful to Jim Richardson for his many interesting contributions to the newsletter.

The Secretariat has had two "fee for service" contracts in 2002-03. As discussed in detail in my last report, in July 2002 the Secretariat provided registration services to the joint conference of the Canadian Tree Improvement Association, the Western Forest Genetics Association, and the PCC held in Edmonton, Alberta.

More recently, the Secretariat provided conference registration services to the First Nation Forestry Program of the Canadian Forest Service in Edmonton. The regional conference, "Emerging Issues and Opportunities in Aboriginal Forestry", was held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on March 4^th-6^th. The conference was very well attended with a total of 189 delegates from across Canada.

In addition to my work with the Poplar Council I currently continue to work with the CFS on the CIDA-funded Southeast Asia Fire Danger Rating System Project. The project will be wrapping up in 2004. I sincerely thank John and Jim for making this year another interesting one and for their investment of time and energy into the PCC.

Treasurer’s Annual Report

Lee Charleson

The year 2002 ended favourably for the PCC with a net operating surplus of $4,420.67. Revenues were derived from 3 sources - individual and corporate membership dues, interest from investments, and the fee for registration services for the joint Canadian Tree Improvement Association, Poplar Council of Canada and Western Forest Genetics meeting in July, 2002.

At the end of the year there were accounts payable to four organizations. These were past projects that the PCC Executive Secretariat had worked on. Most of the accounts payable were paid out early in 2003.

The GIC investments were renewed. The current GICs are earning very little due to the current low rates of return.

I would like to express thanks to the Executive Secretary and Technical Director for the tremendous work they conduct and I should add that everything was accomplished on a very strict budget. It was good to have Melanie Heller on board for the latter half of the year, especially around the time of the July meeting. Also, I appreciate the use of office space made available at the Northern Forestry Centre building of the CFS without charge to the PCC.

The PCC financial statements were prepared by Harris S. May in July 2003. 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.

Louis Zsuffa August 25, 1927-November 14, 2003 John Balatinecz, University of Toronto, and Jim Richardson, Poplar Council of Canada

Louis Zsuffa devoted his entire professional life to the study, cultivation and breeding of poplars and willows. He was born in Sombor, in the Province of Vojvodina, Yugoslavia, on August 25, 1927. He received his forestry education at the University of Zagreb, where he also obtained his Ph.D. in Forest Genetics in 1964. It was in Zagreb that he met his wife, Mara, and they were married in 1953. On an American Fellowship, Louis studied poplar breeding and cultivation in Italy and France.

Louis’s independent scientific work on poplar genetics started at the Poplar Research Institute in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia, and was later continued with a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto (1966-1967). In 1967, he joined the Research Branch (later to become the Ontario Tree Improvement and Forest Biomass Institute) of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources as a Research Scientist. He was instrumental in setting up the highly successful poplar research and breeding program in the Province of Ontario. His genetics research also extended to softwood species, such as white pine. During his tenure at OMNR, Louis developed extensive research collaboration in tree genetics throughout Canada and the United States.

In 1984, Louis returned to the Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, as Professor of Forest Genetics. The University provided a unique forum where he was able to combine his outstanding scientific knowledge and experience with the advanced education and research of a new generation of young professionals and scientists. To his many Canadian and international students, Louis was more than "just a professor"; he was a mentor and a trusted friend. In addition to his teaching of undergraduate forestry students, he supervised the research of three Post-Doctoral Fellows, 13 Ph.D. and 14 Masters students, and served on numerous graduate student research committees. Louis also hosted visiting researchers and professors from such countries as China, Korea, India, Sweden, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Yugoslavia, Hungary and the United States. He authored over 250 scientific publications and technical reports, and presented scholarly addresses around the world.

Louis was a founding member of the Poplar Council of Canada. As the Council’s Chair for many years, he had a major influence on its scientific and technical direction. Through his international collaboration and contacts in the International Poplar Commission, he was able to ensure that Canadian work on selection and breeding of poplars and willows benefited from expertise, materials and experience throughout the world. In the early 1990s, Louis proposed a Poplar Clonal Certification scheme for poplar material grown and distributed in Canada. The scheme was endorsed by the Poplar Council, but proved to be ahead of its time when it came to adoption by growers. However, the current interest in poplars for carbon sequestration may lead to recognition of the need for clear authentication of poplar planting stock identity, something that was very important to Louis. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to poplar breeding and growing, the book, ‘Poplar Culture in North America’, published in 2001 by the National Research Council of Canada in association with the Poplar Councils of Canada and the United States, was dedicated to him.

Louis’expertise was sought by international development agencies for the developing world. Thus, he gave special lectures and participated in collaborative projects in China, India, Malaysia, Nepal and Costa Rica. He served in executive positions for several international scientific and technical organizations, including the International Poplar Commission of FAO, the Biomass Energy Agreement of the International Energy Agency, the International Union of Forest Research Organizations and the Poplar Council of Canada. In recognition of his scientific achievements and international collaboration, Louis received numerous honours and awards; among them, the Gold Medal for Scientific Achievement of the Canadian Institute of Forestry, the Japan Prize in Science and Technology of Biological Production, and the Rolex Award for Enterprise. He was nominated for the prestigious Marcus Wallenberg Prize of Sweden.

Private corporations also sought Louis’s expertise and advice, including Domtar Inc., the Kenora Division of Abitibi Consolidated, Tembec Inc., Iogen Corporation, and Ontario Hydro in Canada, and Weyerhaeuser Inc., Potlatch Corporation and TreeTec Environmental Corporation in the US.

Louis was always a kind, gentle and generous person, showing support and understanding to students, colleagues and personal friends alike. In fact, many of his former students and colleagues became his personal friends.

Louis Zsuffa’s greatest legacy and achievement, as a pioneer in poplar and willow genetics, can be seen around the globe, from the shores of the Danube, to the lowlands of China, the rolling hills of Southern Ontario and many places in between, where poplar and willow plantations grace the landscape and benefit the rural economy. But it does not end there. Louis’s gentle spirit lives on in the lives and work of those he touched who continue to study, select, breed, plant, tend and grow poplars and willows.

Western Boreal Aspen Corp.: The Organization and its Research Program

Lee Charleson and Jean Brouard

Western Boreal Aspen Corporation (WBAC) began as an aspen tree improvement cooperative in 1992. Since that time the program has grown to include poplars and research and development of silviculture techniques for plantation establishment. The focus of our program is to ensure that future hardwood fibre needs can be met. Current members are Ainsworth Lumber, Daishowa-Marubeni International, Footner Forest Products Ltd. and Weyerhaeuser Company.

Results from two trials were presented at meetings in 2003. WBAC geneticist, Jean Brouard, attended the Western Forest Genetics meeting to present a paper entitled "An effective, efficient, and economical method of mass propagation for aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.)". This paper concludes that propagation of aspen by use of rootlings (plants started from small root segments) appears to be a viable method for mass propagation. WBAC will continue to conduct further refinements of the propagation protocols. WBAC also displayed a poster at the 2003 PCC meeting in Rouyn-Noranda outlining these propagation methods. Tim Gylander attended this meeting and delivered a paper entitled "Five year growth of Chinese aspen (Populus davidiana) in Central Alberta". The principal findings are that: Chinese aspen survives and grows fast under Alberta conditions; WBAC plans to clone the superior individuals and test them on several sites; and WBAC is interested in hybridizing P. davidiana with native P. tremuloides. In 2004, WBAC expects to have results of its P. tremula trials and make 5-year growth comparisons between P. tremuloides, P. tremula and P. davidiana. We will also have 5-year growth results of a P. tremuloides provenance trial, and the first clonal trial analyses for native aspen.

For further information please contact Lee Charleson at wbac@telusplanet.net.

Paprican Studies Advancing Industrial Plantation Planning

Simon Potter

Paprican, Vancouver, B.C.

Canadian forests are under pressure. Increasing demands from a wide variety of stakeholders are resulting in severe challenges to the industrial resource availability and its quality. To address these challenges, which include reforestation, aforestation, sustainability, multiple use and stakeholder demands, industrial plantations must now be considered.

In Canada, rapid growing Populus species represent the most likely candidates for cold climate plantations. Numerous breeding programs to select "superior" phenotypes, and to assess performance under a variety of silvicultural regimes, have been developed across Canada. Qualities that have been selected for to date include rapid growth, stem straightness, high wood density, small branches, tolerance to cold, and disease and pest resistance. Recently, critical industrial end-use properties such as fibre dimensions have become more readily measurable and these measured properties are now being increasingly included as selection criteria for breeding programs.

The comprehensive wood and fibre quality information required to accomplish this goal will be available in North America from the Paprican-led Evalutree initiative. This is a world-leading facility designed to allow a synergistic, holistic approach to wood and fibre analysis. It includes exclusive North American access to the CSIRO-developed, award-winning SilviScan technology. Information from this facility will become immensely valuable as reductions take place in the fibre content for high-value, light-weight paper grades. These grades require long and slender fibres, like those of black spruce, traditionally regarded as the benchmark for papermaking fibres.

Since 1997, Paprican has had a research program examining the wood and fibre quality of Populus species (specifically aspen and cottonwood species). To underpin this effort, a database of unprecedented depth and complexity for the growth and quality aspects of these species has been generated. The database is designed to develop a DNA-based approach to the rapid screening of both natural and plantation populations and the selection of superior phenotypes. This is based on critical-to-quality traits such as fibre dimensions for industrial application. The research is also exploring the use of these species as a model system for forest-tree genomics.

This program has been highly successful, identifying a number of regions of the Populus genome (Quantitative Trait Loci, QTL) that contain genes implicated in the control of such critical wood quality characteristics as fibre length, microfibril angle and pulp yield. Paprican has also developed a number of gene-associated DNA markers for these traits which are currently under development and testing with partners at the Genome BC "Treenomix" program. These markers will represent a uniquely valuable selection and diagnostic tool for tree breeding and superior clone selection initiatives for Canadian cold climate plantations based on Populus species. They will also complement the germplasm-repository information contained within the Populus directory of clonal material currently under development by Paprican and the Poplar Council of Canada, for release in 2004.

Paprican (The Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada) is a not-for-profit research and educational organization. It operates research laboratories in Pointe-Claire, Québec, and Vancouver, British Columbia. It also has a technology transfer centre at Prince George, British Columbia. Approximately 340 scientists, engineers and support staff work at these locations. Education and postgraduate research programs are based at the Pulp and Paper Research Centre at McGill University, the Pulp and Paper Centre at The University of British Columbia, and on the campus of Ecole Polytechnique. Paprican’s sponsors are its’ Member Companies. For more information, visit www.paprican.ca .

Slocan Group - Fort Nelson Operations

Stephanie Smith

Slocan, Fort Nelson, B.C.

Slocan Group - Fort Nelson Operations has some of the best quality aspen in British Columbia. Our stands are disease free for longer periods of time, and are higher volume than most stands in the province. The aspen stands can have 3 compositions, either pure aspen, or an aspen dominated stand with a co-dominant layer of spruce or a conifer dominated stand with a deciduous co-dominant layer. The Woodlands Division supplies 2 mills that can use conifer and aspen in varying amounts, therefore, the establishment of both species on site is of interest.

In the years 1996-2000, Slocan set up several silviculture system trials (one and two pass systems) in conjunction with FERIC. The purpose of these trials was to try to protect some of the understory spruce in an attempt to create a conifer leading deciduous stand for the next rotation. The trials were set up to monitor the effects of varying widths and shapes of wind buffers and the effect of "operator avoidance areas" on spruce retention and deciduous regeneration.

Operator avoidance areas are areas where the machine operators are instructed to avoid as much spruce understory as possible. The alternate to this instruction is to have preset corridors that the operator will use for bunching and extraction. One concern with the creation of corridors is the influence of shading on aspen regeneration. Patch retention has also been developed as a trial to see if patch versus corridors has an effect on the aspen regeneration.

The benefit of the understory protection is the use of the presently non-merchantable spruce in the future rotation. One short-term result that has come from these trials is the importance of selecting stands with understory spruce of good health and vigor. With the recent budworm attack in our area, the impact on the understory spruce is quite significant, and can be noted in the slow release of the understory spruce, if there is any evidence of release. New standards were established for understory acceptability in response to some of the short-term results we saw in the Operation. The suppression of the spruce and the amount of suppression and damage were not initially recognized on some sites that were initially placed in the trial, and this has now influenced the results we see today, especially when today’s standards are applied.

Presently, we manage spruce and conifer on distinct areas of an opening. This allows stocking standards and free growing standards to be met with relative ease, as there are no mixedwood standards established. Trials have been recently established to monitor the interactions between spruce and aspen regeneration on site. This trial is a replicated trial on several deciduous blocks. We have planted areas with varying densities of spruce (e.g. 400, 600,800, 1000 stems/ha), and will manage deciduous densities to various densities. This type of trial will allow for the impact of varying densities of aspen on spruce growth and mortality. The results will help assist with identifying thresholds for both aspen and spruce densities for stand establishment, and free growing criteria in the stands of mixed species. These trials are 2 years old and in the establishment stage.

For further information, please contact Stephanie Smith at ssmith@fn.slocan.com.

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Last edit: 2004-11-22