What started in 2021 as a small-scale forest inventory of private land across two counties in the Eastern Ontario Model Forest has grown to become Ontario’s first province-wide forest inventory of private lands since 1979.
Led by the Eastern Ontario Model Forest and the Ontario Woodlot Association, this pan-Ontario forest inventory is pooling national and provincial funding from a variety of sources, and engaging teams of college and university students to produce a high-quality, and fully public forest inventory of private lands across the province.
Figure 1 Point cloud showing a conifer stand from which can be derived tree height, volume, and other characteristics.
Using existing Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing data and high-resolution satellite imagery, the inventory is generating updated and wide-ranging information, including on tree andwildlife species, wetlands and water flow, as well as existing infrastructure on private lands.
“A forest inventory is the foundation for understanding everything from harvests to ecosystem processes, biodiversity, and wildlife habitats – all of the things that make a forest ecosystem healthy,” says John Pineau, Executive Director of the Eastern Ontario Model Forest and Ontario Woodlot Association.
“The inventory we’re developing is already helping thousands of private land owners and forestry experts to improve and manage forest health and productivity,” he adds.
Big Ambitions, Small First Steps
Pineau says the key to reaching this provincial scope was to start small, and seek out trusted partnerships to scale up. With the help of a forest conservation intern from the University of Toronto, the Eastern Ontario Model Forest first conducted a private lands forest inventory pilot in 2021 across the Eastern Ontario counties of Prescott and Russell.
This pilot helped to secure CND$10,000 in funding from the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) to develop a scoping study that, in turn, opened the door to a CND$50,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to produce a second private lands forest inventory for Ontario’s South Nation Conservation Authority.
Figure 2 Digital elevation model produced from LiDAR to model hydrological characteristics of the landscape.
In less than a year, these two pilots produced close to 900,000 ha of new, state-of-the-art forest inventory.
“This is when things got really exciting,” says Pineau. “We then made another proposal to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Nature-Smart Climate Solutions Fund, and we were able to secure a CND$1.2 million grant over five years to do forest resource inventory for private lands across the entire province of Ontario.”
Since then, several funds under Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources, along with private companies including Cascades, have come to the table with funding, which now totals CDN$3 million between 2022 and 2027.
This funding is being used, in part, to train more than 80 students to date from the University of Toronto, Algonquin College and Fleming College.
“It’s been a great opportunity to apply the skills we’ve learned in college on a real project that matters,” says Eric Leger, Algonquin College forestry student and forest inventory intern. “It’s one thing to imagine what our work contributes to, but to see the impacts of our actions, and of our education, is so valuable.”
Figure 3 OWA staff and Forest Tech students conducting calibration plot exercises for the LiDAR based forest inventory
“The Eastern Ontario Model Forest’s step-wise success with its forest inventory is an inspiring example for our entire Network of Model Forests,” says Richard Verbisky, Head of the IMFN Secretariat. “It shows how you can build on one small investment to achieve a broader set of projects, all with the ultimate aim of helping communities and landowners to sustainably manage their lands.”
The Next Step: Optimizing Accessibility
The Eastern Ontario Model Forest’s province-wide forest inventory is now being used across a diverse range of organizations and initiatives, including programs under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Forest Stewardship Council, community forest owners’ cooperatives, ‘30×30’ land and water conservation efforts, as well as in municipal forest bylaws.
Moving forward, the Eastern Ontario Model Forest plans to make the province-wide inventory fully accessible to the public via a website, where property owners and professional foresters can access the data and apply it to their work. The online portal is expected to be available by February 2025 on the Ontario Woodlot Association website.
The Model Forest and Ontario Woodlot Association also plan to provide basic training via online workshops to ensure users can get the most out of the data to advance and improve their sustainable forest management practices.
“Developing this inventory, mentoring young forest professionals, deepening partnerships – this has been one of the most rewarding and high-value projects I’ve worked on in my 40-year career,” says Pineau.
Learn more about:
The Eastern Ontario Model Forest
The Forest Inventory Program of the Eastern Ontario Model Forest and Ontario Woodlot Association
Video: Canadian Institute of Forestry’s E-Lecture Series with the IMFN – featuring John Pineau
