New technology helping plan the forests of the future in Sudbury
Sudbury's celebrated re-greening efforts are continuing to inspire Canadian researchers.
Scientists are using new technology to help plan forests, including a pilot project going on in Sudbury.
PlantR is an interactive tool created by Isabelle Aubin and her team at Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie. Aubin said it’s a way to ensure new forests thrive by including the right plant species for that specific area.
“When we select species to plant, you know, it's an important ecological question but it's also an important question to make sure that we get the maximum of what we want from those trees we plant," she said.
"This tool (is) a virtual thinking tool that helps the forest managers to select the species to plant to get more of their restoration goals."
The interactive platform uses a data-rich algorithm to generate solutions for forest managers. Although still in the early stages, the initial response to its potential as a modelling tool has been promising.
“Personally I have played with it somewhat to try it out and see what kind of plants it might tell me to use," said Peter Beckett, chair of VETAC, Sudbury's regreening advisory panel.
"There are some we haven’t considered before and … some that might be adapted to ones we might have to use due to climate change in Sudbury because we know it's going to get warmer and perhaps more dry on the landscapes during the summer."
Despite making great strides in ecological recovery, Sudbury still has challenges when it comes to elevated water quality and the lack of organic soil matter.
That makes it the perfect place to test out the new technology.
“When the program first started way back in 1978, there were just a few grasses that could be used," said Beckett.
"But we used about 75 other species in the regreening effort in Sudbury based upon the characteristics of those species and the great thing about the app is that all of these characteristics are now in one place."
PlantR is already being put to good use through a joint project between Laurentian and College Boreal that has researchers looking at how abandoned gravel pits may be restored.
The hope is that eventually PlantR will be able to be used not only across northern Ontario, but Canada and beyond.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
South Korean sentenced to 14 months in jail for killing 76 cats
South Korean man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for killing 76 cats in one of the country's most gruesome cases of animal cruelty in recent years.