Renewable Resources News Archive

Renowned ecologist and environmental scientist Peter Reich inspires the U of A community

Peter Reich joined us as a distinguished visitor from September 14 to 24 and shared his knowledge through events with students, researchers and members of the public.

Invasive earthworms are changing the soil in Canada’s boreal forests

Shifts in microbial communities just below the forest floor could have wide-ranging effects, say researchers.

Convocation ‘23: Ferf Brownoff, BSc Environmental and Conservation Sciences

Something about the cicadas’ unique design and sound piqued a curiosity about the natural world that Ferf Brownoff wanted to explore in depth at the University of Alberta.

Convocation ‘23: Prem Pokharel, PhD Soil Science

Inspired by his parents' careful stewardship of their farmland, Prem Pokharel decided to deepen his knowledge about sustainable agriculture and soil science.

Could growing crops under solar panels provide food and energy at the same time?

Researchers are assessing the potential of agrivoltaics to help tackle two sustainability challenges.

New tool helps communities shore up their wildfire defences

Easy-to-use, inexpensive method maps where fires are likely to blaze a trail into populated areas.

Tree diversity increases carbon storage, soil fertility in forests

New study could help guide long-term conservation and reforestation efforts by government and industry.

Do trees really ‘talk’ to each other through underground fungal networks?

U of A expert contests popular claims about a “wood-wide web.”

Thawing ‘country of permafrost’ likely to emit as much greenhouse gas as a large industrial nation

International study lays out future scenarios based on how effective global policies are in reducing emissions and meeting temperature targets.

Let's Talk Teaching: Robert Froese

Robert Froese recently joined ALES as the inaugural holder of the U of A's Endowed Chair in Forest Growth & Yield. Learn more about Robert, his passion for forests and even how to measure the cross-sectional area of a tree below.

Celebrating Staff: Allie Dunlop

Allie Dunlop is a department teaching lab coordinator with Renewable Resources. Learn a bit more about Allie and her role inside and outside the lab.

Keeping trees near farmland pays environmental dividends

Shelterbelts and hedgerows improve carbon storage and reduce emissions of a potent greenhouse gas by an average of 89 per cent, study shows.

Awards and accolades: Summer 2022

Join us in celebrating some of the recent achievements of our students and faculty members.

Plant diversity promotes healthier land: study

Maintaining a mix of species boosts a crucial soil nutrient, according to the first global study of its kind.

New soil database will help Alberta farmers plot out sustainable practices

Researchers dig into decades’ worth of data to gauge soil health across the province and support efficient land management.

Awards and accolades: June 2022

Join us in celebrating some of the recent achievements of our students and faculty members.

Awards and accolades: April 2022

Join us in celebrating some of the recent achievements of our students and faculty members.

Indigenous perspectives bring ‘feeling and caring’ into conservation planning

As equal partners, Indigenous and western knowledge can help redefine land and wildlife management as a relationship with nature, says doctoral researcher.

Perennial rye crop shows potential for greener agriculture

Experimental crop absorbed carbon dioxide equivalent to a vehicle burning 35,000 litres of gasoline, unlike more common annual versions, study shows.

Awards and accolades: March 2022

Join us in celebrating some of the recent achievements of our alumni, students and faculty members.

‘A whole world under our feet’: How bugs and worms could help restore land after industrial use

Tiny soil dwellers may offer a fuller picture of how well reclamation efforts are working.

Containment, not eradication, key to managing invasive species in Alberta lake: study

New research yields critical information about the Chinese mystery snail that could help management efforts.

Grazing technique that mirrors natural patterns helps protect grasslands from drought

U of A research could help ranchers adapt to climate change and preserve vital ecosystems.

Awards and accolades: January 2022

Join us in celebrating some of the recent achievements of our students, staff and faculty.

New mentorship program puts U of A graduates on path to careers in energy sector

A recent PhD grad and a mentor talk about their experiences and the mutual benefits of mentorship.

New tools will yield better estimates of methane emissions from northern permafrost

U of A researchers contribute to a bigger global picture that will help predict greenhouse gas emissions and inform policy now and in the future.

Eight worst wildfire weather years on record happened in the last decade: study

Lower humidity and higher temperatures are driving extreme weather that makes wildfires more frequent and intense, say experts.

U of A graduates rank among most employable in the world

Strong partnerships with employers bolster university’s position among top 100 globally and top five in Canada, according to latest QS rankings.

Forestry field school gets a makeover for a growing industry

Vital learning experience — a rite of passage for the past 50 years — reimagined for safety and sustainability.

Schulich Leaders aim to put their love of technology to work solving problems and helping others

Six exceptional students beginning STEM studies at the U of A this year have received a financial boost to help them realize their educational and entrepreneurial dreams.

Coal mining waste material more than 90 per cent effective at removing heavy metal

Nano humus works like a sponge that attaches to and holds cadmium, a common byproduct of mining, U of A research shows.

How U of A researchers are helping Alberta’s forestry sector innovate to improve

A team of scientists is looking into new ways to develop trees that grow faster, resist insects and disease, and are resilient in a changing climate.

University of Alberta and TELUS partner on a 5G ‘living lab’

$15-million investment focuses U of A’s innovation and commercialization capacity in areas of strength, starting with precision agriculture and autonomous vehicle systems.

New U of A research chair will help strengthen sustainability of Alberta’s forest industries

$4-million endowed chair will focus on improving growth and yield of forests, informing industry management plans and educating the next generation of forestry professionals.

Research reveals new clues to hunting habits of elusive falcons

Study conducted at Edmonton grain terminal gives a rare glimpse into urban behaviour of birds of prey that are difficult to observe in the wild.

Scientists find Australian wildfire smoke has circled the globe

Wildland fire scientist Mike Flannigan (ALES) notes that this isn't the first time smoke from a major fire has travelled across the planet, and comments on the health effects of prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke.

'Fire clouds': After Australia, scientists warn the erratic weather phenomenon could become a new reality (NBC News)

Mike Flannigan (ALES) comments about the effects of pyrocumulonimbus clouds generated by intense wildfires, noting that one cloud created by the Fort McMurray wildfire of 2016 sparked new fires 20 to 30 kilometres downwind.

Australia's wildfire crisis faces a new foe: Misinformation

Mike Flannigan (ALES) says it's unreasonable to think the actions of two dozen possible offenders could have caused such destruction, with 20 million acres already scorched and more than 120 fires still active across southeastern Australia.

Statement from President Turpin

U of A deeply mourns following plane crash in Iran

Victor Lieffers: Protecting forests under fire

"The issue is not unsustainable logging. The problem is climate change."

Experts say climate change is driving up the risk of Australia-like wildfires in Canada

Wildland fire professor Mike Flannigan (ALES) says "climate change's fingerprints are all over these Australian fires" and play the same role in raising the risk in Canada.

Australia wildfires developing their own dangerous weather systems - New Zealand skies turn orange

The wildfires that are ravaging parts of Australia are burning through vegetation under such extreme conditions the blazes are generating enough heat to create their own weather systems, including fire-generated thunderstorms and fire tornadoes.

Q&A: How climate change, other factors stoke Australia fires

Australia's unprecedented wildfires are supercharged thanks to climate change, the type of trees catching fire and weather, Mike Flannigan (ALES) told the Washington Post.

Downstream of oilsands, death by cancer comes too often

Story mentions research by U of A professor emeritus David Schindler (Science) and geochemist William Shotyk (ALES) on levels of contaminants in waterways near oilsands operations, including the Athabasca River.

Pine trees with larger resin ducts better able to survive mountain pine beetle attack

Discovery could help regenerate pine stands blighted by beetle attacks.

'This is not normal': Alberta suffered second worst wildfire season on record

Alberta's scorching wildfire season, which came to an end on Oct. 31, was the second worst wildfire season in the province's history and saw approximately 884,000 hectares burned. Mike Flannigan (ALES) comments that this is human-caused climate change and it is a new reality.

Study: Alien grasses are making more frequent U.S. wildfires

Scientists find recipe for greener garden waste disposal

Adding manure and crop leftovers to leaves and clippings helps earthworms digest them-and speeds up composting by 80 per cent, researchers find.

Leaving more deadwood in forests enhances biodiversity: study

Increasing the amount of dead trees in protected forests boosts populations of species that depend on it for habitat, research review shows.

U of A grads among most employable in Canada, according to new QS rankings

University ranks second in graduate employment rate and employer-student connections.

Fish DNA in lake sediment can help determine native species, study shows

New research by U of A biologists could aid fish conservation efforts in provincial parks in Alberta and British Columbia.

U of A researcher using AI to get a step ahead of wildfires

New tools could map out complex weather data to help firefighters predict where forest fires are likely to break out.

Seismic lines helped butterflies survive Fort McMurray wildfire, study shows

Cleared corridors used to locate oil reserves were mostly undamaged and provided refuge for plants and insects as surrounding forest burned, ALES researcher finds.

Pine trees send chemical warning to each other when pine beetles attack

New U of A research first to show that lodgepole pines release chemicals to warn related trees of threat and help them boost defences.

Environmental research boosts U of A standing in latest Shanghai rankings

ALES Faculty ranked 33rd in the world for Agricultural Sciences. Engineering, MBA, agriculture, earth science and nursing programs among standouts in new subject rankings.

Could biochar, farm trees solve climate crisis?

Post-doctoral fellow Michael Carson (ALES) is taking part in a five-year study led by Scott Chang (ALES) on how trees and biochar could enhance carbon storage in soil on farms.

Ontario wildfire officials say they expect 'increased demand' as infrastructure spreads north

ALES researcher Mike Flannigan comments on the amount of area that burns every year.

Could biochar, farm trees solve climate crisis?

Renewable Resources professor Scott Change is leading a five-year study on how trees and biochar could enhance carbon storage in soil on farms.

Why you shouldn't kill your friendly neighbourhood spiders

They may creep us out, but spiders in Alberta are mostly harmless to humans and helpful to the ecosystem, says U of A expert.

How a pine beetle is destroying the forests of the Canadian Rockies

Renewable Resources professor Nadir Erbilgin comments in a story about the widespread destruction - an area twice the size of Scotland.

Chemicals found in fungus could help in battle against mountain pine beetle

Renewable Resources professor Nadir Erbilgin comments in a story about the widespread destruction - an area twice the size of Scotland.

Cutting back forest in southern Rockies could cut risk of severe wildfires: study

Restoring grasslands lost to encroaching coniferous forest over the last 100 years could reduce risk of high-intensity fires by half, new research suggests.

Fewer trees in Alberta Rockies could mean more manageable wildfires, researcher says

Simulation technology shows that a century ago the landscape was mostly grasslands with a small mix of coniferous and deciduous trees.

Celebrating 90 years at Breton Plots

Visitors learned about the latest research from grad students, heard from guest speakers, and saw what researchers have unearthed.

Communities and homeowners can plan for wildfires

"If fire is possible in an area, then let's plan for it."

Satellites, artificial intelligence and human decisions: the future of wildfire management in Alberta

Researchers are looking to technology and education to help prepare for the increasing number of fires predicted

Researchers tracking Prussian carp activity

ALES researcher Mark Poesch's work is mentioned in a story about the increasing number of these fish

'Earthworm Dilemma' Has Climate Scientists Racing to Keep Up

ALES researcher Sylvie Quideau is quoted in a story about how earthworms are creating unknowns for climate-change models.

Pyro storms: a new danger in the era of wildfires

Pyrocumulonimbus clouds can wreak havoc on fire-suppression strategies, says Department of Renewable Resources wildland fire professor Mike Flannigan.

Canada's forests haven't absorbed more carbon than they've released since 2001

Canada's estimated emissions are vast underestimations of what is really being emitted, says Department of Renewable Resources professor of wildland fire Mike Flannigan.

Permafrost collapse is accelerating carbon release

ALES reseacher David Olefeldt was part of a study that suggests the sudden collapse of thawing soils in the Arctic might double the warming from greenhouse gases released from tundra.

More wildfires and changes in run-off a challenge for irrigation district

PhD student Chris Williams has been involved in a long-term study of the effects of the Lost Creek Fire in the Crowsnest Pass area.

Alberta grizzly bears will feel the effects of climate change

A group of scientists, including the U of A's Scott Nielsen (ALES) argue that an abbreviated, mid-summer ripening of buffaloberry will widen the gap between prime feeding season and hibernation. This could alter the reproductive rates of Alberta's threatened grizzly bear population.

B.C.'s worst wildfire seasons were in 2017 and 2018. What will happen in 2019?

Mike Flannigan (ALES) says a third consecutive year of record-breaking forest fires in B.C.-while unusual-is not out of the question.

What thawing Arctic permafrost means for Canada's North and the world

David Olefeldt comments in a story about the effects of permafrost thaw on ecology, hydrology and landscapes, and communities of the North.

This long, cold winter won't affect the 2019 fire season, says expert

ALES professor and wildland fire expert Mike Flannigan wants people to be vigilant and prepare for a wildfire season that peaks in May.

Rare butterfly species more abundant in older wider seismic lines

Renewable Resources post-doctoral fellow Federico Riva discovered that cranberry blue butterflies appear to exploit the extra sunshine and more diverse plant life provided by these corridors cleared of trees and shrubs.

Inhaling smoke from wildfires equal to smoking a few packs a day

ALES researcher Mike Flannigan comments on the dangers of wildfires to human health

Fire-induced storms: A new danger from the rise in wildfires

ALES' Mike Flannigan talks about wildfires that produce their own powerful thunderstorms

What happens to fish after a wildfire?

ALES researcher Uldis Silins and his team are researching the effects

The secret life of pinecones

The humble seed-bearers are as important to religious traditions as they are to forests, say U of A experts.

Is water killing white spruce?

A University of Alberta team is working to find out what's killing the White Spruce Forest.

NASA images show fires ravaging the planet

Record heatwaves have triggered wildfires while agricultural fires used to clear land are also burning around the world.

Scientists buck Trump, blaming climate change, not mismanagement, for wildfires

"We're in extreme climate change right now," one fire official said. "We're doing all that we can to prevent incidents and mitigate incidents and save lives."

Made-in-Alberta solutions will help keep our forests healthy

How to Protect Your Farm From Fire

Autumn brings dry prairie grass and an increased wildfire risk

How we can help Alberta's threatened forests

Nutrient balance key to avoiding sulphur deficient soils

Production of more high-sulphur demand crops such as pulses and canola is creating a shortage in some fields, according to a new study by Miles Dyck (ALES).

Worst of B.C. wildfire season likely over - for a few months

"The climate is changing and this is the new reality," says wildfire expert Mike Flannigan professor in Renewable Resources (ALES)

The future looks grim after 2 years of devastating B.C. wildfires

Scientists say climate change models need to be revised after back-to-back summers of wildfire emergencies. Mike Flannigan (ALES) is quoted.

A world on fire: Shocking NASA image reveals the fires ravaging the globe as temperature records around the world fall

NASA has revealed an incredible image from its Worldview satellite showing actively burning fires around the globe. It reveals the incredible areas covered by both wildfires and agricultural fires used to clear land, and comes as record heatwaves have triggered wildfires around the globe. Mike Flannigan (ALES) comments in the article.

Why we're losing the fight against wildfires

This opinion piece argues that as B.C. burns, fire prevention and fighting are still underfunded, and science neglected, and cites research being done by Mike Flannigan (ALES).

Forest fires can impact the water as well as the air

Researchers from the University of Alberta say increased runoff can add contaminants to our mountain water. Uldis Silins (ALES), who co-led the research, is interviewed.

Sweltering summers linked to rapidly warming Arctic

Rising polar temperatures may be changing summer weather patterns. Mike Flannigan (ALES) discusses.

In soil carbon measurements, tools tell the tale

Soil scientists are only as good as the tools and methods they use. And when it comes to estimating soil organic carbon stocks, new research by Cole Gross (ALES) shows not all tools give the same results.

'Hard on water:' Wildfire smoke can affect nearby water bodies for more than a decade, researchers say

Smoke isn't the only way wildfires affect people and places far from the flames. Researchers are studying how blackened forests affect ecosystems and water quality far downstream just as hundreds of blazes in British Columbia are darkening skies as far east as Manitoba. Uldis Silins (ALES) is interviewed.

British Columbia wildfires worse due to climate change

In Canada, currently west coast British Columbia has been hardest hit with ongoing states of emergency, now extended to the entire province. Mike Flannigan (ALES) discusses.

Wildfires the cause of likely 'irreversible' permafrost thaw in Western Canada

People and infrastructure in Canada's North will have to adapt to shifting ecosystems, says researcher.

How climate change is making B.C.'s wildfire season hotter, longer, drier

Scientists fear 'vicious, vicious cycle'. Mike Flannigan (ALES) referenced and interviewed.

Warming affects blazes, but not everywhere or every time

As California continues to burn under some of its largest infernos ever recorded, scientists largely agree that the fingerprint of climate change can be found in the ashes. Hotter, drier conditions are priming the western United States for longer fire seasons and bigger, hotter blazes. Research conducted by wildfire specialist Mike Flannigan (ALES) is referenced and he is interviewed.

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Renewable Resources News Archive