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Research Forest News Report 2016 Annual
2016 marked completion of major construction at Loon Lake.
The old panabode dining hall was renovated and converted into
a 20 bed Lodge complete with kitchen, meeting area and 3 bath-
rooms. This project marked the end of 14 years of major
construction which has completely rebuilt the Loon Lake
facilities. Our thanks to the many donors and supporters
who made this possible.
Now that construction is complete, a multi-pronged
marketing program for Loon Lake has begun. The results
of this effort were immediate, and 2016 saw a 20% in-
crease in guest bookings at Loon Lake. Plans for 2017
are to begin offering nature based programming to the guests.
2016 harvesting at MKRF and Woodlot 37 is summarized
below:
Silviculture system
Area (ha)
Volume harvested (m3)
Clearcut 14.7 7,168
Clearcut with reserves 17.1 10,462
Dispersed Retention - -
Salvage 0.9 384
Patch Cut 2.3 1,948
Commercial thinning 1.9 512
Roads/utilities 3.3 2,381
Total 40.2 22,855
Forest product
market conditions
continued to be
strong throughout
2016. Total vol-
ume harvested
decreased 36%
from 2015. Cedar
poles, hemlock
piling, and fir peel-
ers were major target products, as well as sawlogs for the
MKRF sawmill. Sawmill production totaled over 560,000
board feet in 2016, up 18% from 2015.
Harvest methods employed utilized both ground based and
cable. New road construction in 2016 totaled 2,096 meters of
new road and 5,362 meters of road upgrades. One new log
bridge was constructed on a main forest road in 2016.
Our beloved 1912 Empire
Steam Donkey received a
new sled courtesy of many
local donors and contrac-
tors. Our thanks go to
them for a job well done.
A roof over the donkey will
complete the project.
For more information, please contact Jeremy Watkins
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
MALCOLM KNAPP RESEARCH FOREST
September 22-24, 2016 saw the largest ever event held at the
Knapp Forest—DEMO International 2016 is a live “in-the-
woods” show featuring the latest in forestry equipment and
technology from around the world. Held every four years by the
Canadian Woodlands Forum, UBC agreed to host DEMO over
two years prior. Anthony Robinson, MSc graduate intern, acted
as show organizer and coordinator. In total, over 7300 guests
attended over the three days, which saw 124 exhibitors bring in
over 200 pieces of equipment. Guests included 350 students
from local schools, over 200 UBC Forestry students and 65
attendees
for a VIP
event. Of
particular
interest
were seven
different
versions of
steep slope
tethered
harvesting
equipment working throughout the site. The Knapp Forest
constructed a 3.5 kilometer loop road which served as ac-
cess to the exhibition sites for the show. The show was
judged to be a great success by all concerned.
Top: Visitors to DEMO 2016 watch CAT har-vesting equipment in action. Right: Panabode Lodge re-opening, Loon Lake.
2016 was one of our busiest years
ever for education on the For-
est. Forty-eight UBC students
attended the annual Spring Field
School at Loon Lake in April. Conser-
vation Field School was also held at
the forest in October and was
attended by 42 students. Fifteen
students of the Master of Sustaina-
ble Resource Management program
attended that program at Loon Lake
in October.
School programs and recruitment activities continued in 2016. In total, over 4,900 K-12 students
stayed at Loon Lake or participated in forestry and conservation curriculum and recruitment activities
at MKRF during the year. MKRF hosted professional training events for the Indian Forest Service and
classes from UBC and SFU. The Maple Ridge Environmental School also held classes at MKRF in both
the spring and fall terms of 2016 for the fifth straight year.
Loon Lake hosted its thirteenth Camp Goodtimes in conjunction with the Canadian Cancer Society and
recorded over 19,483 visitor-days in 2016 – an increase of 15% over 2015. Overall Loon Lake visitors
have increased 29% in the past two years.
Guests at Loon Lake this year included Positive Living Society, Public Library Interlink, Capilano Univer-
sity, University of the Fraser Valley and Thompson Rivers University as well as many other educational
and corporate groups.
DEMO International 2016 made up a huge part of the educational activities held at the forest this year.
In addition to UBC Forestry, students attended DEMO from BCIT, VIU, Selkirk College and College of
New Caledonia.
Eight research projects were initiated in 2016 bringing the total number
of active projects to 107. In total, 972 projects have been initiated since
the forest was dedicated in 1949. Highlights of the program were:
- The effects of mycorrhizal networks on coastal western hemlock regen-
eration on coarse woody debris
- Assessing the impact of anthropogenic change on understory commu-
nities
New LiDAR and Ortho-photography was completed in 2016 in support of
research and education. In addition the Faculty of Forestry helped fund
an update of our Vegetation Resource Inventory for which compilation
will be completed in 2017.
We continued to maintain and improve access and signage for major projects on the Forest, as well as ensured updating, security and accessi-bility of research projects data through the Research Projects Database.
Our 2016 silviculture program focused on stand establishment, includ-
ing deer protection and monitoring. Douglas-fir, western redcedar,
and white pine were planted. A summary of silviculture achievements
is as follows:
Silviculture activity
Area (ha)
# Trees
Planting 41.2 57,147
Brushing --
Deer protection 1.5 Juvenile spacing --
Surveys 122.7
Total 165.4 57,147
For more information, please contact Cheryl Power For more information, please contact Ionut Aron
For more information, please contact Paul Lawson
Paul Lawson, RPF, Director
Cheryl Power, RPF, Resident Forester
Ionut Aron, MF, Research
Coordinator
Jeremy Watkins, BSc, Assistant
Operations Manager
Liz Smith, Manager of
Administration
web: www.mkrf.forestry.ubc.ca
Karim Farahbakhchian,
Manager, Loon Lake Research &
Education Centre
web:www.loonlake.ubc.ca
Doug Woods, Sawmill Manager ,
Gallant Enterprises Ltd.
web: www.gallant.forestry.ubc.ca
Local students enjoying the Stump House Trail at DEMO 2016
UBC Malcolm Knapp Research Forest
14500 Silver Valley Road, PO Box 21120,
Maple Ridge, BC, Canada V2X 1P7
2016 Annual Report Page 2