What is the Legacy Forest?

An experimental forest with the long-term purpose of studying the impacts of intensive forest management on the values and multiple goals associated with sustainable forest management. The main goal is to answer the following questions:

1. What are the corresponding relationships between intensive silvicultural treatments and site biodiversity, forest ecosystem function, and non-timber values?

2. What are the corresponding trends in landscape level biodiversity, forest ecosystem function and non-timber values at the landscape level as forest management intensity changes?

The Legacy Forest itself will be a framework for research projects that will work towards answering these questions. The main areas of study will be recreation and tourism, socio-economics, wood supply and quality, the aquatic environment, and the terrestrial environment.

Landbase

The Legacy Forest includes the southern half of Bowater's Dog River-Matawin Forest and the adjacent Quetico Park.

This combinaton of managed and protected forest is considered large enough to hold most if not all of the study areas desired. The highly diversified forest, aquatic and wetland vegetation in the Legacy Forest represents the convergence of three major ecosystems, the confluence of three major climate systems, the headwaters of three continental watersheds, and the continental north-south divide. This area also possesses the necessary variation in forest management and protection with significant demand for both timber and non-timber values (e.g. canoeing, commercial tourism, hunting, fishing, etc.). The proximity of the Legacy Forest to Thunder Bay and the fact that it is contiguous with the Superior National Forest in Minnesota also make it ideal.

Partners

This project is a collaboration of many groups with varying interests in the forest. Please visit our Partners page to see the current list. Bowater, MNR, and Ontario Parks have contributed the initial data for the project and have committed to managing the forest consistent with the goals of this project. Future forest management planning and operational activities will accommodate and be influenced by this project. The project is being coordinated, managed and administered by The Faculty of Natural Resources Management at Lakehead University

Project Components

There are several key components to the framework that is the Legacy Forest. In order to meet the long-term goals fo the project the forest will be stratified into zones of varying management intensity, complete and consistent datasets will be made available for researchers, and strategies for ongoing research and education will be put in place.