Grant: Technology Access Centre

Canada's boreal forest, a vital national resource, contributes economic, environmental, and cultural benefits. The Boreal Forest Plant and Seed Technology Access Centre (P&S TAC) at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) has emerged as a crucial hub for delivering technology solutions and applied research support and services. Meeting increasingly stringent regulation standards and public demand for sustainable forest management and land reclamation requires effective reforestation techniques, a crucial component of which is the reintroduction of diverse forest plant communities. In stark contrast to our ability to grow and plant commercial tree species, our ability to establish other native plants is limited by knowledge, capacity, and skilled labour. Innovative and effective technologies are needed to reduce costs and develop new services to meet growing demand. Solutions are also required for incorporation of traditional values and after natural disasters, such as severe wildfire, as part climate change responses. The P&S TAC’s target market is reforestation service and technology users and suppliers including forest companies, oil and gas companies with reclamation liabilities, greenhouses/nurseries, Indigenous communities, and environmental contractors. The TAC has played a pivotal role in fostering capacity-building in plant and seed research, technology transfer, and research extension throughout northern Alberta and British Columbia. Via strategic partnerships with industry operators, Indigenous communities and the successful orchestration of boreal Research Extension and Education outreach initiatives, the region has already experienced lasting positive impacts. Sustaining TAC funding is imperative to ensure ongoing strategic engagement. This engagement will support the continued integration of traditional knowledge, academic research and innovative technologies in plant and seed solutions. In the next five years, with NSERC support and alongside our partners, renewal funding will support P&S TAC activities including the hiring and re-hiring of key personnel, increased student training and involvement, and enhanced research extension and education services. We aim to engage 30+ Indigenous communities, 15 additional SMEs, and at least 250 Indigenous students and learners over this period. This collective effort aims to sustain and expand the positive contributions of the P&S TAC to the boreal forest and its many communities.