Grant: Industrial Research Chairs for Colleges Grants

Founded in 1995, NAIT's Centre for Boreal Research (CBR) is a premiere research institute dedicated to theinterests and stakeholders of Canada's Boreal forest. The CBR team is led by a Director and three PhDresearchers. CBR is housed in a research complex in the town of Peace River, 500 km northwest of Edmontonand adjacent to the Peace River Oil Sands.Canada's Boreal forest is of global economic significance, containing timber resources, conventional oil andgas, and in situ and surface mineable oil sands. At the same time, industry activity is impacting the ecologicalintegrity of the forest due to the cumulative effects of oil and gas, forestry, utility and pipelines, and resourceroads.The NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges (IRCC) in Boreal Reclamation and Reforestation is acatalyst for technologies and innovation of mutual relevance for oil & gas companies, forest companies, andsmall to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Dr. Amanda Schoonmaker, IRCC in Boreal Reclamation andReforestation, provides oil and gas companies and reclamation SMEs, including forest companies, withpractical techniques and methods for site preparation, deployment of Boreal plant species, and innovativelife-cycle approaches to forest reclamation. Since joining CBR in 2011, Dr. Schoonmaker has mentored over30 students in applied research field operations. Dr. Schoonmaker facilitates NAIT faculty research and is afocal point for research partnerships with university and government scientists. Dr Schoonmaker is committedto the transfer of research findings and the training of industry personnel and SME practitioners through thedelivery of technical notes, seminars, and field tours.