About the Project
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We are a multidisciplinary research team from the University of Saskatchewan looking at the environmental and social effects of integrated vegetation management on power line rights-of-way in boreal northern Saskatchewan. Our group will work to provide information to both Northern communities and SaskPower to promote informed collaborative decision making regarding vegetation management. Through partnership with Lac La Ronge Indian Band and SaskPower we aim to improve environmental and social practices in right-of-way management in northern Saskatchewan.
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Limiting the growth of tall trees under power lines is important for preventing power outages and wildfires caused by trees touching the lines. Current practices involve cutting down all vegetation under the power lines. Integrated vegetation management (IVM) is the practice of encouraging shorter vegetation, such as grasses and shrubs, to grow along the right-of-way while selectively removing tall growing trees. Herbicides are often used as a tool in managing individual trees. IVM has been used for decades in more southern locations but it has not been extensively employed in the north. This initial 2 year project will take the first steps towards understanding the impacts of IVM and herbicide use on northern Saskatchewan rights-of-way, as well as investigate best practices for engagement between Northern communities and SaskPower.
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We will seek out and evaluate different engagement approaches in communities and training modules with SaskPower to determine which strategies and modules can help build relationships, and provide lasting and effective communication between communities and SaskPower (Tegan Brock and Maureen Reed). We will research the impact, movement and breakdown of the herbicide Garlon RTU under northern boreal conditions, and develop and evaluate vegetation monitoring procedures on northern rights-of-way (Chelsea Voinorosky and Katherine Stewart). Providing information and education to communities and their schools is important to this work. We plan to make multiple presentations in the communities and to involve some youth in our field work.
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Specific research directions will be determined based on community concerns. Our research is intended to provide useful information for collaborative decision making rather than recommendations about herbicide use. We hope our results will allow Northern communities and industry to jointly determine if IVM is an effective management strategy for northern Saskatchewan.
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We are looking for community participation to help define research directions, give feedback on best practices, and support education and training for local youth. Please contact us for more information.
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Funding for this project has been provided jointly by SaskPower and a Federal government MITACS grant.
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