History

Fundy Model Forest was formed in 1992 when Natural Resources Canada initiated the Canadian Model Forest Program. The idea behind the program was to allow Canada to take a lead role in defining and implementing sustainable forest management concepts and to transfer the knowledge gained.

Ten demonstration initiatives or "Model Forests" were initiated across Canada reflecting a variety of cultural values and ecological diversity. They served as incubators that explored and illustrated concepts and best practices in forest management.The Model Forest Program was a precedent-setting initiative that sought to achieve innovation through partnership, generate new ideas, and find on-the-ground solutions to sustainable forest management issues.

During those first 15 years, Fundy Model Forest's partners were leaders in advancing sustainable forest management in the Acadian Forest Region, conducting research that had practical application in daily work in the forest, testing and piloting new tools and approaches to forest management, and transferring this knowledge and innovation to forest managers and woodlot owners in the Model Forest and beyond.

This period's ccomplishments are documented in Knowledge, Action, Change: Fundy Model Forest, The First 15 Years

Much of the research effort between 1992 and 2007 was directed at examining Criteria and Indicators related to sustainable forest management as put forth by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers. Through the Local Level Indicator development process, Fundy Model Forest identified and modified the national set of indicators to best address the issues of sustainable forest management in the Acadian Forest Region of southern New Brunswick. Work has been done to determine the functionality of the indicators and whether processes could be set in place to measure and/or monitor them.

Reports from this period can be found in the publications section.