The Trident mobile high-volume water delivery system is self-contained. The main components of the system are two UTVs, a 200 hp high-volume pump, and 7000 feet (2134 m) of 4-inch hose. It can deliver 500 gpm of water at 190 psi in a wildfire operational situation. Alberta Wildfire asked FPInnovations to document three deployments in 2021 to identify opportunities for using the system and to reduce the knowledge gaps around best practices for deployment.
Debris piles were scattered among a fuel-treated stand at the Jumpingpound Demonstration Forest. The existing trees were deemed as assets worth protecting while the piles required to be burned. To facilitate the protection of the trees surrounding these debris piles, the Calgary Forest Area requested the use of water-enhancer capable fire engines to protect the trees during debris pile burning.
A total of 15 debris piles of varying fuel loads were burned over two days. The use of water-enhancer capable fire engines allowed FPInnovations to document the use of suppressants (water and water-enhancer) to better understand their advantages and limitations. Qualitative observations suggested that water-enhancers were more effective at withstanding radiant heat than water when applied immediately prior to the incident heat. Its efficacy, however, was found to decline with time.
Multiple log-deck fires at mill sites and log yards in Western Canada in the past year resulted in the loss of merchantable timber. These fires showcased how existing equipment and suppression efforts from wildfire agencies are heavily challenged when asked to handle the thermal output from burning log-decks.
In an effort to explore alternate solutions, FPInnovations collaborated with West Fraser and the High Level Forest Management Area to understand the efficacy of high-volume water delivery systems in log-deck fire suppression. Over the course of three days, water-penetration tests as well as suppression tests were carried out to better understand the utility and resource requirements of high-volume water delivery systems.
A human-caused wildfire was started on May 6, 2021 in Parkland County, Alberta near the rural community of Tomahawk. Among several Alberta Wildfire resources deployed to the wildfire, one particular resource was high-volume water delivery systems provided by Fire & Flood Emergency Service Ltd.
Alberta Wildfire asked FPInnovations to document the implementation of high-volume water delivery systems in actioning a peatland wildfire as a case study.
The Roll Testing Facility (RTF) off ers a complete inspection of both web and roll, through the measurement and analysis of numerous data related to web uniformity and roll structure.
The Canadian government published a new
regulation on the formaldehyde emissions from
composite wood products which prohibits the
import, sale or offer for sale of composite wood
products that emit formaldehyde beyond
established limits. The new law will come into force
on January 7, 2023.
Le gouvernement du Canada a publié un nouveau
règlement sur les émissions de formaldéhyde des
produits de bois composite qui interdit
l'importation, la vente ou la mise en vente de
produits de bois composite qui émettent du
formaldéhyde au-delà des limites établies. La
nouvelle loi entrera en vigueur le 7 janvier 2023.
FPInnovations' Roll Testing Facility (RTF) offers a complete inspection of both web and roll, through the measurement and analysis of numerous data related to web uniformity and roll structure. The Roll Testing Facility can help with web breaks, bagginess, wrinkles, and other roll structure defects, from paper to aluminum foil and plastic films. Since 2002, the RTF has tested over 4,000 rolls.
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L'appareil à tester les rouleaux (RTF) de FPInnovations peut vous aider à régler les problèmes de casses, de bords mous, de plis et d'autres défauts de structure des rouleaux, qu'il s'agisse de papier, carton, tissue, feuilles d'aluminium ou films de plastique. Depuis 2002, le RTF a permis de tester plus de 4000 rouleaux et de diagnostiquer diver problèmes.
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In 2021, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s Wildfire Management Branch identified an opportunity to evaluate new and emerging technologies to supplement and improve current wildfire response capabilities. A one-year directed research initiative was undertaken with the FPInnovations’ Wildfire Operations group to assess the efficacy of five different technologies and their utility in the wildfire domain. This report summarizes the five projects undertaken in this initiative, highlighting key outcomes and considerations.
Seven vendors participated in a smoke detection exercise conducted in Alberta, Canada from August 23 to 29, 2021. This exercise aimed to understand how well current detection technology uses imagery from existing cameras mounted on towers to detect smoke. All vendors in this exercise use artificial intelligence / machine learning algorithms in their systems. Alberta Wildfire expects to gain a better understanding of these detection systems and how they differ from each other.
Accounting for climate change impacts in the design of resource road crossings. Scaling IDF curves to account for climate change in resource road stream crossing, an approach for estimating future extreme rainfall, Webinar No. 8
A Webinar presented in association with the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium (PCIC), FPInnovations and the BC Ministry of Forests, Land, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development presented on March 10, 2022
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Pathogen detection and identification have been vastly improved with advances in genomics; however, knowledge gaps remain around efficacy and use in wood commodities, especially in regulatory settings. In part one of this project, we compared detection efficacy of different methods on common export and import forest products. In-situ detection was more sensitive than traditional isolation, with 100% detection rates for some methods. However, there were several false positives in control samples. False positive detection of quarantine pathogens on wood products could be a serious problem in trade. The goal of part two of this project was to determine the cause of the false positives. In addition, we continued to compare detection methods by looking at point of care detection with a portable qPCR system and using RNA assays to test pathogen viability. False positives were likely due to DNA contamination persisting through the various wood processing steps. These results confirm the need for additional confirmation of pathogen presence or viability after a positive DNA test. RNA assays failed to detect pathogen presence in most samples. Further testing is needed to determine optimal RNA extraction conditions to provide meaningful results. Point of care detection using portable tools was comparable to laboratory methods and would provide a useful tool for pre-screening commodities for the presence of quarantine pathogens.
A number of test series have been conducted at FPInnovations to evaluate the lateral resistance, fire resistance, and acoustic performance of the new Midply shear wall configuration. The results showed that the seismic force modification factors prescribed in the NBCC can be used, along with the enhanced lateral strength and stiffness. Moreover, with some minor design
considerations, it was found that the new Midply with the resilient channels and insulation materials in both sides of the wall and both cavities can provide at least 1 hour of fire-resistance rating and provide at least an ASTC of 47.
Un certain nombre de séries d'essais ont été réalisées à FPInnovations pour évaluer la résistance latérale, la résistance au feu et la performance acoustique de la nouvelle configuration de mur de contreventement Midply. Les résultats ont montré que les facteurs de modification de la force sismique prescrits dans le CNBC peuvent être utilisés, avec une résistance et une rigidité latérales améliorées. De plus, avec quelques considérations de
conception mineures, il a été constaté que le nouveau mur de refend Midply avec les profilés souples et les matériaux d’isolation des deux côtés du mur et dans les deux cavités peut fournir au moins une heure de degré de résistance au feu et un ITSA d’au moins 47.
To improve the accessibility of genomics for the identification of wood inhabiting microorganisms to FPInnovations’ members, we compared three different methods for metabarcoding on environmental DNA (eDNA): cloning with first generation Sanger sequencing, amplicon metabarcoding with second generation Illumina sequencing, and lastly amplicon metabarcoding with third generation, long read sequencing with the portable MinION. We looked at costs for each method, speed, and difficulty. Illumina metabarcoding was the most economically feasible method. Cloning was difficult, being prone to failure and requiring extensive trouble shooting to complete. Illumina metabarcoding must be outsourced which can take more time for project completion; however, little in-house troubleshooting is necessary. Third generation sequencing is an attractive alternative for routine analysis. It is rapid, low-cost, and takes little up-front capital for start-up. However, it may not be feasible if used infrequently given the time required to learn the technology and the rapid expiration of unused flow cells. For occasional projects, it is recommended to outsource amplicon metabarcoding to a facility that sequences either with second or third generation sequencers, including data analysis.
Forest fuel reductions treatments are conducted at a stand level in the wildland–urban interface to reduce the potential for catastrophic loss caused by wildfire. Given the considerable expense of conducting these fuel treatments, fuels managers want to better understand the productivity and cost of commonly applied fuel treatments in order to prescribe cost-effective treatment techniques. Due to the limited data available and the myriad combinations of fuel treatment options and equipment types used in a diverse range of ecosystems, cost projections for fuel treatments are difficult to forecast reliably.
This document provides background on and fundamental principles of productivity studies, and a summary of motor-manual productivity studies that have been conducted in timber silviculture operations, forest fuel reduction treatments, and other manual forestry operations.
Forest fuel treatments are conducted at a stand level in the wildland–urban interface to reduce the potential for catastrophic loss caused by wildfire. Given the considerable expense of conducting motor-manual fuel treatments, fuels managers want to better understand the productivity and cost of commonly applied fuel treatments in order to prescribe cost-effective treatment techniques. Due to the limited data available and the myriad combinations of fuel treatment options and equipment types used in a diverse range of ecosystems, cost projections for fuel treatments are difficult to forecast reliably.
Fuels managers and Wildfire Operations advisory members asked that a simplified data collection protocol be developed to collect more data across a broader range of ecosites. The streamlined and simplified process presented in this document includes a user-friendly format for in-field data collection by field crew supervisors.
The overall objective of this study is to provide information to building design practitioners that will help to improve accuracy of hygrothermal models and enable them to better use these models to predict the durability and thermal performance of wood-based building envelopes. To achieve this, hygrothermal models using WUFI Pro software are validated with experimental data obtained from five wood-frame wall assemblies, with different insulation and vapour control strategies, exposed to the climatic conditions of Vancouver from October 2018 to May 2020. This exercise provides a set of model input parameters that the practitioner can use to assess similar structures exposed to similar environmental conditions. Sensitivity analysis is conducted on the model input parameters to establish which are the most important in obtaining a good fit to experimental measurements, and therefore accurate prediction of assembly performance. There is also discussion on limitations of the hygrothermal model.
The definitive guide for the mass timber design and construction of tall buildings has been updated to align with changes to national codes and standards. It builds on 12-storey mass timber gravity systems as an Acceptable Solution in the 2020 edition of the National Building Code, and targets supporting Alternative Solutions that will enable wood to be used beyond 12 storeys.
To download the book, go to: https://web.fpinnovations.ca/tallwood/
