Application of Science to Environmental Impact Assessment in Boreal Forest Management: The Saskatchewan Example

Abstract

A major objective of environmental impact assessment (EIA) is prediction. Two major goals in science are: (1) explanation of observed phenomena, and (2) prediction. The EIA process makes use of the methods of academic science to provide the explanatory framework for the required data gathering which is needed for the scientifically valid prediction of effects. Follow-up monitoring after a development proceeds is required to test the predictions for their accuracy, important in both scientific and decision-making aspects of EIA. This testing is needed not only for future EIAs in the area, but also for ongoing project management. In boreal forest management, where EIA prediction is ecosystem-oriented rather than site-specific only, the EIA process needs to be tied to long-term, ecosystem-based forest management plans. This must be done via ongoing tests of predictions, and then by feeding the test-derived information back into a dynamic decisionmaking process. In Saskatchewan this unique and holistic application of the EIA process to long-term forest ecosystem management has been initiated by applying EIA to the twenty-year management plan required by the holder of any forest management agreement (FMA). This is an example of harnessing scientific predictive and testing capacity of the EIA process to set the stage for ecologically sustainable, integrated forest resource management. This also is an example of local action to address a global problem by ensuring the continued integrity of ecological processes in a portion of Canada’s boreal forest.