Heather Macdonald

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Researcher at Natural Resources Canada

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was likely introduced to North America in the early 1990s and has since become a highly destructive invasive forest pest. From 2002 onwards, federal quarantines have regulated the movement of at-risk ash commodities in both Canada and the United States (U.S.). Despite these regulations, the EAB has spread rapidly from Mi...

We present historical monthly spatial models of temperature and precipitation generated from the North American dataset version “j” from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Centres for Environmental Information (NCEI). Monthly values of minimum/maximum temperature and precipitation for 1901-2016 were modelled for...

This article summarizes a ten-year plan for forest carbon science that was developed in a collaborative effort with the forest carbon science and policy community in Canada. Building on the research progress since the first plan, the updated Blueprint outlines key priorities, goals, and visions for forest carbon research over the next decade. Here...

Background Every year, people in Canada are evacuated due to wildland fires to avoid death, injury, and illness from fire and smoke events. Aims In this paper, we provide an overview of evacuations recorded in the Canadian Wildland Fire Evacuation Database between 1980 and 2021. Methods Our analysis covers evacuations in Canada from 1980 to 2021....

1991-2020 monthly mean maximum/minimum temperature and precipitation were gridded for Canada and the continental United States using thin plate smoothing splines developed using ANUSPLIN. These models rely upon monthly weather station values from the North American dataset published by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Nati...

This Blueprint outlines the forest carbon science priorities needed to support policy over the next decade. The science priorities were developed in collaboration with the forest carbon science and policy communities across Canada (governments, universities, environmental groups, and industry associations).

Forest transition theory, as introduced by Alexander Mather, depicts forest recovery patterns often occurring in the wake of agricultural intensification and farmland abandonment. Since the forest transition theory was introduced, multiple pathways have been described in the scholarly literature to explain forest transition phases via varied socio-...

Heating degree days (HDD) represent a concise measure of heating energy requirements used to inform decision making about the impact of climate change on heating energy demand. This data paper presents spatial datasets of heating degree days (HDD) for Canada for two thirty-year periods, 1951–1980 and 1981–2010, using daily temperature gauge observa...

Abstract The importance of human behavior in biodiversity conservation is widely recognized, but there is little published evidence about how conservation professionals make decisions when conservation values are at stake. We take a behavioral economics approach, administering simplified decision problems (“choice experiments”), questions about cho...

The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) has a mandate to share its full breadth of scientific knowledge concerning Canada’s forests broadly, with citizens, as well as narrowly, with organizations responsible for managing forests. Measuring the impact of CFS research in policy-making both nationally and internationally can be challenging, as policies may...

Replacement of fossil fuels with bioenergy, often in concert with carbon capture and storage, plays an important role in published low-emission pathways from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other agencies. National and regional net-zero greenhouse gas emission commitments have caused a dramatic increase in forest biomass co...

Purpose of Review Indigenous perspectives have often been overlooked in fire management in North America. With a focus on the boreal region of North America, this paper provides a review of the existing literature documenting Indigenous voices and the historical relationship of Indigenous peoples in northern North America to fire and landscapes tha...

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted global economic activity in all sectors, including forest industries. Changes in demand for forest products in North America over the course of the pandemic have affected both primary processors and downstream industries reliant on residues, including wood pellet producers. Wood pellets have become an int...

This paper summarizes the results of a survey of 99 municipal/regional governments, academia, and private organizations about weather stations (see report at https://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/publications?id=40599). The survey, developed by the Great Lakes Forestry Centre and Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) Canadian Centre for Climate Services...

This research investigates how biomass supply chains (BSChs) for bioenergy within the broader bioeconomy could contribute to the post-COVID-19 recovery in three dimensions: boosting economic growth, creating jobs, and building more resilient and cleaner energy systems in four future scenarios, in the short term (by 2023) and long term (by 2030). A...

Kulisic, B.; MacDonald, H.; Gagnon, B.; Schweinle, J.; Van Holsbeeck, S.; Brown, M.; Šimurina J.; Di-mitriou, I., Mandarić, A.

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), Agrilus plaipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) was introduced to North America more than two decades ago and has spread despite management efforts in both the United States and Canada. The insect kills most species of ash tree (Fraxinus sp.) and its management imposes costs to plant health protection agencies, forest indu...

This study presents spatial models (i.e., thin plate spatially continuous spline surfaces) of adjusted precipitation for Canada at daily, pentad (5-day), and monthly time scales from 1900 to 2015. The input data include manual observations from 3346 stations that were adjusted previously to correct for snow water equivalent (SWE) conversion and var...

Satellite data-driven discoveries are fuelling the literature on forest transitions, particularly in quantifying slow, large-scale trends. Mather’s forest transition concept depicts the inflection point marking a change from decreasing to increasing forest area. This theory is being elucidated using satellite images of global forest cover from the...

Historical monthly spatial models of mean daily minimum temperature and maximum temperature and total precipitation for North America, 1901-2016. Trivariate thin plate smoothing spline models were developed using ANUSPLIN (https://fennerschool.anu.edu.au/research/products/anusplin). The North American Dataset (Northam "j") was utilized for modeling...

SAS Code and Output: SAS code and output used for analysing the Northam 'j" monthly historical total precipitation and mean daily maximum and minimum temperature for a test sample of 160 climate stations selected to be more representative than all stations. These SAS programs were used to analyse residuals from thin plate spline models created for...

As part of its long history, the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) has a mandate to collaborate and share its scientific research. Publishing peer-reviewed scientific literature is an important part of this process. Using a database of CFS publications over the past fifty years, we highlight the continuing publication record of this sector of the Canad...

This study explores the motivations behind participation in tree planting programs by private landowners in Ontario, Canada, as well as perceptions as to whether benefits were realized up to ten years after trees were planted. Forests Ontario, which has offered tree planting support programs in this province since 2007, provides up to 90% of the co...

Ontario's 50 Million Tree Program (50 MTP) has been underway since 2007, with a mandate to encourage afforestation in the province. Under this program, Forests Ontario provides financial support to offset the costs of planting trees on properties at least one ha in size; in return, landowners agree to maintain their newly planted trees for a minimu...

This study examines the effect of providing varying amounts of information and embedding to contingent valuation respondents in the context of wilderness reservation. Contingent valuation is a technique developed to assess the monetary value of nonmarket goods by asking survey respondents how much they would be willing to pay (or accept) for an inc...

This report represents the final report in a three-part series concerning the Foundations for Success (FFS) project. The ‘Foundations for Success’ (FFS) project was one in a series of social demonstration projects undertaken by the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation with respect to post-secondary education participation and/or retention. The...

An evaluation of the Indirect Costs program, undertaken for the the presidents of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Available at: http://www.rsf-fsr.gc.ca/about-au_sujet/publications/th...

Costs and benefits to hiring an apprentice in 16 trades were quantified using a cost-benefit analysis for the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum. Report is available at: https://caf-fca.org/caf_research/it-pays-to-hire-an-apprentice-roti/

Short Term Impact Report for the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundations for Success, a randomized experiment involving the provision of a full bursary to complete a post-secondary program.

This report is based on the data collected for the 2008 Labour Market Information Project, commissioned by the Electricity Sector Council in partnership with Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC). The report is a regional analysis, which provides a comparison of the labour market conditions in Quebec to the national data, available...

Findings presented in the Review of Foreign Credential Recognition in Canada’s Electricity Council were obtained through numerous research methods. As a team, we reviewed 48 key studies, of which 42 directly addressed foreign credential recognition, integration of immigrants into the Canadian workforce, and specific human resource challenges in the...

Funded by the Government of Canada's Sector Council Program, this was a labour market profile of the electricity sector. This report is located at https://electricityhr.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/LMI-2008-Report-abridged.pdf

This report outlines the design of a random assignment evaluation project undertaken for the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation at three colleges in Ontario: Confederation College (Thunder Bay), Mohawk College (Hamilton) and Seneca College (Greater Toronto). Over 2,000 students, identified as at risk for not completing their studies were rand...

2007 Evaluation of the Networks of Centres of Excellence Program, available at: http://www.nce-rce.gc.ca/_docs/reports/NCEEvaluationReport2007-eng.pdf

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) is a national research-granting agency that funds the direct costs of research. It assists in buying or developing research equipment and in accessing regional or national research facilities via two main programs: the Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) program and the Major Facilities...

This report summarizes the activities completed as part of Human Resources and Social Development Canada's Understanding the Early Years project, including parent interviews, numeracy and literacy assessments with children in kindergarten, and incorporation of teacher assessments in 26 communities across Canada. This report is available at: https:/...

This independent evaluation of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's Joint Funding Initiative was designed to assess whether this program, designed to encourage collaboration between government agencies, universities, the private sector, the voluntary sector and community organizations, was relevant and effective. The methodology in...

This report summarizes the characteristics of environmental practitioners, or people engaged in employment related to the environment. The survey explores the motivations of people engaged in environmental work, as well as factors that impact their level of engagement as they progress through their careers. Completed for, and available from www.eco...

Symbolic responses are one of many issues attending contingent valuation studies. The problem is that many objects that are the subject of contingent valuation surveys can act as symbols for larger issues. In this paper, we want to compare the attitudes of residents of five communities with two different forest pests, jack pine budworm and gypsy mo...

Fifth Year Evaluation of the Canada Research Chairs Program, available at http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/about_us-a_notre_sujet/publications/fifth_year_review_e.pdf

2003 study of Environmental Employment in Canada provided an overview of environmental practitioners and organizations in Canada, completed for CCHREI, now Eco Canada. Report can be requested from eco.ca

This was a major labour market study, involving a consideration of numerous issues: expected supply and demand of electricity sector workers in Canada, training, recruitment and retention challenges. Policy recommendations were provided at the end of the report for the Canadian Electricity Association and Human Resources and Skills Development Cana...

Q860 Documentation Report which summarizes the results of a Q850 process implemented to assess the effectiveness of existing safety regulations to marine and airport safety in Victoria, BC, Canada.

Residents of five communities in Ontario were surveyed about their attitudes to the nature and control of infestations by two forest insect pests: the gypsy moth and the back pine budworm. In general, the survey results indicate that people feel they are generally familiar with both insects, but gypsy moth is more widely known. An important underly...

The authors explore the well-documented tendency for people to predict that they will finish tasks earlier than they actually do. Whereas previous research has tied this optimistic bias to the operation of specific cognitive processes, the present studies examine the interplay between motivation and cognition. Two studies supported the hypothesis t...