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Research has demonstrated that racialized students experience additional stressors during post-secondary education compared to their white counterparts. These barriers can include added institutional barriers, lower representation among faculty, additional stress associated with cultural differences and stigmatization, discrimination, and racism. According to self-determination theory, students who experience an unsupportive or controlling environment are more likely to have lower basic psychological need satisfaction, lower academic motivation, and lower well-being. The current study aimed to examine whether white and racialized students would differ in their perceptions of need satisfaction and need frustration in their learning environment. Participants were undergraduate students (N = 712) from a large Canadian university. A one-way MANCOVA was performed comparing racialized and white students on basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration with gender as a covariate. Results suggested that racialized students perceived lower autonomy satisfaction, lower competence satisfaction, and higher relatedness frustration in their learning environment. These findings present important implications for higher education institutions. Institutions should recognize the diverse needs of their student population and ensure that learning environments are supportive of these needs, as they can have significant detrimental impacts on the overall well-being and academic success of these students.

Institutionalized oppression experienced by marginalized groups is central to post-secondary education and, if left unchallenged, will remain pervasive within academia (Lincoln, Y. S., & Stanley, C. A. (2021). The faces of institutionalized discrimination and systemic oppression in higher education: Uncovering the lived experience of bias and procedural inequity. "Qualitative Inquiry", 10778004211026892). Emerging literature that examines discrimination and oppression in kinesiology has focused on the consequences of privileging Western, Eurocentric knowledge and scholarship. (Andrews, D. L., Silk, M., Francombe, J., & Bush, A. (2013). McKinesiology. "Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies", 35(5), 335-356; Culp, B. (2016). Social justice and the future of higher education kinesiology. "Quest" ("grand Rapids, Mich"), 68(3), 271-283; Douglas, D. D., & Halas, J. M. (2013). The wages of whiteness: Confronting the nature of ivory tower racism and the implications for physical education. "Sport, Education and Society", 18(4), 453-474; Joseph, J., & Kriger, D. (2021). Towards a decolonizing kinesiology ethics model. Quest (grand Rapids, Mich), 73(2), 192-208; Nachman, J., Joseph, J., & Fusco, C. (2021). 'What if what the professor knows is not diverse enough for US?': whiteness in Canadian kinesiology programs. Sport, Education and Society, 1-14). There is, however, limited research that examines how kinesiology curriculum might enable the reproduction of these processes. Thus, this study explores how knowledge is distributed within Canadian university kinesiology curriculum, and how disciplines, faculty members, and students are represented on program websites. We analyzed eight Canadian university kinesiology websites using summative qualitative content analysis (SQCA) and the Five Faces of Oppression (Young, I. M. (1990). "Five Faces of Oppression," justice and the politics of difference. Princeton University Press) framework. Overall, programs reproduce Western, scientific, and positivist approaches as the dominant knowledge, maintain racially homogenous faculty demographics, make rhetorical commitments to EDI, and communicate neoliberalism in mission statements. In doing so, these programs (1) privilege white, heteronormative, lean, and able bodies(2) marginalize the experiences of those who deviate from these identitarian positions, and (3) limit the possibilities for transformation towards inclusive kinesiology in Canada. Recommendations are suggested for how curricula might engage with social justice objectives and challenge oppressive systems.

This article reports on a systematic review of literature on the experiences of substitute teachers, also known as casual or relief teachers. This occupational group are an essential part of school improvement efforts, allowing release time for other teachers to participate in professional learning, complete administrative duties, and attend to personal matters. Although a ubiquitous component of the teaching workforce, little is known about their work conditions, motivations, experiences, and support. This study involved a mixed-methods research synthesis approach. Peer-reviewed studies and dissertations that examined the experiences and needs of substitute teachers in primary/elementary, middle, and secondary/high schools were examined. The study found that, although substitute teachers are a heterogeneous group, their conditions and experiences are less than satisfactory, exacerbated by a lack of targeted support. Education systems need to consider professionalizing this occupational group further. In addition, systems need to develop policies and practices that improve substitute teachers' work.

Although many disciplines saw increases in manuscript submissions coinciding with lockdown measures, numerous studies have documented widening gender gaps in academic productivity. Chi-squared analyses of gendered trends in first author manuscript submission in three school psychology journals during the initial phase of COVID-19 compared to the same time frame in the preceding 3 years did not reveal any significant associations. There was a significant increase over time in the gender gap, with a trend of more female authors than male authors. Women school psychology researchers may not have experienced similar detriments to productivity as in other disciplines, or such detriments were not reflected in submission patterns during this time frame. Limitations of the study and implications for school psychology are provided.

A recently validated trait personality framework is the HEXACO (honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience). Little is yet known about how the HEXACO personality dimensions and its subsets--particularly the dimension of honesty-humility--relates to physical activity and body size dissatisfaction as a function of gender. This study tests these relations across men and women through a proposed path model wherein personality and physical activity relate indirectly through lower body size dissatisfaction and perceived fitness in 315 university students. Results pertaining to honesty-humility revealed that women were higher in honesty-humility, emotionality, and conscientiousness. Women with higher honesty-humility (notably sincerity) were prone to lower body size dissatisfaction whereas lower levels of modesty predicted physical activity levels in men. The proposed path model had an excellent fit in both men and women although significant pathways were more prevalent in women than in men. The role of body size dissatisfaction seems to be more salient in explaining the relationship between the HEXACO personality dimensions and perceived fitness and physical activity in women than men. We recommend that practitioners particularly note the vulnerability of women university students who are high in emotionality and low in honesty-humility (especially sincerity) and agreeableness.

Research on enacted stigma, or stigma- and bias-based victimization, including bullying and harassment, among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth often focuses on one context (e.g., school) or one form (e.g., bullying or microaggressions), which limits our understanding of these experiences. We conducted qualitative go-along interviews with 66 LGBTQ adolescents (14-19 years) in urban, suburban, town, and rural locations in the United States and Canada identified through purposive and snowball sampling. Forty-six participants (70%) described at least one instance of enacted stigma. Three primary themes emerged: (1) enacted stigma occurred in many contexts; (2) enacted stigma restricted movement; and (3) second-hand accounts of enacted stigma shaped perceptions of safety. Efforts to improve well-being among LGBTQ youth must address the diverse forms and contexts of enacted stigma that youth experience, which limit freedom of movement and potential access to opportunities that encourage positive youth development. School nurses can play a critical role in reducing enacted stigma in schools and in collaboration with community partners.

Introduction: There is growing interest in the role and use of patient navigators within the health care system. Currently, qualifications and training expectations documented in the literature vary tremendously depending on context and patient population. This paper details the theoretical and pedagogical principles used to develop, implement and evaluate a training programme for lay patient navigators working in a primary care setting. Methods: The planning process involved (a) conducting an educational needs assessment, (b) identifying the theory underpinning the curriculum, (c) developing learning objectives and teaching strategies, (d) formulating evaluation methods, (e) implementing the programme and (f) refining the curriculum based on evaluation feedback and lessons learned. The training programme was first implemented in May 2017 and has evolved over the past 3 years based on our observations and feedback from the programme participants. Results: The training programme involves a total of 25 hours of online and face-to-face education sessions, and ongoing community mentorship from experienced navigators. All training components are rooted in theoretical principles and proven pedagogical approaches. The knowledge, skills and abilities acquired are also tied to core competencies of the role of lay patient navigator. Conclusion: The development of this lay navigator training programme was carefully designed with evidence-based competencies and practical realities to ensure rigour in preparing and supporting navigators' work in primary care settings.

Libraries continue to spearhead initiatives to incentivize instructors to adopt, adapt, and create open educational resources (OER). However, these programs often do not explicitly require educators to preserve the OER they create. Drawing on an analysis of semi-structured interviews with six experts, this article presents considerations for libraries interested in preserving OER and recommendations for OER librarians who are new to digital preservation. The study makes an argument for why and how libraries could begin to preserve OER. Future areas of investigation include better understanding how OER repositories preserve such resources and how consortia models can support this work.

School recess scholars have called for more research into collective relations between social, personal, and physical factors on students' engagement and enjoyment of recess. Overall and by gender, this study serves to investigate a proposed model among 355 elementary school students from victimization to enjoyment through peer belonging, positive affect, and physical activity. Consenting students completed an online survey, and structural equation modeling (overall and in boys and girls) revealed an excellent fit of the data to the model (comparative fit index [CFI] and goodness of fit index [GFI] > 0.95, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] < 0.08, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] < 0.10). Each of the path regression coefficients was significant (p < 0.001) except for between victimization and positive affect. Results by gender revealed that all factor loadings were significant for both males and females, and all pathways between factors were significant for males, whereas for females, all pathways were significant except from victimization to affect and from physical activity to enjoyment. Boys were also significantly higher in victimization and physical activity during recess. For enhanced recess enjoyment among elementary school students, some schools may need to better consider how to support students' reciprocal needs for peer belonging, affect, physical activity, and reduced victimization.

It has been argued that sport is a way for youth to develop psycho-social skills that lead to holistic development. However, participation itself in sport does not lead to this growth; mechanisms for growth must be intentional, often conducted by coaches. Thus, the purpose of this descriptive study was to understand the integration of positive youth development concepts of citizenship into youth sport organizations. One hundred five coaches from the United States and Canada completed an online survey created by the researchers and comprising preexisting measures and newly devised questions. The coaches most heavily emphasized a mastery climate focusing on effort and having fun and emphasized winning the least. Additionally, coaches perceived their youth athletes to learn respect for others, teamwork, and respect for self at the highest rates through participation in their program. Regarding specific techniques for developing citizenship, participants provided many concrete examples in open responses: creating leadership development opportunities for girls in their organization, having league homework programs, and running food drives. Research has identified time as a major barrier to the implementation of opportunities for the explicit transfer of citizenship skills, and the participants provided several methods of growth that are not time intensive. The practical implications and limitations of the results are discussed.

Professional learning communities have become a focus of educational reform in New Brunswick. The implementation and sustainability of this reform is dependent on shifting many of the organizational and operational characteristics of the traditional bureaucratic model into those that support a learning community approach in schools. The study examined the process for developing a school-based instrument that identifies systemic barriers that may prevent schools from becoming professional learning communities. The instrument examines culture, leadership, teaching and professional growth & development factors in an attempt to determine the readiness of a school to become a PLC.

Purpose: Problem-based learning (PBL), a relatively novel teaching and learning process in horticulture, was investigated. Proper application of PBL can potentially create a learning context that enhances student learning. Design/Methodology/Approach: Students worked on two complex ill-structured problems: (1) to produce fresh baby greens for a 4-week catering event and (2) to produce seedlings for a grower. Data collected were analyzed by the concurrent method and presented as case studies. Findings: Students developed positive attitudes through active engagement. Their presentations and reports demonstrated leadership roles, critical thinking and conflict management. Practical professional, social and affective skills were developed through production of 5 kg baby greens, and 2500 vegetable seedlings. Successes and limitations were identified. Theoretical Implication: The quality of the PBL problem is critical for the stimulation and elaboration of prior knowledge, development of epistemic curiosity and the relevant semantic framework. These are motivators that inspire effective learning. Practical Implication: Cognitive and emotional intelligence skills are realized by trusting the PBL process, identifying enhancers and inhibitors. Enhancement of creativity, social and employability skills manifest through challenges that help to develop for the "whole". Originality/Value: In the horticulture industry, stakeholders interact with each other and the agro-ecological system. Consequently, competencies in production and emotional intelligence are invaluable.

Although previous research has explored the efficacy of differential response (DR) programs in child welfare, there have been no studies to date about coding decisions between designations by child protection service agencies. Research has explored client satisfaction with DR as well as rates of recidivism and removal/placement but with limited attention paid to the rationales behind coding decisions and recoding, once an initial designation pathway is assigned. This descriptive study uses data previously gathered by child protection social workers to qualitatively evaluate the fidelity of implementation of family development response (FDR) in British Columbia and the integrity of the program with regard to its stated objectives. Based on a random sample of intakes, decision-making fidelity to code as FDR or investigation (INV) was examined by exploring rationales behind coding at critical decision points and mechanisms for recoding during family involvement with child protective services. Subsequently, this study examined whether cases that had been coded as FDR differed substantially from INVs in terms of service provision, outcomes, and appropriateness of FDR for high-risk cases.

Background: Noteworthy proportions of adolescents--particularly females--report negatively about their experiences regarding fitness and the testing of it during physical education (PE). These accounts often coincide with lower levels of body image, fitness, motivation, and physical activity and higher rates of attrition from optional PE. Purpose: The aim of this study was to test path relations between body size dissatisfaction (BSD), test anxiety (TA), self-efficacy, and fitness-related outcomes during fitness in PE and to determine whether these differ as a function of gender and level of BSD. Method: Survey data were collected from 394 9th and 10th-grade students in southern Ontario, Canada. A previously validated BSD measure was used that consisted of a series of nine gender-specific silhouettes ranging from very thin/slender to very large/ overweight. Students' dissatisfaction score involved subtracting self-ratings of their ideal body size from current body size estimates. Fitness indices in PE (FIPE)was the z-score of the sum of self-reported fitness level, fitness grade in PE, and frequency of active exercise at least 30 minutes per day. Self-efficacy and TA were assessed using established scales from the "Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire." Data analysis: Multivariate analysis of variance was used to assess group differences whereas gender-specific confirmatory factor and path analyses were used to test the proposed path in which relations between BSD and FIPE were manifest indirectly through TA and self-efficacy. Findings: The hypothetical path fit the data in the overall sample and fit better for females than for males. Females reported a higher BSD and a lower self-efficacy and FIPE than males. BSD was evident in both genders with most females desiring a thinner body compared to boys who had relatively equal proportions wanting to be bigger and thinner. Males wanting to be smaller reported significantly lower self-efficacy and FIPE than males with little BSD or those wanting to be larger. Females desiring a thinner body reported significantly more TA and lower FIPE than females with no BSD. Conclusion: Body image concerns and elevated levels of anxiety appear to undergird the influence of self-efficacy on FIPE. This is particularly so in females, although both females and males with a BSD are susceptible to lowered fitness motivation and achievement in PE. Suggestions are provided to help physical educators to structure fitness curricula and pedagogy to better minimize this vulnerability. These include catering to the gender-specific needs and preferences for fitness activities during PE including the testing of fitness.

Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur in youth with autism spectrum disorders. In addition to developing efficacious treatments for anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorders, it is important to examine the transportability of these treatments to real-world settings. Study aims were to (a) train clinicians to deliver Facing Your Fears: Group Therapy for Managing Anxiety in Children with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders to fidelity and (b) examine feasibility of the program for novel settings. A secondary aim was to examine preliminary youth treatment outcome. Results indicated that clinicians obtained excellent fidelity following a workshop and ongoing consultation. Acceptability ratings indicated that Facing Your Fears Therapy was viewed favorably, and critiques were incorporated into program revisions. Meaningful reductions in anxiety were reported posttreatment for 53% of children. Results support the initial effectiveness and transportability of Facing Your Fears Therapy in new clinical settings.

In this paper we explore our experiences working with queer and trans youth who have taken "non-traditional pathways out of high school. Drawing on Foucauldian theories of normalisation and Halberstam's queerings of time, success, and failure, we consider how certain aspects of schooling have shaped queer and trans youths' desire to seek out GEDs or early entrance into post-secondary school as strategies to escapes their high school environments. Through our reflection on our experiences with these students, we have identified some of the barriers that these students faced with regard to high school completion. Additionally, we found the tension between success and failure often shaped the alternative paths these queer and trans youth had chosen in an effort to negotiate their schooling experience. In the end, we question the current organisation of secondary schooling and suggest that a (re)envisioning of alternative educational pathways out of secondary schooling would provide destigmatising, non-normative modes of engagement with schools and learning.

Increasing dropout rates in senior high school physical education, particularly among females, and unhealthy activity and obesity levels in youth have led to recommendations to assess potential contributing factors in physical education participation. Drawing from gender, body image, and social-cognitive theory, this study investigated relations between body size discrepancy, self-efficacy, test anxiety, and achievement in 316 high school physical education students. Gender differences were noted in body size discrepancy (females reported the desire to have a smaller body). Specifically in females, body size discrepancy predicted test anxiety, which predicted self-efficacy. Self-efficacy predicted achievement in both males and females. The results signal that gender-specific relations among these constructs are important factors to consider in the achievement scores of students in high school physical education. Physical education programs should model curricula and instructional practices that defuse potentially harmful body image discrepancies that seem most poignant in females while engaging all learners to feel competent and safe. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to compare traditional classification training for a set of abstract concepts with multiple-relations training consisting of inference practice and the use of a content diagram. To examine this, 200 undergraduate and graduate psychology students completed a Web-based tutorial covering the abstract concepts of a psychological theory of language and cognition. All participants received the same core instructional content and practice activities varied by experimental condition: some participants received classification training, some received multiple-relations training, some received a combination of both, and some received neither. Performance on a posttest with three subsections was evaluated. Participants who received classification training were significantly better at identifying new instances of the concepts than participants who did not. Neither classification training nor multiple-relations training had a significant effect on ability to identify concept definitions or answer application questions. Implications for the development of instruction for abstract concepts are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

In Canada, there are long waiting lists of adopted persons and birthparents seeking information or actual reunions. In the province of Quebec, the government authorized a pilot project, involving a fee-for-service program and use of contract social workers to supplement agency staff as intermediaries in the reunion process. This article reports on the project's evaluation and provides birthparents' and adoptees' responses to reunion. A survey of clients who used this service found a high level of satisfaction. There were, however, some significant differences between birthparents and adoptees as well as between those who were searching and those found. (Contains 3 tables.)

Introduction: University students are at a high risk for mental health difficulties. Occupational performance coaching is an action-oriented and strengths-based approach that can help clients set and accomplish personally valued goals. We carried out a pilot project to evaluate a tele-rehabilitation occupational performance coaching service for university students within an occupational therapy fieldwork placement. Method: A pretest post-test design was used. Severity of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress and goal achievement were measured before and after the intervention and semi-structured interviews were carried out with student clients and student therapists. Development of student therapist competencies were noted. Results: Thirty-five student clients enrolled in occupational performance coaching and participated in 1–6 sessions. They identified academic, health, social and vocational goals. Through occupational performance coaching, clients made important progress on their goals. Following occupational performance coaching, clients demonstrated statistically significant improvement in anxiety and depression. The occupational therapy students attained competencies comparable in number and level to those achieved in more traditional placements. Conclusion: Occupational performance coaching is a potentially valuable addition to student mental health services. Such a service can be provided by supervised fieldwork students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of 26 Canadian pediatricians explored their reluctance to adhere to a legal mandate to report suspected child abuse. While respondents were generally positive about their experience in filing a report, they were less positive about the dearth of feedback they received about their report. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Highlights a Canadian preservice educator in a cross- cultural course who worked with student teachers to understand how they encountered one another's diverse attitudes and values, promoting a theory of cross-cultural education that validated experiential interactions as moments of learning. This led to a vision of pluralism where diversity helped create interpretive competence through encounters of difference and self-study. (SM)

Explores what was learned during the "Schools Speaking to Stakeholders" project about building the quality school in order to contribute to the dialogue about reform in Quebec schools. Discusses the views from the literature and of practitioners who participated in the project and the framework used for measuring school quality. (CMK)

Describes the Open Access Study plan, an external degree program, of the Atlantic Institute of Education. (IRT)

The effect of faculty advisor training on the acquisition of career decision-making skills among first year university students at Memorial University of Newfoundland was studied. The study raises issues concerning the efficacy of faculty advisor involvement in assisting first year students to acquire career decision-making skills. (Author)

Highlights • Mean BA and density of overstory Douglas-fir highest in patch-cut, group selection, and uncut sites. • Mean density of understory conifers highest in dispersed and aggregated retention sites. • Mean abundance and species richness of understory vegetation similar among sites. • Patch-cut and group selection sites were used by deer more than retention sites. Abstract Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are a major mammal species in many interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forest ecosystems in western North America. During winter in areas of relatively high snowpacks, mule deer seem to require older trees with large crowns for snow interception, but these forests are often targeted for harvest. Green-tree retention (GTR) may offer a solution to this conundrum. We tested three hypotheses (H) that, at 20–22 years after harvest, (H 1) abundance (e.g., basal area and density of residual trees and understory stand structure) of conifers, (H 2) abundance, species richness, and diversity of understory vegetation, and (H 3) relative habitat use by mule deer, will decline with lower levels of tree retention. Fecal pellet-groups of deer were counted in summer and winter periods for three years in replicated stands of dispersed retention, aggregated retention, patch-cut, group selection, and uncut forest in mixed Douglas-fir - lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) forest in southern British Columbia, Canada. Mean basal area, density, and canopy closure of overstory Douglas-fir trees were generally greater in the patch-cut, group selection, and uncut forest sites than dispersed and aggregated retention sites, and hence supported the overstory part of H 1. Mean density of understory conifers did not support H 1 as the majority of these trees were in the dispersed and aggregated retention stands. There was no difference in mean abundance nor species richness of understory vegetation among treatment sites. Mean species diversity tended to be 1.4–1.8 times higher in the patch-cut and group selection than the other sites, and hence provided weak support for H 2. Patch-cut and group selection sites were dominated by Douglas-fir trees in both the overstory and understory, along with potential forage shrub species, and were used by deer more than the dispersed and aggregated retention stands in both summer and winter. Relative habitat use by deer in uncut forest was greater than the retention stands and generally similar to the patch-cut and group selection sites in both seasons. These results suggest that partial harvesting of these mixed Douglas-fir – lodgepole pine stands across a range of opening sizes (e.g., 0.1 to 2–5 ha) should provide suitable habitat for mule deer over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Unlike other chronic injuries, acquired brain injuries (ABI's) affect physical, cognitive, social, and emotional functioning. Although collaborative decision-making, high patient engagement, and positive healthcare relationships are generally encouraged within the patient-centred care (PCC) framework, little is known about how ABI patients experience healthcare relationships and decision-making and whether their experiences align with PCC principles. Method:The purpose of this study was to obtain a better understanding of how mild to moderate ABI patients in the chronic phase of recovery (i.e. minimum 2 years post-injury) experience and navigate healthcare using narrative methods. Participants were 11 Canadian adults living in the community and recruited from their local brain injury association. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed for their thematic content, structural aspects, and performative aspects in order to get at the meaning-making underlying the narrated stories. Findings:These participants told one coherent narrative with two main storylines: one in which they positively portrayed their doctors and their healthcare relationships – reporting feeling lost and needing their doctor's help; and another in which they negatively portrayed their doctors and their healthcare relationships – reporting being capable and therefore not needing their doctor's help. Although seemingly contradictory, these two storylines speak to one coherent experience in which capability served as a counter-narrative to what they perceived as a global narrative of being devalued, dismissed and patronized. Discussion:The implication of how this counter-narrative affects their experience of healthcare is discussed, including implications for why doctors may want to focus on fostering a positive doctor–patient relationship by conveying that they care for and value their ABI patients, and why simple interactions may contribute to this positive relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the current problematic state of public policy addressed to the sex trade in Canada. It explores the recent parliamentary inquiry into the sex trade and suggests that the Canadian polity needs to set in train a clear program for reform in this area. A particular priority of these reforms should be to enhance the safety and rights of sex workers. At present the Canadian polity is mired in philosophic, moral and political divisions over the acceptability of sex work and this is limiting the search for practical ways of addressing urgent social problems. We argue that this search needs to be wide and continuing and that some practical 'lessons' can be learned from Australia where prostitution law reform has been in place for a considerable period of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Enhanced growth of crop trees and development of late-seral structural characteristics in second-growth stands in temperate and boreal forest zones could be achieved by silvicultural practices such as pre-commercial thinning (PCT). This study was designed to test the hypotheses that large-scale stand thinning, at a 15-year period after PCT, would enhance: (i) productivity and structural features (crown volume, diameter, height, and volume growth of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) crop trees); and (ii) coniferous stand structure (abundance, species diversity, and structural diversity of coniferous tree layers). Replicate study areas were located near Penticton, Kamloops, and Prince George in south-central British Columbia, Canada. Each study area had three stands thinned to densities of ∼500stems/ha (low), ∼1000stems/ha (medium), and ∼2000stems/ha (high), with an unthinned young pine and old-growth pine stand for comparison. An overall analysis of tree growth in thinned stands, across these regional replicates, indicated that lodgepole pine grew significantly faster in mean diameter in the low- than either of the medium- or high-density stands. There was no difference in mean height growth among stand densities over the 15-year period since PCT. Mean tree volume increment was significantly higher in the low-density than in the high-density stands. Mean stand volume increment (m3/ha) was similar in the medium-density (108.53) and high-density (132.51) stands, both of which were significantly higher than the low-density stands (72.88). Mean crown volume of crop trees was significantly greater in the low-density (52.8m3) and medium-density (42.9m3) stands than in the high-density (27.8m3), unthinned (11.7m3), or old-growth stands (30.9m3 pine only). This measure of crown size was similar among pine trees in the low-density, medium-density, and all conifers (43.2m3) in the old-growth stands. Other measurements of crown architecture followed this same pattern. Mean densities of understory trees were similar among stands for height classes up to 3m. Mean species diversity and structural diversity of coniferous tree layers were highest in the low- and medium-density stands than in other treatment stands. Our results support the hypotheses that PCT enhances productivity (diameter and volume growth, but not height growth) and structural features (crown architecture) of young lodgepole pine, as well as diversity of coniferous tree layers in thinned stands. Accelerated development of some structural features of late-seral forest appeared in our young managed stands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses a study which examines the responses of stand-structure attributes and small-mammal communities to harvesting with the use of a seed-tree silvicultural system. The study tests the hypothesis that diversity of stand-structure attributes and forest-floor small-mammal communities increase from young pine to seed-tree to old-growth forest as well as explores the link of relationship of variable stand structure to the management of forest landscape for biodiversity objectives.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), are industrial chemicals that are of concern due to their environmental presence, persistence, bioaccumulative potential, toxicity, and capacity for long-range transport. Despite a large body of research on environmental exposure, insufficient chronic aquatic toxicity data exist to develop water quality targets for clean-up of federal contaminated sites in Canada. Thus, our objective was to assess the aqueous toxicity of PFOA in chronic tests with Hyalella azteca (amphipod) and early-life stage tests with Pimephales promelas (fathead minnow). Toxicity data were analyzed based on measured PFOA concentrations. Amphipod exposures were 42 d (0.84–97 mg/L) and examined survival, growth, and reproduction. Fathead minnow exposures were 21 d (0.010–76 mg/L), which encompassed hatching (5 d) and larval stages until 16 d post-hatch; endpoints included hatching success, deformities at hatch, and larval survival and growth. Amphipod survival was significantly reduced at 97 mg/L (42-d LC50 = 51 mg/L), but growth and reproduction were more sensitive endpoints (42-d EC50 for both endpoints = 2.3 mg/L). Fathead minnows were less sensitive than amphipods, exhibiting no significant effects in all endpoints with the exception of uninflated swim bladder, which was significantly higher at 76 mg/L (15%) than controls (0%). Maximum concentrations of PFOA are generally in the ng/L range in global surface waters, but can reach the μg/L range in close proximity to major source inputs; therefore, environmental concentrations are well below those that caused toxicity in the current study. Our data will provide valuable information with which to assess the risk of PFOA at contaminated sites, and to set a target for site remediation. Image 1 • Toxicity of PFOA was assessed in amphipods (Hyalella azteca) and fathead minnows. • The most sensitive endpoints were 42-d growth and reproduction in amphipods. • Amphipod LOECs were ≤0.8 mg/L (reproduction), 3 mg/L (growth), 29 mg/L (survival). • Thefathead minnow LOEC was 76 mg/L (uninflated swim bladder). • Observed effects (mg/L) were higher than environmental concentrations (ng/L-μg/L). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]