Who we are
Northwest Science and Information (NWSI) is one of three regional sections in Science and Information Branch. We work with organizations that manage fish, wildlife, water, and forests on Crown land west of Lake Nipigon to Manitoba’s border.
What do we do
We collaborate with our clients by providing relevant expertise together with science and information products for natural resource management and reporting.
We specialize in fieldwork on:
- describing plant communities and forest soils
- understanding forest landscapes
- forest regeneration and management
- forest growth and yield
- improving forest inventories
- aquatic invasive species
- the ecology and management of rivers, lakes and their fish populations
- developing or testing new sampling and survey methods
We monitor and assess:
- Change in forest cover resulting from natural and human-caused disturbance
- Fish populations and fish habitat in inland lakes like Lake Nipigon and Lake of the Woods
- wildlife populations and habitat for Species at Risk, migratory birds, small mammals, and amphibians in the region
We seek out, evaluate, organize, and protect:
- old scientific studies
- historic data, inventories, maps, reports, and surveys
We create:
- databases
- tools for capturing, managing, and retrieving natural resource data and information
maps - reports
- workshops and learning opportunities
We provide information and science advice to Ministry staff and partners involved in resource management; planning, policy development, and in the evaluation of existing and proposed standards, plans, and programs. Specialized training, one-on-one assistance, and provision of field-based extension services are unique aspects of our role in MNR.
We work to ensure the best science, information tools and products are used to manage natural resources in northwestern Ontario.
There are over 110 reports to download on this website. They contain the relevant science information for northwestern Ontario on:
- fish communities in local inland lakes
- mapping methods for boreal forest, plant, and soil types
- caribou, deer, and moose surveys
- harvest methods for boreal forest trees and growing conditions
- climate change
