SERG International

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Preamble

SERG International (SERG-I) is an association of forest management, regulatory and research agencies, and pesticide suppliers, interested in forest pest management. The primary aim of SERG-I is to improve application technology and pest management methods associated with the use of pest control products in the context of integrated forest pest management. SERG-I facilitates efficient use of resources for collaborative research to meet the needs and priorities of pest managers.

SERG-I is not a funding agency. Rather, SERG-I provides a means for the members to work cooperatively on research projects through the sharing of expertise, financial resources, in-kind resources, staff, and the results to achieve common goals in the areas
of spray efficacy and pest management methods.

Through this co-ordinated approach, members of SERG-I are able to pool their resources, leverage other sources of funding, and work cooperatively to conduct research and share results amongst the members.

SERG-I General Priority Areas of Research

1. Forest Pest Management Products:
   Product efficacy — including conventionally applied products as well as the development of alternative products such as viruses, nematodes, pheromones and biological herbicides.
2. Improvement of Technologies and Techniques:
   This research includes, but not exclusively, Application technology - including aerial and ground-based application techniques which provide improvements in environmental and efficiency goals. This area includes advances in surveillance and information gathering technology for application to improve ability to monitor or mitigate impacts on forest health disturbances and resiliency.
3. Environmental Impact and Benefit to Forest Pest Management:
   Fate of applied products in terms of deposit, drift, impact and behaviour in the environment including impacts on biodiversity and ecological processes.
4. Developing Strategies and Technologies to monitor and detect Forest disturbances:
   Develop working tools and strategies for the detection, monitoring and management of forest disturbances. This might include Decision Support Systems; Remote and airborne surveillance technologies, systems and methods; Genomics.
5. Technology and Information Transfer:
   Transferring results of SERG-I supported research to forest managers through annual workshops, the SERG-I web site; diagnostic keys and decision support tools and stakeholder meetings.

 

Steering Committee

The SERG International Steering Committee consists of Executive (aka Board of Directors) and Associate Committee members.

Membership:

Executive Members

Executive Members form the Board of Directors under SERG-I Association within fRI Research. The SERG-I Program Lead shall chair the executive committee comprising the Provincial representatives of member agencies, and Director-level representatives of CFS and the USDA-FS. Membership fees for Executive Members are set at $6,000/year.

Executive Members are currently represented by the following agencies:

Province of Alberta (Alberta Forestry, Parks and Tourism)
Province of British Columbia (Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations)
Province of Manitoba (Department of Natural Resources and Northern Development)
Province of New Brunswick (Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development)
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (Department of Natural Resources)
Province of Nova Scotia (Department of Natural Resources and Renewables)
Province of Ontario (Ministry of Natural Resources)
Province of Quebec (SOPFIM 1)
Province of Quebec (QMRNF 2)
Province of Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment)
Canadian Forest Service (Director)
USDA-Forest Service (Director)

¹ Société de protection des forêts contre les insectes et maladies
² Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec Québec

Executive Members will contribute equally to the cost of maintaining the SERG-I Program Lead and the administrative expenses to run SERG-I. Executive Members have voting privileges on the Steering Committee. In addition, they set the strategic direction for SERG-I and participate in the annual prioritization of work areas.

Associate Members

Associate Members of the Steering Committee shall include representatives of organisations able to conduct, benefit from or support pest management research and interested in co-ordinating their efforts. Associate Members neither have voting privileges, nor do they participate in establishing either the strategic direction or research priorities of SERG-I. They do, however, participate in the evaluation of SERG-I proposals and may provide funds according to their individual interests.

Associate Members do not contribute to the cost of administering SERG-I but are encouraged to sponsor research projects

Associate Members presently include the following partners:

Lallemand Plant Care
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Canadian Forest Service – Atlantic Forestry Centre
Canadian Forest Service - Great Lakes Forestry Centre
Canadian Forest Service – Laurentian Forestry Centre
Canadian Forest Service - Northern Forestry Centre
Canadian Forest Service – Pacific Forestry Centre
Forest Protection Limited
Pest Management Regulatory Agency
Andermatt Canada
Valent BioSciences LLC
Synergy Semiochemicals Corporation.

Other organisations may be invited by the Executive to participate as appropriate.

Steering Committee Governance Structure

The Program Lead of SERG-I will be the Chair of the Steering Committee.

SERG International activities are directed by a Steering Committee which will:

1. Identify and prioritise research, development, and technology transfer on an annual basis.
2. Identify and develop potential partnerships for SERG-I particularly in the areas of pest management, regulation, economic benefit, communications, new technologies, and stakeholder needs (e.g. forest industry).
3. Request and review proposals (Appendix A, B) and funding for project priorities.
4. Co-ordinate application technology and efficacy research
5. Promote outreach activities such as workshops, SERG-I website and distribution of research reports to interchange information amongst SERG-I, researchers, user groups and participating organisations.
6. Provide advice and recommendations to various organisations which either participate in or have an interest in SERG-I activities.

Each organisation shall have one representative (or its designated alternate) on the Steering Committee. Additional representatives may attend as observers and to provide expertise as needed. Additions can be made to the member organisations of the Steering Committee subject to approval by the majority of the Executive. Additional individuals or organisations may be associated with SERG-I (without becoming Executive (voting) Members or Associate Members of the Steering Committee) by writing to the Program Lead with a request to be included on the SERG-I mailing list. All those included on the mailing list will be notified of the Annual Workshop and will receive the updated SERG-I publication list and the annually updated Research Priorities.

Overhead and Administration Expenses:

Overhead costs for SERG-I, including the fees for the Program Lead, the Program Lead’s travel expenses and administrative costs, will be shared equally by the Executive members of the Steering Committee. The budget for the coming year will be established by the Executive previous to March 31 of the current year.

Disbursement of Surplus Funds:

1. Any proposal by an Executive Committee member for use of SERG-I funds must be circulated to the Executive Committee and the Program Lead at least two weeks prior to the SERG-I meeting at which it is to be tabled. Members who will not be present at the meeting will have up to one week prior to the meeting to submit their votes to the Program Lead.
2. Any absentee Executive Committee member who does not submit a vote by the due date, will lose his/her voting right on the proposed motion. Majority approval will then be based on the remaining voting membership. In the event of a tie, the Program Lead may cast the tie-breaking vote.

 

Meetings:

Meetings of the Steering Committee shall be called by the Program Lead, after consultation with the Executive, and shall be held at least twice per year. Special Issue conference calls or video meetings may be held at the request of an Executive Member.

1. Each year, $2500 of each Executive Member's annual SERG-I fee will be set aside for that Member to use for SERG-I travel to any Steering Committee meeting including project evaluation meetings. Travel to attend the SERG-I project evaluation meeting (typically, the first week of February) shall take precedence over attending other meetings.
2. Each member’s travel funds will be carried to a maximum of 2 years to a total of $5,000.00. Any surplus will be transferred to SERG-I general revenues.

 

The agenda for meetings shall be determined by the Program Lead, in consultation with Executive Committee members.

Minutes shall be taken of all meetings and distributed by the Program Lead to all members of the Steering Committee.

Workshop:

A formal SERG-I Workshop will be held annually. The Annual Workshop will normally be scheduled in early February. Final or interim written reports will be submitted to the Program Lead prior to the annual Workshop (mid January). An oral presentation delivered in person preferably by the Principal Investigator on the current year's research will be made at the Workshop. Immediately following the Workshop, research proposals for the upcoming year will be evaluated by the Steering Committee for member’s funding and/or in-kind support.

The location of the Workshop will rotate amongst the member provinces/and or agencies (i.e. the Executive). The host province or agency will support the Program Lead as local host in co-ordinating the Workshop including the provision of secretarial and related services (such as registration desk, laptop, printing programs, etc.).

APPENDIX A

Proposal Format Specifications

Concept Proposal

A concept proposal can be a brief as 2 pages using font sizes no smaller than 10. Multi-year projects require a concept proposal each year.

General:

1. Title:
2. Principal Investigator or Agency:
3. Contact Person:
4. Telephone Number:
5. Address:

 

Executive Summary

• SERG-I general area of research addressed as stated in the Terms of Reference
• Objectives of study
• Completion date for study

 

Objective:

Clear and concise statement of objective (s).

Financial:

Budget requirements clearly identifying funding sought from SERG-I and other potential funding sources. Forecast budget requirements for future years (where applicable) including level of investment by all participants (to the extent possible).

Funding details should include potential funding sources and funding level
Provide details for Year 1* (and future years of multi-year proposals)
Funding runs from April 1 to March 31

Proposed Funding Sources
	Year 1 2023/24	Year 2 2024/25	etc	etc
Identify all potential and secured funding sources including in-kind	level of funding
and
SERG-I	funding sought
Total

* For new projects, Y1 starts the year when the full proposal receives funding.

Final Proposal

Final Proposals should be no longer than 4 pages using font sizes no smaller than 10 Multi-year projects require a final proposal each year.

General:

1. Title:
2. Principle Investigator or Agency:
3. Contact Person:
4. Telephone Number:
5. Address:

 

Executive Summary

• SERG-I general area of research addressed as stated in the Terms of Reference
• Objectives of study
• Completion date for study
• Names of suggested reviewers from outside the proponent's agency

 

Objective: Clear and concise statement of objective (s).

Financial:

Budget requirements (by year for multi-year projects) clearly identifying funding sought from SERG-I and other potential funding sources.

1. Provide details of expected expenditures, i.e. casual/student salaries, related travel, materials, printing, etc. for current year using budget template below.
2. Identify committed funding and in-kind contributions from all sources.
3. Forecast budget requirements for future years (where applicable) including level of investment by each participant (to the extent possible)

Funding details should include potential funding sources and funding level
Provide details for Year 1* (and future years of multi-year proposals)
Funding runs from April 1 to March 31

Proposed Funding Sources
	Year 1 2023/24	Year 2 2024/25	etc	etc
Identify all potential and secured funding sources including in-kind	level of funding
SERG-I	funding sought
Total

* For new projects, Y1 starts the year when the full proposal receives funding.

Include funding details for Current Year

Funding Details
Casual employee/ student salaries
Field Trials
Vehicles
Field equipment supplies
Travel, meals, lodging
Lab
Materials and Supplies
etc
etc
Total

Note: Full-time employee salaries/travel and administration fees will not be funded by SERG-I but can be noted as in-kind contributions.

Background:

Identify the problem/opportunity of concern and how it relates to SERG-I’s Areas of Research in its Terms of Reference. Outline the magnitude of the impact of the project if successful and if not undertaken. Identify the specific solution required. Identify any previous funding received and progress to date.

Participants/Co-operators:

Identify the roles of researchers and user agencies involved in the project as well as the level of support and participation throughout the project.

Methodology:

Identify all relevant details including method of implementation, number of personnel involved, location, anticipated completion date, etc.

Deliverables including Timing and Reporting Milestones

Identify measurable outputs to be produced by which the success of the project may be evaluated and the manner in which these will be presented. Note: Reporting requirements include a final or progress report due mid-January (exact date to be announced each year) of the year following acceptance of the proposal and an oral presentation preferably by the Principal Investigator at the annual SERG-I workshop.

 

APPENDIX "B"

SERG International Proposal Review Procedures

The Executive will review the SERG-I Research Priorities annually, update it as required, and set research priorities for the following year. Specific priorities, and the level of funding anticipated for each, will be identified whenever possible. The updated Research Priorities will be distributed normally by early October, at the time of the call for SERG-I Concept Proposals. Specific agencies or individuals may be asked to submit proposals for certain projects or an open public call for proposals may be used for other work areas.

Call for Proposals

Concept and final proposals (in the formats detailed in Appendix A) will be accepted up to the date set by the Program Lead in his call letter. The research proponent may be invited at the discretion of the Executive to be available either in person or via telephone when a particular proposal is being reviewed.

Stage I Review

Members of the Steering Committee will review the Concept Proposals to determine the compliance with the Research Priorities, and to identify the funding potential for the proposed research. This review will be completed no later than the end of the National Forest Pest Management Forum week (usually first week in December). Only Concept Proposals approved at this stage will asked to submit a full proposal and receive further consideration at Stage II.

Stage II Review and Funding

The Program Lead may obtain reviews of a Proposal – ideally, one from a scientist and one from a user. The final proposals and the reviewers' comments are then provided to the Board to determine which projects will receive support for funding in the upcoming year.

Conflict of Interest Guidelines

Recognizing that members of the SERG-I Board may also be participants on SERG-I-supported projects, the following rules will apply:

1. Said members will declare themselves in conflict when evaluating SERG-I proposals (Stage II – Terms of Reference) of which they are collaborators or which have the same scientific goals as SERG-I proposals/ projects of which they are a collaborator.
2. Project-team members will be excluded from the Stage II evaluation of their SERG-I project.

 

Rules for SERG-I Stage II Evaluation

1. 1. Principal investigators will avail themselves, either in person or by video or telephone, for questions that may arise during the Stage II review.
2. Attendance to the full review meeting will be restricted to the SERG-I Steering Committee, their alternates and invitees.
3. The Stage II review meeting may also have an open format during which specific questions relating to project proposals will be discussed.

 

SERG-I is not a funding agency with an allotment of money to be awarded through a competitive-process. Rather, SERG-I provides a means for the members to work cooperatively on research projects through the sharing of expertise, financial resources, in-kind resources, staff, and the results to achieve common goals consistent with specified SERG-I General Areas of Research.

At Stage II, the Steering Committee will review the final proposals and the comments of the reviewers in considering the proposals for funding by the members. Each member will decide which specific proposals to support, and what type (e.g., financial, in-kind, coordination, advisory) and amount of support will be provided. Opportunities for cooperation and efficiencies will be explored and encouraged by the Steering Committee.

Proposal Endorsement and Conditions

The Program Lead will inform each proponent in writing of the status of the Proposal (e.g. approved, not approved, approved with conditions, or revise and re-submit). Proposals approved at Stage II will be assigned a Project Number.

SERG-I research projects involving the application of product will be completed according to SERG-I Field Testing Guidelines available on the SERG-I website (serginternational.org).

SERG-I will arrange for a holdback of 10% of funding for all projects it funds. This holdback will be released upon receipt and acceptance by the funding agencies of the final or interim report and a presentation preferably by the Principal Investigator at the SERG-I Workshop. Proponents are expected to manage their finances by taking this 10% holdback into consideration. Each year, a project report must be received and accepted by the funding agencies before funding will be granted for subsequent years

.

APPENDIX C

Reporting Policy for SERG-I

1. Introduction

SERG International (SERG-I) has an excellent reputation for supporting applied research and technology for use in forest pest management and other related fields. As a service to the technical community, SERG-I maintains on-line access to reports produced through the SERG-I process and distributes these as PDF files upon request. Typically, SERG-I facilitates some 30 research and development projects annually.

2. SERG International Reporting Requirements

As part of the agreement with a Principal Investigator (PI) who participates in the SERG-I process, a final report (and yearly interim reports in the case of multi-year funding) is required by mid-January of year following acceptance of proposal and an oral presentation at the annual Workshop. Final acceptance of report submissions is the responsibility of SERG-I funding members.

Final Reports

• SERG-I Report
  
• A detailed project report is acceptable as a final report. This report should follow a classic scientific format with abstract, introduction, objectives etc. through to results and conclusions. It should be written in plain, understandable language and terminology. The report must include a bilingual executive summary; translation is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator. It will be the PI’s responsibility to identify any disclaimers on the front page of the report (e.g. do not cite, do not copy, refer all questions to author, etc.). The report should be signed-off by the PI’s manager. The funding members of the project will arrange for a review of the final report.
  
  Only FINAL SERG-I reports will be bound in SERG-I covers and be submitted to the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI).
  
  
• Peer review article
  
• Principal Investigators receiving funding are encouraged to produce peer reviewed articles. SERG International should be acknowledged.
  
  Peer reviewed journal articles will be accepted as final reports if the funding members agree the subject matter is relevant. A suggested format to fulfil SERG-I reporting requirements is a bilingual executive summary of the project and a brief (one page) introduction explaining how the peer review article resulted from the original project. These cover pages should be bound with a reprint of the article between SERG-I covers and submitted to the SERG-I Executive. (For electronic distribution, a link or web page address can be used to link the interested party to the publishing society to obtain the article.)
  
  Peer review requirements are often external to SERG-I (e.g., academic employers or federal research managers, etc.) Anonymous peer review is the best way to ensure that results are correct and of high quality. However, it is recognized that the time frame surrounding peer review publications can legitimately take two years from submission to publication. This time frame will be considered in the proposal evaluation process. At the time a submission is made for journal publication, the draft manuscript should be forwarded to the Program Lead. If this is unacceptable, this needs to be explored up front between funding members and the Principal Investigator involved. One option in some circumstances is for funding members to hold and use data internally while treating it as proprietary to the Principal Investigator.
  
  Failed or abandoned peer review. Peer review publications may be turned down for many reasons. Failed or abandoned peer review projects should be reformatted into Project reports and evaluated for suitability as Final reports.

Copies of final reports will be distributed by the PI in the following manner:

1. 1. All Executive Committee members and funding agencies will receive one hard copy each (names and addresses of members can be obtained from the Program Lead) bound between SERG-I covers.
2. The SERG-I Program Lead will receive 2 bound copies and a PDF version. A copy of the report will be filed with CISTI and distributed (PDF version) upon request.
3. At the discretion of the Executive, PDF versions of final reports may be accepted in place of hardcopy versions.

 

Interim Reports

All formats discussed above (with a bilingual abstract) are appropriate for interim reporting. It is suggested further that reporting requirements be discussed in the proposal and upon funding. As a minimum reporting requirement, an interim report will be required every year. Interim reports include:

• Data Report
  Unless otherwise stated, data generated in a specific project are the property of the funding members. The final report may be a data report if the funding members agree. This report must include a restatement of objectives, an executive summary and a methods section. Raw data should be included as an Appendix.
  
  
• Conference/Workshop Proceedings
  Proceedings reports can fulfil interim reporting requirements. Proceeding papers that undergo anonymous peer review and meet the requirements for such may be simply formatted into a Final Report as described above if this is acceptable to the funding members.
  
  
• Other agency reports
  Other agency reports may be accepted as interim reports. Reformatting may be required to meet SERG-I reporting requirements to be considered as final reports. Since most reports follow some semblance of a classic scientific outline, this should not be an egregious requirement.
  
  

Proprietary Research

Proprietary industrial projects (as opposed to proprietary academic rights in order to protect publication potential) will be handled as a separate entity. In this case, an explicit contract will be entered into between funding members and Principal Investigator and the deliverables will be stated. This is the only case where a final report may not be required based on the specific contract.

3. Acceptance of SERG-I Reports

SERG-I will hold back 10% of allocated funds for all projects. These will be released upon acceptance of reporting requirements. Ultimately, acceptance of all SERG-I reports rests with the funding members. If a majority of the funding members accept a Final Report then the project is considered complete. If there is a dispute or in the unusual case of a deadlock, the SERG-I Program Lead will cast the deciding vote. The balance of project funds will be withheld and released only on report completion unless negotiated beforehand (i.e. in the case of the prospect of a long peer review process, the letter of submission to a journal would release the final balance of funds).

4. Delinquency

It will be the responsibility of the Funding members working with the Program Lead to obtain project reports. Reporting delinquency is a problem and can, in some cases, result in the inability of a funding member to generate additional funds for contribution to SERG-I. Principal Investigators who don’t fulfil yearly interim or final reporting requirements will not receive further funding from SERG-I until reporting requirements have been completed.

In the event a delinquent report is not ‘in the works’ (i.e., actively being worked on by data analyses and writing, and has a scheduled reporting date), or is not likely to be prepared as acknowledged by the original PI, then that PI will be obliged to provide the raw data and associated results that were collected, the objectives of the project, and as much detail as possible about the material and methods that were used. This information may be made available to one or more of the original funding members of the project and subsequently made available by them to another researcher duly recognized by them and/or the SERG-I Executive who has interest in further analyses and reporting, though not necessarily to the exclusion of the original PI.

 

APPENDIX D

SERG-I Program Lead Responsibilities

Overall Responsibility

Under the authority of the Executive Members of SERG-I, the Program Lead has the responsibility to plan, organize, manage and control all the activities defined in SERG-I's Terms of Reference.

Specific Responsibilities

1. Chairs the SERG-I Board: liaises with other research organizations/networks; ensures that meetings of the Board are held as required, workshops are held annually, research proposals are submitted for review either by request or letter call, and research reports are submitted and distributed.
2. Maintains milestones for all new research projects to ensure compliance to report production schedules.
3. Calls periodic meetings of the Board and sub-committees as required to identify problems and opportunities, prepare research proposals, plan research activities, and recommends priorities accordingly.
4. Ensures distribution of research reports and facilitates communication and collaboration among scientists, applicators, and forest managers.
5. Assists the Executive in updating annually Research Priorities which includes each activity area addressed by SERG-I, clearly identifying individual studies and defining general and annual objectives.
6. Maintains and circulates to the Board a status report on publications and reports prepared or anticipated from studies supported by SERG-I.
7. Represents SERG-I at meetings and submits reports to the Board.
8. Ensures that minutes for Meetings are taken and distributed.
9. Reviews progress on current research studies supported by SERG-I.
10. Presents new research proposals recommended by the Executive and distributes them to the membership.
11. Identifies potential sources of funding for research proposals and, where appropriate, assists the Board in obtaining commitments from these sources
12. Relays the decisions and recommendations of the Board to the SERG-I mailing list and proponents.
13. Stimulates communication among the members to share resources.
14. Produces the annual workshop proceedings summarizing SERG-I activities and distributes it to SERG-I members and other stakeholders through the SERG-I web site.
15. Maintains the SERG-I website.
16. Prepares an annual Program Lead’s operating budget for consideration by the Board prior to the commencement of the next fiscal year.

 

APPENDIX E

Graduate Student Awards Fund / Undergraduate Student Awards Fund

Students are invited to apply for the SERG International annual Graduate Student Award or Undergraduate Student Award

Background

To honour the hard work and dedication of practitioners of forest pest management, SERG International (SERG-I) has established an annual Graduate Student Awards Fund (GSAF) and an annual Undergraduate Student Awards Fund (USAF) to support students who are doing research directly related to SERG-I’s areas of interest (http://www.serginternational.org/ on the  “Student Awards Application” page).  The main purpose of these Funds is to support students early in their careers by providing an opportunity to attend the annual SERG-I Workshop where they can present their own research and interact with many key researchers and managers responsible for forest pest management in Canada and the United States. The Annual Workshop is typically scheduled for early February with each SERG-I member agency serving has host on a rotating basis.

Submission Deadline

• A Call for candidates and exact due dates for applications will be sent out to our email distribution list. For more information, contact the SERG-I Program Lead, Kevin Porter kbporter61@gmail.com.
• Application deadline is typically mid-to-late November each year
  
  

Award Value

• Annual awards will be made available for up to 5 graduate students and up to 2 undergraduate students.
• The award consists of $500 cash, waiver of SERG-I Workshop Registration Fee and reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred for attending the Workshop including: economy return air fare; hotel; taxi; and per diems (at federal rates).
  
  

Award Conditions

• Each successful Award winner is required to attend the SERG-I Workshop and make an oral presentation of his/her research work.  An associated abstract and summary report are required for inclusion in the Workshop Proceedings and may be posted on the SERG-I website.
• Awards will be presented at the SERG-I Annual Workshop.
  
  

Award Restrictions

• • A candidate can only receive a Graduate Student Award once during each graduate degree.
  • A candidate can only receive an Undergraduate Student Award once during each undergraduate degree.
  • A candidate receiving funding as PI for a SERG-I project cannot apply for a Graduate Student Awardp.
  
  

Application Process

• Graduate Student Awards are open to Masters or Doctoral students and Undergraduate Student Awards are open to undergraduate students who are engaged in research in one or more of the four areas of research specified below.
• The major supervisor of the student applying for an award must provide a Letter of Support outlining the merits of the nominee and degree being pursued.
• The applicant must enclose a Student Summary Statement in which he/she discusses, in no more than two pages, his/her research program, enthusiasm and interest for attending and presenting at the SERG-I Workshop, and how the project adheres to one or more of the SERG-I research areas.
• Completed applications, including the Letter of Support and the Student Summary Statement, must be submitted by email to the Program Lead of SERG-I (kbporter61@gmail.com).  The Program Lead will forward applications to the Selection Committee in advance of the SERG-I Annual General Meeting held in conjunction with the annual Forest Pest Management Forum (late November or early December).  Successful GSAF/USAF winners will be notified by the SERG-I Program Lead shortly thereafter.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.

 

SERG International co-ordinates research in the following areas:

1. Forest Pest Management Products:

• Product efficacy - including conventionally applied products as well as the development of alternative products such as viruses, nematodes, pheromones and biological herbicides, etc. Also, how to measure success of biological control approaches.

2. Improvement of Technologies and Techniques:

• This research includes, but not exclusively, application technology - including aerial and ground-based application techniques which provide improvements in environmental and efficiency goals. This area includes advances in surveillance and information gathering technology (including remote sensing) for application to improve ability to monitor or mitigate impacts on forest health disturbances and resiliency.

3. Environmental Impact and Benefit to Forest Pest Management:

• Fate of applied products in terms of deposit, drift, impact and behaviour in the environment including impacts on biodiversity and ecological processes.

4.  Developing Strategies and Technologies to monitor and detect Forest disturbances:

• Develop working tools and strategies for the detection, monitoring and management of forest disturbances. This might include Decision Support Systems; Remote and airborne surveillance technologies, systems and methods; Genomics.

5. Investigate the effects of climate change on pest ecology, population dynamics, and local and landscape-level processes.
   
   

Generalized Timeline

January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December
		-------------- Student study & research period ------------- Letter of Support & Student Summary Statement to be prepared with Application to be submitted by deadline of November 15th.								Applications received by SC by Nov. 15th; Reviews done.	GSAF Awards announced at AGM.F

 

Guide to Travel Expenditures
This Travel Policy defines expenses that will be reimbursed for attending the SERG-I Workshop. The Workshop typically runs for 2½ days starting on the first Tuesday of February. Travel expenditures for the workshop also include the preceding Monday (travel to) and Thursday afternoon (travel from). If return travel cannot be completed on Thursday, an extra night at the Workshop hotel can be claimed. Receipts are required to justify travel expenses. Meal allowances are listed below.

Travel Options

1. Economy Return Airfare
2. Private Car
3. Car Rental

 

The rates below are for the 2023-24 federal fiscal year. See current rates here.

Notes:

• The cost of option 2 or 3 cannot exceed the cost of option 1
• Use of private car includes
  • Mileage at a per km rate (see link above)
  • Parking
• Car Rental includes
  • Gas, insurance
  • Parking

 

Allowed Expenses

Day 1 (Monday)

• Travel
  • Meals (from time leaving residence)
  • If flying, include taxi (residence to airport), taxi (airport to Workshop hotel)

 

Day 2 (Tuesday)

• Meals (Breakfast, supper)

 

Day 3 (Wednesday)

• Meals (Breakfast, Banquet supper is provided by SERG-I)

 

Day 4 (Thursday)

• Travel
  • Meals (Breakfast + meals during return travel)
  • If flying, include taxi (Workshop hotel to airport), taxi (airport to residence)

SERG International Terms of Reference November, 2024