Chinook Community Forest Growth & Yield Monitoring

  • Expertise Forestry, GIS & Geomatics
  • Market Earth & Environment
  • Location Western Canada

CLIENT: Chinook Community Forest

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

PRI completed a comprehensive timber supply analysis across approximately 90,000 hectares of the Chinook Community Forest near Burns Lake, British Columbia. The project encompassed timber supply modeling, growth and yield monitoring, and access management planning to support the long-term sustainable management of the community forest.

CHALLENGE:

The scale and complexity of the Chinook Community Forest required innovative approaches to processing and integrating high-resolution, remote-sensing-based inventory data into a forest estate model capable of projecting timber supply over a 250-year horizon. Ensuring the accuracy and reliability of volume predictions across such a large and diverse land base, while establishing a sustainable, long-term monitoring framework with built-in feedback mechanisms, presented significant technical and logistical challenges.

APPROACH:

PRI developed new methodologies for aggregating and localizing remote-sensing-based, high-resolution inventory data within the forest estate model, incorporating ground-verified, localized volume predictions from the HRIS inventory to strengthen projection accuracy over the 250-year modeling period. A Growth and Yield Monitoring Plan was developed to guide systematic field measurements on a five-year cycle, with PRI managing and quality-controlling field data collection in 2023. PRI also maintains Chinook’s HRIS inventory and has integrated a depletion feedback mechanism into the forest estate model to continuously track timber supply indicators and flag emerging issues.

OUTCOME:

PRI delivered a robust and forward-looking timber supply framework for the Chinook Community Forest, equipping the organization with reliable long-term projections, a structured monitoring program, and a dynamic modeling system capable of incorporating real-world updates over time. The result is a defensible and adaptive foundation for sustainable timber supply decision-making across the 90,000-hectare community forest for generations to come.

Lakestone Benchlands I 100 Lot Residential Development

  • Expertise Geotechnical
  • Market Property & Buildings
  • Location Western Canada

CLIENT: MacDonald Lakeshore Properties / District of Lake Country

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Macdonald Lakeshore Properties retained PRI for the provision of geotechnical design and subsequent construction services associated with the proposed 100-Lot Subdivision (Benchlands) located at Tyndall Road, Lake Country, BC.

Benchlands is a large community complex that includes the 100 residential lots, Community Centre, Tennis Courts, Walking Trails and Sports Fields. The overall project scope includes initial assessment of the property including a detailed geohazard assessment and developing a safe building area with no-build and no-disturb zones; bulk earthworks, preparation of each lot building platform and associated temporary and permanent retaining structures in addition to landscaping, parking and underground services.

PRI’s geotechnical scope of work included:

  • A detailed geohazard and geotechnical assessment comprising review of readily available geotechnical reports, published geological maps, historical borehole data, and aerial photographs;
  • A geotechnical intrusive site investigation comprising Cone Penetration Testing, auger testholes, and ODEX testholes to confirm subsurface conditions across the site,
  • A geotechnical report summarizing the results of the geotechnical investigation, and providing recommendations for the construction of the proposed NCC buildings including site preparation, foundation recommendations, site stormwater disposal recommendations, and pavement design;
  • Construction Geotechnical Services for bulk earthworks, individual lots, and underground utilities. Temporary and Permanent design of retaining structures including shoring, MSE walls and gravity walls.

First Nations Woodland License Application

  • Expertise Forestry
  • Market Earth & Environment
  • Location First Nations

CLIENT: Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe Management Ltd.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

PRI worked with Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe Management Ltd. (ttml.ca) to develop a proposed First Nations Woodland Licence. Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe includes the following First Nation communities: Ăthelets (Aitchelitz), Sq’ewqéyl (Skowkale), Shxwhá:y, Th’ewá:li (Soowahlie), Sxwoyehálá (Squiala), Ch’íyáqtel (Tzeachten) and Yeqwyeqwí:ws (Yakweakwioose).

APPROACH:

The collaboration with the nations included reviewing elder interview information; reviewing the S’ólh Téméxw Use Plan (STUP), a Stó:lō-based set of relationships with the land that “aims to bring visibility and recognition to this set of relationships by using a single picture to identify areas on the landscape that are of cultural significance to Stó:lō and require protection” TTML also identified conversation areas in addition to habitat areas for Species At Risk. Modeling strategies were developed to protect/monitor and manage these resources over time.  

OUTCOME:

The outcome of the collaboration was the completion of a First Nation Woodland License proposal that incorporated the Cultural Landscape Features, Sensitive Waterways, Subalpine Parkland and other values that FNs in the area deem important. This FNWL application will be the basis for the Ts’elxwéyeqw Tribe (and member nations) further support economic opportunity and stewardship goals over much of their traditional territory.

Buro 47 Architecture I 32110 Hillcrest Avenue

  • Expertise Structural Egineering
  • Market Property & Buildings
  • Location Western Canada

CLIENT: Buro 47 Architecture

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Red Construction retained PRI for the structural design and construction services of a six-story apartment building. The building is comprised of 71, one two- and three-bedroom units. There are a total of 101 visitor and resident parking underground, with an outdoor amenity space and garden above the parkade.

The engineering design included several revisions for cost estimation, general coordination and building permit application. The construction services include extensive field reviews and engineering support, as required.

The building is currently awaiting building permit approval from the city of Abbotsford BC. Construction has started following a delay from some soil contamination remediation.

City of Vernon I Bridge Replacement & Flood Hazard Mitigation

  • Expertise Environmental
  • Market Transportation & Infrastructure
  • Location Western Canada

CLIENT: City of Vernon

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

PRI’s multidisciplinary team supported the City of Vernon to undertake flood hazard mitigation upgrades, including replacement of a bridge and flood hazard mitigation along a 100 m section of Vernon Creek. PRI undertook geotechnical, structural and hydrotechnical engineering design, environmental services, traffic design, landscape architecture, irrigation design, environmental management, tender support, permitting, monitoring, and construction inspections. The work was successfully completed in 2024, with follow up monitoring underway. PRI coordinated with and worked along side archeologists and First Nations monitors to address project requirements.

CHALLENGE:

The project presented several unique challenges that the project team overcame with excellent communication and strong collaboration, both within and outside of the team. The design process was complex and iterative, due to multiple utilities and property uses converging at the bridge crossing, including overhead and underground utilities, industrial operations, a municipal waste water treatment facility, community housing facilities, a fish bearing stream, riparian habitat and a multi-use pathway. The first challenge on the environmental management side involved negotiating with DFO who was opposed to the proposed alterations to the creek channel for flood hazard mitigation. PRI liaised with DFO to develop a project scope and compensation plans to meet the requirements of a DFO authorization. Other challenges included addressing contaminated groundwater discovered during excavation for utilities.

APPROACH:

PRI undertook comprehensive liaison with regulatory authorities to reach a common ground and worked with project partners and stakeholders to address project objectives and concerns. We provided timely and strategic guidance and nurtured positive relationships, with contractors and other consultants, to achieve common objectives and project compliance.

OUTCOME:

Ecora succesfully obtained a Water Sustainabilty Act Approval and a DFO Authorization on behalf of the City. We provided environmental management and compliance montoring during construction, which included addressing contaminated sites issues, dewatering, creek diversion, and fish salvage. The project resulted in upgrades to a 100 m long section of Vernon Creek, reduction in locatized flood hazard potential, creation of salmon spawning and restoration of 2000 m2 of riparian habitat.

BMR Energy I Donoe Solar Farm

  • Expertise Geotechnical
  • Market Renewable Energy
  • Location International

CLIENT: BMR Energy

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

PRI Engineering provided geotechnical investigation, foundation design, and construction quality control for the rebuild of the Donoe Solar Farm — a 6.44 MWdc ground-mount facility on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, developed by BMR Energy (a Virgin Group company). The original facility, built in 2015, was destroyed by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 along with over 80% of the island’s power infrastructure. PRI Engineering was engaged to ensure the rebuilt system was structurally engineered to withstand Category 5 hurricane wind loads for the full 25-year project life.

CHALLENGES:

The Donoe site presented a convergence of demanding conditions rarely encountered on a single project:

  • Significant slope and terrain variability — elevation changes affected load transfer through the racking system and introduced differential behavior across the site
  • Heterogeneous subsurface conditions — soil types, rock depths, and bearing capacities shifted substantially across short horizontal distances, precluding a uniform foundation approach
  • Aggressive coastal environment — proximity to the ocean elevated corrosion risk and lateral force sensitivity
  • Extreme wind loading — the racking system was designed for 180 mph wind loads, well beyond standard North American requirements
  • Prior foundation failure — the original screw pile system had failed under hurricane loading, requiring forensic analysis before any design work could begin

APPROACH:

PRI Engineering conducted a comprehensive, boots-on-the-ground geotechnical investigation across the full project footprint in October 2020, travelling to St. Thomas alongside the racking contractor, Polar Racking. Rather than applying a standardized solution, the team treated subsurface variability as a design input — mapping conditions zone by zone to determine where standard approaches were appropriate and where site-specific solutions were required.

A key recommendation was the move from screw piles to driven piles, supported by a full pile pull-out test program that characterized soil conditions and determined the required pile size and embedment depth — a minimum of six feet — validated by testing rather than generic design tables. This foundation specification was explicitly matched to the 180 mph structural demand of the racking system above it.

PRI Engineering also drew on an unconventional source of expertise: years of designing solar foundations for frost-heave conditions in northern Canadian markets. The engineering insight — that frost uplift and wind uplift are conceptually analogous load problems — translated directly to the Caribbean context, informing a foundation system purpose-built to resist the uplift forces that destroyed the original facility.

Construction quality control was embedded throughout installation, with PRI Engineering personnel on-site in St. Thomas to monitor pile depths, track installation performance, and adapt the design in real time where subsurface conditions diverged from investigation findings.

OUTCOME:

The Donoe Solar Farm came back online in 2022, generating approximately 10,400 MWh of clean energy annually for the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority under a 25-year power purchase agreement. The project reduces the island’s greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 9,700 metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year. By designing foundations to meet the terrain on its own terms — rather than forcing a standard system onto a non-standard site — PRI Engineering delivered a facility built to outlast Atlantic hurricane seasons for the full duration of its operational life.


Cheam & Sto:lo First Nations I Cultural & Medicinal Plant Prediction

  • Expertise Forestry, GIS & Geomatics
  • Market Earth & Environment
  • Location First Nations

CLIENT: Cheam & Sto:lo First Nations

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

PRI has worked with the Cheam and Sto:lo Nations through a joint partnership, Ayelstexw Sustainability Consulting as well as directly on multiple projects including ecosystem mapping and cultural & medicinal plant prediction modeling and other environmental wildlife habitat assessment projects.

APPROACH:

The collaboration with the Nations included elder interviews to gain an understanding of important plant/wildlife species, open houses to obtain feedback/share results, training of Nation members in plant/ecosystem mapping survey and data collection methods. 

OUTCOME:

The outcome of the collaboration was a successful ecosystem mapping, cultural & medicinal plant prediction field data collection program, with training of interested first nation members. This collaboration supported a pilot modeling project that used remote sensing data (SRTM DEM, Landsat imagery, terrain indices based on the DEM, climateBC indices), plant data surveys to create 15 plant species abundance classification models. Interested nation members were trained to collect data in a manner to allow the best prediction outcomes, with sub-meter GPS units/iPads. Prediction accuracies ranged from 50% to 79% depending on the number of samples collected for each species. 


Kleinfelder I Kelowna Costco Warehouse & Gas Bar

  • Expertise Geotechnical
  • Market Property & Buildings
  • Location Western Canada

CLIENT: Kleinfelder Canada

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Kleinfelder retained PRI for the provision of geotechnical design and construction services for Costco’s new warehouse and fuel facility in Kelowna, BC.

CHALLENGE:

Attaining site specific geotechnical data to inform the geotechnical and structural design of the proposed warehouse, fuel facility, and associated parking/utilities. Providing construction services for geotechnical monitoring and materials testing.

APPROACH:

Completed a geotechnical investigation along road alignment and throughout building/lot footprint. Based on the results of the geotechnical investigation, pavement and subgrade foundation design for the development were completed.

OUTCOME:

PRI conducted construction monitoring, materials testing, and general QA/QC of the development construction to confirm design. The project was successfully constructed and opened on schedule in 2022.