A New Brunswick forest will be the focus of a study by magazine giant Time Inc. and one of its paper suppliers, UPM.

The study, to be conducted by a PhD student at l'Université de Moncton, will examine the impact of forestry on biodiversity in the Acadian forest and will focus on a section of Crown land managed by UPM. Researchers will scour the forest for song birds, woodpeckers and lichen in the hopes of determining how those species are affected by logging.

David Refkin, director of sustainable development for Time, said this focus on the industry's environmental impact isn't a one time project.

"We've been working on these issues for 15, 20 years," Refkin said Thursday. "By learning we get better and we increase the scientific knowledge base, and this is a unique study to bring a lot of interested parties together."

The paper industry has seen a steady decline in recent years, as newspapers and magazines gradually move to more online content. Refkin said Time will still need paper for the foreseeable future.

Philip Riebel, director of environmental affairs for UPM, Time's third-largest paper provider, said his company has long focused on environmental management.

"It has been integrated in the way we do business for many years, but now, I guess, it's becoming perhaps more of an edge in doing business, and it could be helping us a lot in the future," Riebel said.

The study, to be conducted over four years, will cost about $100,000.