PREDA Forestry SymposiumDerek Bakker, Senior Forester, Peace River Forest AreaMarch 13, 2020

Forest Management in the PREDA Region

Outline

• Forestry Timber Allocations

• Forest Management Planning

• Regional Overview

• Challenges to Forest Sustainability

• Local Economic Opportunities

• Local Competitive Challenges and Advantages

Forestry Timber Allocations

Crown Timber• Standing Timber on Forested Public Land is

owned by the Crown.

• Timber is allocated through the Forests Act by 3 types of Tenures: FMA’s, Quotas and Licences

• Green Area (58% of AB)- Public Lands managed for timber production, watershed, fish and wildlife, recreation, energy development and other uses.

• White Area (42% of AB)- Primarily agricultural uses (& Private land)

Forest Management Agreements• Area based tenure

• long term secure access to a defined forested landbase

• Rights to grow and harvest timber

• 20 Year term, renewable after 10 year

• Responsibilities to complete Forest Management Plans, and conduct reforestation and reclamation.

There are currently 20 approved FMA’s in Alberta

Quotas• Volume based tenure (m³)

• Long term secure access to a certain volume (which can vary)

• Rights to harvest timber (usually conifer or deciduous, not both)

• 20 Year term, renewable after 10 year

• Responsibilities to reforest and reclaim, conduct operations according to ground rules

• Most Quotas are “imbedded” within an FMA area.

Permits• 30 days to 5 years in duration• Generally short term timber supply• Several different types- some commercial use,

some personal use• Volume is generally under 5,000m³ (small

volume)• Can be used to allocate “endangered” timber due

to development or natural disaster. (ie. wildfire/insects)

Forest Management Planning

In Alberta our Forests are managed for Sustainability of the resources.

Forest Management Plan• Inventory of all the forest area

included in an FMA

• Models the forest growth rates

• Projects timber harvesting over a 200 year time horizon with a spatial harvest sequence in the first 70 years.

• Provides a sustainable Annual Allowable Cut

• Takes into consideration a suite of landscape and societal values.

Natural and Managed Forests• When natural forest is harvested and

reforested it becomes a managed forest.

• Most silviculture (reforestation) methods in Alberta rely heavily on natural ecological processes

• Improved planting, and tending can lead to higher yields of timber

• Forests have natural disturbance cycles (eg. Wildfire) and harvesting can be a substitute for some of this disturbance.

Regional Overview- Tenures

PREDA Area FMAs

Major FMAs• Manning Forest

Products (P20)• Mercer Peace River Pulp

(P19, P21)• Canfor (G16)• Weyerhauser (G15)• ANC Timber (W15)• Millar Western (W13)• Blue Ridge Lumber

(W14)• Tolko High Prairie (S19)• Tolko/Vanderwell/West

Fraser (S17)• West Fraser HP/SL (S20)• West Fraser/Tolko (S21)

White Vs. Green Area

• Green area is primarily allocated in FMAs for forest management.

• White area is generally private ownership with some remaining crown land

• White area has agricultural development priority

• Most suitable white area lands have been sold or leased

Major Facilities in the PREDA Region:Dimensional Lumber

• Manning Forest Products (West Fraser)• Canfor Grande Prairie

• Weyerhauser Grande Prairie• High Prairie Forest Products (West Fraser)

• Millar Western Fox Creek• Boucher Brothers Lumber

• Zavisha Lumber

Pulp• Mercer Peace River Pulp

• International Paper Grande Prairie

OSB• Norbord Grande Prairie

• Tolko High Prairie

Annual Allowable Cut (In PREDA)

Conifer: ~7.9 million m³Deciduous: ~ 5.8 million m³

Challenges to Forest Sustainabilityand Management Actions

Wildfire• Estimated long term fire

cycle of 20-100 years*

*Pre-Industrial Fire Regimes of the Western Boreal Forest of Canada, Andison 2019

Wildfire- Example Salvage Logging

Mountain Pine Beetle

• Large flights in 2006, 2009 from B.C. in Peace Region

• Infestation has reached peak in Peace Region

• Overwinter mortality has increased in 2019-2020

Mountain Pine Beetle

• Control efforts:• Level 1 Single

Tree• Level 2 (Focused

harvesting) • Pine Strategy-

Reduce Susceptible Pine to 25% in 20 years

• Salvage

Mountain Pine Beetle Management Strategy 2007

Forest Health

Disease, Insects, and Climate related Impacts

2019 Areal Overview Survey Data- Department of Agriculture and Forestry

Forest Health

Aspen Defoliation and Dieback• Combination of

drought impacts and insect infestations.

2019 Areal Overview Survey Data- Department of Agriculture and Forestry

Local Economic Opportunities

Local Economic Opportunities • Direct employment by Forestry Companies (~1450-

1500)

• Indirect Employment by Forestry Companies (~1300-1400 jobs)

• Induced Jobs (~650-700 estimate)

• About 104 business in the PREDA region operate within the Forest Industry

• Region relies on direct employment income from the forest industry ~4.4%

Local Competitive Advantages & Challenges

Local Competitive Challenges

• Log Haul Distance

• Seasonality Constraints

• Distance to market

• High % non-productive landbase

• Employee recruitment and retention

Local Competitive Advantages

• Long-term Tenures- Fibre Security

• Community support broad based

• Innovation in Forest Practices

• Reliable winter (Frozen)

season generally

• Modern facilities

/infrastructure

Questions?