Species at Risk and the need for an overall Socio Economic Impact Assessment

The Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (LARP) was approved and implemented in 2012 with a lower than recommended quota for the protection of new, conservation areas and corridors for biodiversity, species-at-risk; and boreal ecosystem types; including boreal habitat for woodland caribou.

Ecosystem types which are important to protect for a broad range of biodiversity objectives do not fully meet the needs of certain species-at-risk, and equally, protecting habitat for certain species-at-risk will not achieve broader biodiversity objectives.

Vegetation types which are consistently targeted for protection included Lower Boreal Highlands Open Coniferous and Dry Mixed wood, and the higher density of these vegetation types is found in northeastern Alberta.  However, after the implementation of the LARP which falls short of the protection of these vital categories – increased protection of low density Open Coniferous and Dry Mixed wood vegetation type must be protected elsewhere (northwestern Alberta) in order to fill the representation gap.

Although northwestern Alberta may contain some of the most intact boreal forest; with large areas within FMUs, which are free from anthropogenic disturbance and forestry tenure, there is no validated evidence to prove such land is best for certain species at risk.

Alberta is recognized as a world leader in forest stewardship and management. Over 60% of Alberta is forested, providing many values including economic, social, and environmental.  The forest industry is a key contributor to the economy and standard of living for many Albertans, particularly families living in rural Alberta in and near forested regions. In addition to providing timber resources that support the forest products industry, the province’s forests provide a range of other resources and benefits that are important to Albertans, including wildlife, biodiversity, water and recreation.

Recently, the government of Alberta has been working to identify areas in Alberta where caribou habitat protection is a priority and to develop strategies that protect caribou populations. As various species at risk management strategies are contemplated, it becomes clear that there is potential for sustainable timber supply in the region to be impacted. Various alternative strategies reflect scenarios where reductions in annual allowable cuts (AAC) for Forest Management Units (FMUs) and Forest Management Areas (FMAs) are possible.

Wildlife habitat is a key component in the development of 200-year management plans for the forest. In the case of species at risk, such as caribou and grizzly bear, forest companies must ensure that habitat increases over the life of the plan.  Range plans support a working landscape where species at risk and industrial activity co-exists, with strict regulation investment in aggressive and innovative approaches, and careful monitoring of outcomes. 

Alberta has prepared a draft Little Smoky and A La Peche Caribou Range Plan, the first to directly address federal recovery requirements in Canada which requires each province and territory develop range plans that protect, over time, at least 65% of that habitat.  These ranges include important forest and energy resources that continue to support local Alberta communities and the provincial economy.

Twenty-three percent of the overall provincial’s allowable annual cut are within caribou ranges alone, in which numerous forestry operations rely on to fulfill their quotas.    Although the actual percentage of wood sourced from caribou ranges may seem low, these numbers become cumulative when you consider all the other Species at Risk Recovery Plans as a whole.  On top of that, forestry’s work supply and landbase is also affected by the new Draft Structure Retention Directive, Mountain Pine Beetle, Land Use Framework and Protected Area recommendations, the energy sector, fire, and insect and disease agents.  The extent of forest resources and the challenges forest managers have in balancing these inter-related uses is evident all across Alberta.  

The Alberta Newsprint Company conducted an Alberta Forest Sector Economic Impact Study in January 2016 which provides some astounding stats based on wood supply reduction scenarios.  In developing these scenarios, they identified the average lumber production in Alberta and extrapolated this to the province as a whole. Using that base data, they modeled a series of reduction scenarios including Allowable Annual Cut reductions between 10% and 100%. This represented reduction in the total annual harvest volume ranging from approximately 419,000m3/year to 4,200,000m3/year.

Forest products made in Alberta are some of the highest quality in the world and are shipped globally every day.  The companies operating are highly inter-dependent, exchanging wood fibre in various forms to enable efficient operation of sawmills and pulp mills, and other facilities including biomass power generation and composite wood products.  

A sustainable flow of wood supply is the basis for a healthy forest products industry.  Creating an overall socio-economic impact assessment along with long-term forest management planning as a whole, including the development and ongoing review of the annual allowable cut, is necessary to ensure sustainable forest management and a reliable flow of wood fibre to processing facilities. 

REFERENCES              

·       Alberta’s Caribou Action Plan, Government of Alberta

·       Alberta Forest Products Association

·       Alberta Forest Sector Economic Impact Study, Prepared by MNP LLP, January 2016

·       Alberta Newsprint Company

·       Draft Little Smoky and A La Peche Caribou Range Plan, Government of Alberta

·       Setting Alberta on the Path to Caribou Recovery, Eric Denhoff, May 2016

·       Weyerhaeuser Grande Prairie