This month, the non-profit that represents Alberta forest industries is encouraging Albertans to love their forests, and to think about their relationship to the trees that surround them. “A key part of that is to focus on the care and commitment Alberta’s forest industry takes when they’re managing and caring for our forest resource,” said Aspen Dudzic, director of communications for the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA). …Through its Love Alberta Forests campaign, the AFPA is highlighting the symbiotic connection between the forest industry and the people it serves.  “Sustainability is really at the heart of everything that we do,” said Dudzic. …“The flip side of it is, the folks who choose to work in forestry … not only is it their livelihoods, but it’s also a commitment to care for this resource they value. …Alberta’s forestry industry creates more than 31,000 well-paying jobs and supports more than 70 communities across the province.

…One of the main challenges for forest professionals is how to promote public knowledge of forestry; to connect with local communities so they are well informed about land management, and educate and inspire young people about career opportunities in the sector. For Dan Macmaster, Community Forest Manager of the West Boundary Community Forest (WBCF), it comes down to forestry education – both in the classroom and the community. “When I speak to local school-age kids and ask them what forestry means to them, the most common responses I hear are “cutting down big trees” and “deforestation,” noted Macmaster. “When I ask them about what possible careers in forestry they may consider pursuing, they think “being a lumberjack” is the main position of employment. A lack of forestry education and information limits interest in careers in forestry and this in turn hurts our sector”

Eddie Petryshen

Standing among a series of stumps in the northern Selkirk Mountains, Eddie Petryshen pointed to a long, thick hemlock log on the ground. “These trees are likely going to go make toilet paper,” he said. “This tree right here, I would estimate about a metre and a half in diameter … anywhere from 500 to 600 years old.” The Selkirk Mountains are a subrange of the larger Columbia Mountains, which houses the Interior Wet Belt — containing one of the world’s only temperate inland rainforests, and a large ecological melting pot that contains thousand-year-old trees and protected caribou. Petryshen, a conservation specialist at B.C.-based advocacy group Wildsight, is one of hundreds of activists that are trying to stop old-growth logging and habitat destruction in the area. …The conflict between conservationists, First Nations and logging groups has been going on for decades near Revelstoke. And it’s ramped up amid a wider protest movement to protect old-growth forests.

The conservation of endangered species in B.C. took a monumental step forward in August 2022 as three spotted owls born and raised in a breeding facility were released into protected habitat in the Fraser Canyon, which was the first release of these rare birds into the wild anywhere in the world. This historic milestone was the result of a partnership between the provincial Spotted Owl Breeding and Release Program and the Spuzzum First Nation, with the ongoing support of the federal government, conservation organizations and other groups “We are doing everything we can to help spotted owls recover in B.C., including running the world’s only spotted owl breeding and release program for this critically endangered species,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship. …Prior to the release, there was only one known spotted owl left in the wild in B.C. Today, there are four

A community forest award, along with a $10,000 grant, has been awarded to the Wetzink’wa Community Forest for 2022. “This year’s Robin Hood Memorial Award recipient, the Wetzink’wa Community Forest, exemplifies community leadership and innovation,” said Katrine Conroy, Minister of Forests. “Community forests are part of our vision for a modern forest sector with stronger, more resilient communities generating new economic opportunities through innovative, value-added manufacturing.” Established in 2016, the Robin Hood Memorial Award and accompanying grant are given annually to the community forest best exemplifying the values exhibited by the B.C. community-forest program and the late Robin Hood, who was a BC community forest pioneer. …“The recipient of the 2022 award exemplifies the values that Robin Hood, past president of the BCCFA, upheld,” said Jennifer Gunter, executive director, BCCFA. 

“Reforestation is arguably the best solution we have for pulling carbon out of the air,” said Bryce Jones, CEO of Flash Forest, a Canadian drone tree-planting company. “It’s been the same method for 100 years.” …Now, a handful of companies are looking to re-purpose unmanned vehicles. Their goal: germinate landscapes scarred by wildfire, and in so doing, reforest a planet that by one estimate has lost half its trees. ​…Many experts see reforestation as one of the best and most cost-effective solutions to fight both the climate crisis and a catastrophic loss in biodiversity. Could drones help humanity engineer its way out of disaster? …Last week, Canada’s Ministry of Natural Resources said it would back Flash Forest with a more than $1.3-million grant. Within two years, the government has tasked the company to plant more than a million trees.