Environmental groups concerned about logging operation in Alberta's Kananaskis Country

Starting this fall, a timber harvest will begin in an area of Kananaskis Country in southwest Alberta and it is sparking worries among some environmentalists.

The 1,100 hectare plot of forest borders the Highwood River and is close to the B.C. border. It has been identified as a harvest area through the province's Forest Management Plan, which was last updated in 2021. The harvest will be carried out by Spray Lake Sawmills over the course of two years.

Groups concerned about the harvest have begun a campaign calling on people to write to the provincial government to re-think the decision because of how it may impact wildlife and reduce recreation opportunities for people.

"Our forestry system is really broken," said Katie Morrison, executive director of the southern Alberta chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. "We really need to look at the forestry system in general and how do we protect these places that are most important for the environment and for people."

Morrison doesn't think enough consultation was carried out ahead of time and says clear cutting the area will affect habitats for animals in the forest and lead to negative impacts for the Highwood River.

"As you harvest big areas out of watersheds, it can increase risk of floods and droughts, it can really change how that water system works, it can have more sediment and dirt going into a river."

Morrison added the harvest also has a bitter taste because of how people who do use the region for recreation are charged an annual $90 fee to do so.

"It's a little ironic that we are paying a fee as hikers and anglers and visitors to Kananaskis, and then we are also seeing what is clearly not a conservation mechanism in that region. So it's quite a contrast of how we use, and the value of Kananaskis and how industrial use is happening in Kananaskis."

Logging company says protections are in place

Ed Kulcsar is the VP of Woodlands for Spray Lake Sawmills.

He said there has been lots of work done beforehand to determine this was an appropriate spot for a harvest, and previous rounds of public consultation did not identify much negative feedback.

A small amount of the harvest will take place this year, beginning with building logging roads, and then the majority of trees will be cut down next year. Kulcsar said remediation work is also tied into the plan.

"Once the harvest is completed, as standard practice we reclaim 100 per cent of our roads. And as well within two years of our harvest activity we must complete all our reforestation activities so 100 per cent of the area will be reforested."

Kulcsar said other areas of the Highwood region have been forested in the past, and there is evidence the same area being logged this time was cut down approximately a hundred years ago.

With the majority of forests across Alberta and specifically in the Kananaskis area protected from logging operations, Kulcsar does not believe this will have a significant impact on recreation either.

"If somebody does want to recreate without seeing industrial activity, there's certainly a lot of forest out there to provide that opportunity."

The province's Forest Management Plan maps out timber harvesting over a 200-year period, and the Highwood area was selected for harvest over factors such as the impact on wildlife and water, as well as the age of the forest itself.