First Major Revision to Alberta’s Forest Act in 50 Years is Now in Effect

The first major revision in 50 years to Alberta’s Forest Act went into effect on May 1, 2021. The results of the passage of Bill 40 should result in less red tape, provide greater flexibility in harvesting operations, and maintain existing forest management practices. Brock Mulligan, vice-president of communications and government affairs for the Alberta Forest Product Association (AFPA), explains that the flexibility will allow forest companies to quickly respond to major events that would heavily impact their harvest. “We have events, like fire and pest infestations, that really throw a kick into plans that mean companies either need to harvest an area more quickly because pests are moving in or have to divert harvest from an area because something like a fire has altered those plans. Having that flexibility built into the act is really important and helps support jobs in our industry.” Mulligan went onto say that changes to the act also address the use of fiber. “Some of these changes to the act talk a little bit about how we use residual fiber, which is one way to make more products out of existing areas that are harvested. That’s another important change. It’s really quite a technical change, but at the operational level it’s quite important.”