For over six weeks, a group in Alberta has been voicing its opposition to a forestry company’s plans to log a significant area of trees in Crowsnest Pass.
Members of Defenders of the Eastern Slopes are challenging West Fraser’s accelerated logging of approximately 460 hectares of forest located in the Allison Creek region, situated in southwest Alberta near the Alberta-British Columbia boundary.
While the organization believes that residents of Crowsnest Pass require substantial wildfire protection, they question if the proposed logging is an appropriate solution, in the right location, and conducted at the right scale.
Colin Smith, a community organizer for Defenders of the Eastern Slopes, mentioned that support from the community has increased as group members have camped on-site and raised awareness about the impending logging.
Defenders of the Eastern Slopes members gathered around a fire on Tuesday. (Avery Woods/CBC)
Smith stated to CBC News, “We are really gaining momentum with our message that a new vision for managing the forests of the Eastern Slopes is necessary.”
The Defenders of the Eastern Slopes are urging the Alberta government to implement legislation that would provide special protections and management strategies for the Eastern Slopes.
“We need long-term, intergenerational thinking that prioritizes water as the foremost concern, looking 100 years ahead,” Smith added.
Group claims to practice peaceful civil disobedience
Smith noted that the Defenders of the Eastern Slopes are working to slow West Fraser’s activities through non-violent means.
They have successfully obstructed the relocation of a bridge in a meadow on three occasions, he reported.
Following this, West Fraser obtained a temporary injunction, and with police oversight, proceeded to move the bridge, which is being placed over Allison Creek to access a logging site.
<p"We were not engaging in any violent actions; we were peaceful, but we were just hindering the bridge's progress," Smith remarked.
The court injunction permits West Fraser to continue its operations, and Smith stated that the group does not plan to obstruct the company further.
Sgt. Mark Amatto, the commander of the Crowsnest Pass RCMP, mentioned that both the RCMP and conservation officers have been conducting regular patrols to ensure that both the Defenders of the Eastern Slopes and West Fraser are acting appropriately.
He noted that the atmosphere at the site has remained peaceful.
Response from West Fraser
In a statement to CBC News, West Fraser stated that its logging plans for Allison Creek align with the Alberta government’s Community Hazardous Fuels Reduction (CHFR) program.
This initiative was designed to safeguard communities against wildfire risks by instructing forestry companies to focus on reducing fuel loads near designated high-risk areas.
The Defenders of the Eastern Slopes have been protesting for six weeks against the planned logging of about 460 hectares of forest in Crowsnest Pass. (Avery Woods/CBC)
The company asserts that Alberta has a “robust” regulatory framework governing forestry operations, which includes stipulations concerning environmentally sensitive regions and water resources.
“West Fraser is dedicated to executing the work in Allison Creek following the highest environmental standards and adhering to all regulatory mandates. Our planning involves monitoring conditions before and after logging to promote responsible stewardship,” the statement read.
West Fraser also mentioned that it had commissioned an independent voluntary review to assess the hydrological effects of the planned CHFR logging.
“The assessment indicated that the proposed logging would have a minimal impact on the Allison Creek area, which would be further reduced as the forest regenerates,” the company stated.
“Importantly, given the significance of safeguarding aquatic habitats in Allison Creek, the hydrological evaluation predicts relatively minor changes in streamflow.”
‘Timely wildfire risk reduction’
Alberta Forestry and Parks stated to CBC News that the Community Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program was established following a wildfire-risk analysis of over 200 communities within Alberta’s forest protection area.
“Communities in the Allison Creek area have been prioritized, and the ongoing work will provide timely wildfire risk reduction for the Tecumseh community and the Crowsnest Pass municipality,” the department said.
In an interview with CBC News on Wednesday, Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen explained that West Fraser will primarily be removing spruce and pine trees, which are the two most fire-prone types, to enhance community protection against wildfires.
Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen asserts that tree removal in Crowsnest Pass will aid in safeguarding the community from wildfires. (Jamie McCannel/CBC)
Loewen remarked, “Without that fuel on the landscape, wildfires won’t be able to spread as quickly or reach as great a height,” during a legislative session on Wednesday. “This is similar to measures we’ve implemented in various other communities throughout the province.”
He added that similar efforts have been undertaken in Whitecourt, Hinton, and Canmore, with additional projects planned.
Defenders of the Eastern Slopes member Mike Judd. (Avery Woods/CBC)
Old-growth forest preservation emphasized by DOES member
However, Mike Judd, a member of Defenders of the Eastern Slopes, argues that it is essential to conserve old-growth forests.
“The old-growth forest is crucial for water preservation, as it regulates the speed of water runoff, prevents flooding, and helps to mitigate landscape drying,” Judd explained.