West Fraser is committed to working with BC and Alberta governments to protect caribou herds in our operating areas.

That’s why West Fraser habitat experts like wildlife biologist Dr. Rick Bonar spend their time studying caribou populations, assessing impacts and investigating ways to conserve caribou habitat.

Here’s what we’re doing to protect caribou herds in our operating areas in British Columbia and Alberta.

Hinton, Alberta
In February 2007 West Fraser voluntarily deferred harvesting on 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) of caribou range on our Hinton Forest Management Area (FMA).  This deferral more than doubles the size of a previous voluntary deferral for woodland caribou habitat that we made in 1994. 

This latest deferral at Hinton signals our commitment to sustainable forest management: West Fraser has voluntarily stopped harvesting in all of the caribou range on its Hinton FMA while government-led caribou recovery plans continue to be developed.

At Hinton, we are now focusing our operations on areas outside the caribou range that are at high risk of Mountain Pine Beetle attack.

Additional Alberta Tenures
Portions of the ranges of the Slave Lake caribou herd and the Red Earth caribou herd overlap with the operating areas of West Fraser’s Slave Lake Pulp division and Alberta Plywood division.

The Slave Lake caribou herd is ranked as “immediate risk of extirpation.”

Most of the caribou habitat within the Slave Lake FMA burned in a forest fire several years ago and West Fraser is not operating in the caribou area.  However, we have provided funding for a recent government-led research and monitoring program to learn more about the Slave Lake caribou herd as part of the recovery planning process.

A portion of the Red Earth caribou herd overlaps with areas where we have harvest tenures but are not the primary forest manager. The Red Earth caribou herd is ranked as “declining”. West Fraser is not currently harvesting in the range of the Red Earth caribou herd.

Research and long-term caribou conservation planning is currently underway in these areas.  This process will culminate in an Alberta government conservation plan. 

British Columbia Tenures
Two caribou herds – the Barkerville herd and the Wells Grey North herd – are located in areas where we operate.  According to the latest census data from the BC government, both herds are considered healthy and stable.

West Fraser has deferred all harvesting in areas that have been designated as critical caribou habitat under the BC government’s land-use plan. 

In non-critical caribou habitat areas, we have limited activity to the control or salvage of insect-damaged timber and small harvest trials for scientific research purposes.

In October 2007, West Fraser announced a 100,000 hectare (247,000 acre) deferral in the Quesnel and Williams Lake areas in support of a proposed Mountain Caribou Recovery Strategy initiated by the BC government.

Innovative Research and Recovery
We fund and actively support innovative research to continually improve our forestry practices, including conservation of wildlife habitat.

West Fraser experts in forestry and wildlife habitat management are working closely with the BC and Alberta governments to develop long-term caribou recovery and sustainability plans that will ensure species protection. 

We are investing in new harvesting techniques and technologies designed to minimize impacts to caribou populations. 

For example, in 2006, we purchased GPS collars for the A la Peche and Slave Lake caribou herds.  Information obtained from these devices will assist the Alberta Caribou Recovery Plan process and help West Fraser and others cooperate for caribou conservation.

Other approaches for caribou protection are being developed through West Fraser’s principle sponsorship of the Foothills Research Institute (formerly the Foothills Model Forest). The purpose of the Foothills Research Institute is to test and develop the most innovative and sustainable forestry practices available.

Planning for the Future
Our company believes that by working cooperatively with provincial governments and other interested parties we can recover caribou populations. Our primary objective is to operate in a way that supports the continued health of herds that are stable or growing and to reverse the declines other herds are experiencing.