An Alberta organization has been demonstrating for over six weeks against a forestry company’s plan to cut down a significant area of trees in Crowsnest Pass.
Members of Defenders of the Eastern Slopes oppose West Fraser’s expedited logging of approximately 460 hectares of forest in the Allison Creek vicinity, situated in southwestern Alberta near the Alberta-British Columbia boundary.
The group asserts that residents of Crowsnest Pass deserve substantial wildfire protection but questions whether the intended harvesting is the most appropriate treatment, executed in the correct location and at an adequate scale.
Colin Smith, a community organizer for Defenders of the Eastern Slopes, indicated that support from the local community has increased since group members began camping on-site and raising awareness regarding the planned logging.
Members of Defenders of the Eastern Slopes gather around a fire on Tuesday. (Avery Woods/CBC)
“We are gaining traction with our message that a new approach is needed for managing the forests in the Eastern Slopes,” Smith told CBC News.
The organization is urging the Alberta government to implement laws that would safeguard the Eastern Slopes through specific protections and management strategies.
“We need to adopt long-term, intergenerational perspectives that prioritize water resources, looking ahead 100 years,” Smith stated.
Group claims to engage in peaceful civil disobedience
According to Smith, members of Defenders of the Eastern Slopes are trying to hinder West Fraser’s operations, but they are doing so in a calm and non-violent manner.
They have obstructed a bridge in a meadow from being relocated on three occasions, he mentioned.
West Fraser subsequently obtained a temporary court order, and with police assistance, successfully moved the bridge, which the company is installing over Allison Creek to access a logging site.
“We were not engaging in violent actions; we were peaceful but simply delaying the movement of that bridge,” Smith explained.
The court order permits West Fraser to continue its work, and Smith asserts that the group does not plan to obstruct the company further.
Sgt. Mark Amatto, commander of the Crowsnest Pass RCMP, stated that the RCMP and conservation officers have been conducting regular patrols to ensure both Defenders of the Eastern Slopes and West Fraser are “acting appropriately.”
However, he noted that the situation at the site has remained peaceful.
Response from West Fraser
In a statement to CBC News, West Fraser indicated that its planned logging near Allison Creek aligns with the Alberta government’s Community Hazardous Fuels Reduction (CHFR) initiative.
This program was created to safeguard communities from 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 the planned harvesting of roughly 460 hectares of forest in the Crowsnest Pass. (Avery Woods/CBC)
The company asserts that Alberta possesses a “strong” regulatory framework that includes mandates for forestry companies during logging, including regulations concerning environmentally sensitive areas and water sources.
“West Fraser is dedicated to conducting its operations in Allison Creek adhering to the highest environmental standards and meeting all regulatory obligations. Our planning includes monitoring conditions before and after logging to inform responsible stewardship,” the statement read.
West Fraser also commissioned an independent review to assess the hydrological effects of the planned CHFR logging.
According to the company, “The review indicated that the anticipated logging would have minimal effects on the Allison Creek area, which would be further reduced as the forest regenerates.”
“Importantly, the hydrological assessment predicts relatively minor changes in streamflow, considering the significance of preserving aquatic habitats in Allison Creek.”
‘Timely wildfire risk reduction’
Alberta Forestry and Parks stated to CBC News that the Community Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program was designed based on wildfire-risk evaluations of over 200 communities within Alberta’s forest protection zone.
“Communities in the Allison Creek area have been prioritized, and the ongoing work will provide prompt wildfire risk mitigation for the Tecumseh community and the municipality of Crowsnest Pass,” the department explained.
In a Wednesday interview with CBC News, Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen mentioned that West Fraser will primarily be removing spruce and pine trees, which are the most fire-prone species, to protect the community from wildfires.
Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen states that tree removal in Crowsnest Pass will aid in wildfire protection for the community. (Jamie McCannel/CBC)
“Without that fuel on the landscape, fires won’t spread as quickly or reach as high,” Loewen remarked at the legislature on Wednesday. “This approach is similar to what we have implemented in many other communities across the province.”
Loewen mentioned that similar measures have been taken in Whitecourt, Hinton, and Canmore, with additional initiatives planned.
Defenders of the Eastern Slopes member Mike Judd. (Avery Woods/CBC)
Old-growth forest preservation emphasized by DOES member
However, member Mike Judd of Defenders of the Eastern Slopes stresses the necessity of conserving old-growth forests.
“Old-growth forests play a crucial role in preserving water, regulating water flow, preventing flooding, and mitigating landscape drying,” Judd stated.