CARIBOU MOUNTAIN FORESTRY
Caribou Mountain Forestry; formerly Little Red River Forestry; has a long-term forest tenure agreement with the Government of Alberta to manage Forest Management Unit F23. Through this tenure agreement we sustainably plan and harvest coniferous and deciduous volume from approved areas of F23. The harvested volume is sold to local processing facilities based on annual volume supply agreements.
Post-harvest; all silvicultural requirements are planned and managed in-house which include all site preparation programs, tree planting programs and required regeneration surveys. Caribou Mountain Forestry is also a forestry consultant in Alberta; performing silvicultural programs for external forest tenure holders.
FOREST QUOTA
The Government of Alberta owns and regulates all forests on provincial public land. In order to harvest crown timber, forest companies must enter into an agreement with the provincial government called a forest tenure agreement. The Little Red River Cree Nation negotiated the FMU F23 forest quota with the Government of Alberta in the 1980’s.
Through the F23 Forest quota, Caribou Mountain Forestry has the right to harvest, remove and grow crown timber for commercial use. As stated in the forest tenure agreement; there are numerous planning and development requirements that must be met, and government approvals that must be gained in advance of any harvest and timber removal from FMU F23.
FMU F23 covers roughly 1 million hectares of boreal forest in Upper Hay jurisdiction in Northwestern Alberta. FMU F23 lies directly west of the Wood Buffalo National Park and directly south of the Caribou Mountains Wildland Area. FMU F23 is split into 2 compartments which fall both north and south of the Peace River. Caribou Mountain Forestry is the only forest operator in FMU F23; but we share this landbase with numerous stakeholders and work closely with the Little Red River Cree Nation when planning potential harvest areas.
FOREST MANAGEMENT
The majority of the population believe that harvesting is the end of a forests life. In reality, harvesting is only one part of the forest life cycle and is a necessity to developing a diverse landscape.
In the boreal forest, trees mature at roughly 100 years. As trees age beyond maturity, they eventually die from natural causes. These dead trees are weak and dry, and will eventually fall to the forest floor. The risk of forest fire becomes greater when in these conditions. Although forest fires are a natural part of the forest life cycle, they can be devastating to wildlife and sometimes to public safety. Forestry professionals use sustainable forest management practices to mitigate the threat from forest fires.
Managing roughly 1 million hectares of Alberta’s forests is something we take great pride in. We have been successfully managing these forests since the early 1980’s. Utilizing experience, research, and a long history of LRRCN community insight; we have an extensive understanding on how to plan and manage these forests in a sustainable manner.
We are dedicated to following proven best management practices to provide a healthy forest for future generations. We are committed to operating in an environmentally and socially responsible manner to protect these forest lands which are monumentally important to all stakeholders.