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The following statement on forest management for Alberta is the result of
discussions among Calgary area environmental groups in response to the
forestry crisis in Alberta. We offer it to the environmental community for
comments and discussion.

It is our hope that this statement can form the basis for a general
consensus on forest policy within Alberta. The statement was compiled by
Peter Abramowicz and Stuart Baldwin.

Please send your comments and reactions to this statement to:

		crag@freenet.calgary.ab.ca

INTERIM RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF ALBERTA'S FORESTS,
PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

PREAMBLE

As our technology becomes more powerful and our ability to impact our
world increases, the need to consider the effects of these actions becomes
critical. In order that unforseen and undesirable consequences be
eliminated, more careful scrutiny of possible impacts needs to be
undertaken. This is particularly important when we act to effect the
environment in which we live. Since we depend for our livelihood and well
being on our environment, any action that has the potential to alter it has
to be carefully considered.

One area where that consideration is very important is human activities in
the forests. We depend on forests for many things: the air we breathe,
lumber for construction and furniture, paper products, tourist
attractions, employment for many people, recreation, and many others.
Therefore, before we take actions that irrevocably alter the nature of our
forests, a careful evaluation must be given to the impacts so they are not
detrimental.

With this in mind we make the following recommendations to ensure that we
and our descendants continue to enjoy the full benefits of our forests, by
optimizing the ecologically sustainable economics.

BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR ACHIEVING NEW FOREST MANAGEMENT

     1)   Forest Ecosystem Management:  The U.S. Forest Service defines
          Ecosystem Management as "a strategy or plan to manage
          ecosystems to provide for all associated organisms, as opposed
          to a strategy or plan for managing a single species."  This calls
          for forestry practices that are scientifically based on the
          known needs of healthy, sustainable natural ecosystems.

     2)   Meaningful Public Involvement:  This is significant, continuous
          public participation in the formation of forestry policy.

     3)   Enactment of Legal Requirements:  Legislation of requirements
          that are secure against short-term political expediency.

SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS

     A)   Forest Ecosystem Management:

          1)  A basic division of forested lands into:

               a)   Reserves: large wilderness areas that will be left
                    to natural successional processes, and will not be
                    subjected to logging. These reserves should be of
                    sufficient size to provide for viable populations of
                    all indigenous species and adequate habitat for
                    migratory species.

               b)   Managed Areas: forested lands subject to logging
                    and/or other Human impacts.

               c)   Riparian Buffers within Managed Areas.  These are
                    meant to safeguard water quality.  A 300 m buffer on
                    each stream bank is suggested.

               d)   Wildlife Movement Corridors.  Movement corridors
                    for animal species such as deer and caribou should
                    be provided wherever reserves are not contiguous.

          2)   The borders for reserves and managed areas are to be
               based on natural watersheds or other ecologically
               significant natural boundaries, rather than artificial
               divisions such as townships.

          3)   Logging practices must be based on the biological
               requirements of ecosystem-specific plant and animal
               species. In most cases selective logging techniques
               should be favoured over clear-cutting, since selective
               logging can maintain healthy forests and at the same time
               eliminate the need for "reforestation". It also allows for
               other uses of the forests at the same time.

          4)   Managed areas that have previously been clear-cut or
               damaged should be regenerated to become natural local
               forests. Large scale "tree-farming", that is: artificial
               mono-cropping of trees, should be discouraged since it is
               known to be an ecologically unhealthy practice.

          5)   Mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment. A mandatory
               EIS should be undertaken for every activity on forested
               lands.

          6)   Public Involvement. Local communities would participate in
               forest management decisions through Community Forestry
               Boards.

	B) Meaningful Public Involvement in Creating Policy:

          1)   Basic Information-sharing Workshops:

               Public meetings that allow detailed presentation of
               summaries of scientific knowledge by expert witnesses
               (scientists, foresters), and position statements based on
               science, economics, and law by environmental NGOs,
               industry, government, and any other vitally interested
               groups.

          2)   Policy Formulation Workshops:

               Public meetings, following and based upon the Basic
               Information-sharing Workshops, where specific policies
               for forest management can be suggested and discussed.
               The results of these workshops would be presented to the
               legislature for formulation into law.

     C)   Enactment of Legal Requirements:

               The Provincial Legislature should formulate and pass laws
               regulating Alberta forests that are based on the above
               processes of public involvement. The provincial
               Department of Environmental Protection should be
               mandated to enforce these laws through direct inspection
               by departmental officers (foresters) and other experts as
               needed (scientists not tied to industry). This implies that
               the department be adequately funded and staffed for this
               purpose. Forestry-derived revenues (stumpage fees, etc.)
               should be high enough to cover departmental costs.

Until such time as the above recommendations can be implemented, a
moratorium on uncontrolled logging should be declared.

   _____________________________________________________________________
  |  Calgary Rainforest Action Group   |   brought to you by:           |
  |  Connaught PO Box 23069            |   Peter Abramowicz             |
  |  Calgary, AB  T2S 3B1              |   (403) 270-2604               |
  |  tel. (403) 295-8666               |   crag@freenet.calgary.ab.ca   |
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