About 60 per cent of Alberta – approximately 87 million acres – is forested. That means our province’s forested area is larger than the entire country of Japan or Germany.

Whether we live near our forests, work in them, camp in them or photograph them, they are on Crown land – which means they belong to Albertans.

Alberta Forest Week provides a great chance to celebrate our clean, healthy forests, educate people on how we properly manage invasive pests that attack them, and highlight actions that prevent and mitigate wildfires. 

“A working forest is a healthy forest. Alberta has world-class sustainable forest management practices that regenerate forests, defend against the mountain pine beetle, provide jobs and economic opportunities, and protect communities within our forests. Foresters replant millions of trees every year and intelligently reduce wildfire risk with sustainable harvesting. These measures ensure our forests will be healthy and safe for generations to come.”

Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry

Forest management plans (FMP) are one tool the province uses to manage this important public resource. When a FMP is created, companies are planning 200 years into the future. These plans must consider critical habitat, watershed health and function, recreational opportunities, traditional use, and more.

Forestry businesses also create important, good-paying jobs in our rural communities. As the province’s third-largest resource sector in 2018, the forest sector directly supported 946 small businesses and 58 mid-sized and large businesses and provided direct jobs for almost 19,000 Albertans in communities across the province.

Get out and enjoy Alberta Forest Week

Take a moment this week to celebrate Alberta’s amazing forests while respecting the guidance on outdoor activities outlined by Alberta’s chief medical officer of health:

More Alberta Forest Week activities can be found online at Alberta.ca.