Feedback Letter: West Fraser’s C5 Forestry Management Plan

September 29, 2025

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• Forests
• Rocky Mountain and Foothills Forests

Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) has written to West Fraser Timber Co. to note concerns we have about its latest draft management plan for a swath of forest in southwestern Alberta where it plans to conduct logging. 

What is a forest management plan?

A Forest Management Plan (FMP) is meant to decide where, when, and how trees on Alberta crown land can be logged. West Fraser’s plan, known as the C5 Forestry Management Plan, covers an area from Kananaskis southern boundary to the north of Castle Parks, including the Porcupine Hills. The plan is meant to outline the amount of logging for the area over the next decade. 

Why is it important?

AWA has long advocated for managing forests as ecosystems, not just as a resource to harvest. We want water quality and quantity, as well as biodiversity, to be valued equally in importance to timber supply. We want the province’s remaining old-growth forests to be protected as irreplaceable components of biodiversity, and for cumulative industrial impacts on the Eastern Slopes to be fully considered in the planning process. 

What are our main concerns?

West Fraser’s recent plan shows a concerning increase in the annual allowable cuts — a 32 percent increase from the current plan for the area. It also overlaps with critical habitat for at-risk species, and it lacks a wetland protection strategy. We believe West Fraser has a significant responsibility to align its forest practices with the recovery and long-term survival of at-risk species.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of our concerns:

Species at Risk

• Coldwater Fish (Native Trout – Westslope Cutthroat and Bull Trout): AWA requested that the final logging areas avoid all areas designated as critical habitat to ensure compliance with federal requirements and support the recovery of these threatened species.
• Grizzly Bears: AWA requested West Fraser avoid primary and secondary grizzly habitat entirely. Where that is not possible, West Fraser should implement measures to achieve no-net loss of primary and secondary grizzly bear habitat by restoring primary and secondary sink habitat.

Structure Retention

• AWA recommended increasing the plan’s structure retention (areas intentionally left untouched in the logging process) to a minimum of 10 percent by area and forest type.

Watershed Protections

• AWA recommended precautionary Equivalent Clearcut Area (ECA) targets of 15 percent for all forestry management watersheds, given their importance for downstream drinking water, native trout, and flood mitigation.

Wetlands

• AWA requested the inclusion of additional Values, Objectives, Indicators, and Targets (VOIT) detailing the ongoing maintenance of functioning wetlands. AWA also asked for buffers around wetlands and ongoing monitoring, as well as low-impact harvesting techniques in buffer adjacent areas.

Annual Allowable Cut (AAC)

• AWA asked West Fraser to provide a clear explanation of how a 32 percent AAC increase was determined, and for a description of potential impacts on biodiversity, watershed health, natural disaster risk, and threatened species.

Biodiversity

• AWA requested the addition of “protection and recovery of species at risk within the defined forest area (DFA)” as a biological diversity goal.

Linear Footprint

• AWA recommended West Fraser to recover all seismic lines regardless of active trail use, given the ongoing contributions of seismic lines to forest fragmentation.

Salvage Logging

• AWA voiced our lack of support for salvage logging targets that are likely to impair ecosystem recovery.

AWA’s full letter can be found here.