Continued Engagement: A Review of Timber Harvest in the Oldman Headwaters

August 11, 2026

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• Forestry
• Forests
• Headwaters
• Public Lands
• Rivers
• Rocky Mountain and Foothills Forests
• Wildwater

Background

Calgary, AB – April 15, 2026. A field review published by Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) has documented widespread disturbance to critical habitat for Threatened trout species in the upper Oldman watershed, raising serious concerns about forestry practices and the effectiveness of regulatory oversight in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes.

AWA’s report presents evidence of impacts to habitats protected under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). These include inadequate or missing riparian buffers, ineffective erosion and sediment control measures, and sediment entering streams designated as critical habitat for Bull Trout and Westslope Cutthroat Trout. Under SARA, it is illegal to destroy any part of the critical habitat of listed species at risk.

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Continued engagement and advocacy

This report was distributed to multiple levels of government, and to West Fraser who holds the Forest Management Agreement in C5, the region our review took place. On April 1st, 2026 We shared the results of the logging review with letters to Environment and Protected Areas (EPA) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), and on April 16th letters were sent to Forestry and Parks (F&P) and West Fraser.

•  April 17th, EPA responded to our letter and supported the public release, mentioning it will undoubtedly support many conservation initiatives within their system. They distributed the report within their system and with colleagues in F&P.
• May 19th – Logging review was distributed to municipalities and watershed councils.
• May 22nd, West Fraser responded to our letter. We proceeded to meet with West Fraser on June 22nd.
• June 5th, DFO responded to our letter, we proceeded to meet with DFO on July 15th and August 21st. Conversations and ongoing collaboration continue, with site visits occurring and conjoined field visits happening in the future.
• August 11th, F&P responded to our letter, AWA is forming a response to this letter to reiterate the concerns and questions that remain unanswered such as, monitoring, enforcement, and reporting.

We are working on a fall update as a continuation of the spring monitoring and to update on discussions and actions taking place in the Oldman headwaters.