West Fraser Cochrane has drafted a Forest Management Plan that will set the scale and approach to logging for the next 10-20 years in the Crowsnest FMA. This covers the area from the Castle Parks, just south of Crowsnest Pass, stretching north to the boundary of Kananaskis Country. It also includes the Porcupine Hills. (See map below).

The company is seeking a 32% increase in the amount of logging volume they are allowed to cut.  

Historically the Government of Alberta directly managed logging in the area, setting a logging level of 157,800 m³ per year. However, in 2021, Spray Lake Sawmills, which has since been bought out by West Fraser, was awarded a 20-year Forest Management Agreement, giving the company logging rights in the area. West Fraser is now asking for approval to raise the cut level to 208,000 m³ per year.  And all of this is happening before comprehensive cumulative effects or watershed risk assessment and planning have been completed. 

We already know how important this region is for biodiversity and watershed integrity. Nearly one-third of Alberta’s remaining Westslope Cutthroat Trout habitat is within the plan area, as well as critically important populations of Bull Trout. The South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP), which sets the management priorities for the region, clearly states that “Watershed management and headwaters protection is the priority. Forests will be managed with this as the highest priority (including water storage, recharge and release functions).”  

If this dramatic increase in logging level is approved, it will significantly increase the already heavy pressure on the region. The importance of the area demands the strongest possible protections for biodiversity, watershed management, and social values. 

What can you do? 

We have drafted a letter to the Government of Alberta urging them NOT to approve the proposed increase in cut levels. In this letter, we have requested that the long-promised cumulative effects management thresholds be finalized and used to inform cut levels. We have also requested that the Government of Alberta implement modern, precautionary assessments and approaches to protect watersheds from the risks associated with clearcutting. 

Click the button below to use our suggested wording or send your own personalized letter. 

You can also contact West Fraser directly to express your concerns. To do this, email COS-Info@westfraser.com. Be sure to ask for an acknowledgment of receipt for your input AND a timeline for when you can expect a response to concerns raised. 

Click here to view West Fraser’s Draft 2025 C5 Forest Management Plan. See page 241 for data on the current allowable cut rate for the region (157,800 m³ per year), and pages 548, 570 and 591 for West Fraser’s proposed allowable cut rate (208,000 m³ per year).