2006 – A busy year on the land
Wildfires - The 2006 wildfire season was very busy
for Alberta's firefighters.
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Forest Management - Alberta adopted a new Forest
Management Planning Standard to govern forest management activity on
Crown land.
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Forest Competitiveness - The Government of Alberta
partnered with the Alberta Forest Products Association on a $300,000
investigation of global market competitiveness challenges facing the
province's forest sector.
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Mountain pine beetle - Sustainable Resource Development
took a number of important steps in its battle against the mountain
pine beetle.
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Minister for a day - Five Alberta youth helped manage
the province's natural resources for a day, after being selected to
participate in Alberta Sustainable Resource Development's second annual “Minister
for a Day” program.
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Alberta BearSmart program - The province launched
its Alberta BearSmart program.
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Provincial Fisheries Management Roundtable - Alberta
established the Provincial Fisheries Management Round Table.
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Chronic wasting disease - The province updated its
chronic wasting disease (CWD) response programs to reduce the further
spread of CWD in wild deer in Alberta.
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Wildfires
The 2006 wildfire
season was busy for Alberta 's firefighters. Alberta had 1,928 wildfires
that burned more than 119,000 hectares of forested area, which is approximately
twice the size of Edmonton . During the 2005 wildfire season 1,448
wildfires burned just over 60,000 hectares.
Prolonged heat with little rain, especially in southern Alberta , made for a very active wildfire season. During the season's peak, there were more than 150 wildfires burning at one time in Alberta with more than 1,000 firefighters working to control them.
Three separate provincial fire bans were imposed for southern Alberta during 2006. A number of wildfires burned quite close to communities, including Caroline, Conklin, Evansberg and Whitecourt. Nordegg was evacuated due to a wildfire that burned within two kilometres of the community.
In addition to wildfires, Alberta 's firefighters have been called into action to assist in controlling mountain pine beetles. The firefighters' training makes them well suited for going into remote areas in Alberta , survey for infested trees and then cut and burn infested trees on the spot to limit the spread of the mountain pine beetle.
From the firefighters to the forestry lookout observers who detect wildfires to our weather people and radio operators, Sustainable Resource Development staff help protect Alberta 's natural resources and forest communities.
Forest Management Planning Standard
Alberta adopted
a new Forest Management Planning Standard to govern forest management
activity on Crown land. The new standard sets out Albertans' expectations
of industry for forest management planning and operations in the province.
The result of more than two years of discussions with stakeholders,
the standard is based on the internationally respected Canadian Standards
Association certification system for sustainable forest management.
Competitiveness Review
The Government
of Alberta partnered with the Alberta Forest Products Association on
a $300,000 investigation of global market competitiveness challenges
facing the province's forest sector.
The review explores competitiveness issues facing all forest industry producers in Alberta , from small tenure holders to larger entities owned by integrated forest products companies. The review includes an assessment of factors ranging from timber allocations to day-to-day operating costs.
The review is expected to be completed in early 2007.
Minister for a Day
Five Alberta youth
helped to manage the province's natural resources for a day after being
selected to participate in Alberta Sustainable Resource Development's
second-annual “Minister for a Day” program.
Their activities included one-on-one meetings with the minister, touring areas affected by mountain pine beetle infestations, holding discussions with stakeholders concerned about the beetle threat and recommending beetle management strategies to the ministry.
Mountain Pine Beetles
The mountain pine beetle infestation grew to unprecedented levels last year.
In 2005/06, the province cut and burned 19,000 mountain pine beetle infested trees. The number of infested trees grew exponentially following a massive flight of beetles from British Columbia in late July. Estimates of the number of infested trees climbed to between 800,000 and 1.5 million.
By then, the government had already published its Mountain Pine Beetle Action Plan which described the different tactics and strategies to be used to fight the spread of the beetle depending on the intensity of the infestation and its location.
The government had also asked forest companies to change their harvesting plans so they could focus on infested pine trees and those at risk of being infested. The government announced the estimate and informed the public harvesting infested pine stands and at risk pine stands would start in the following months.
Previously, in May, the government hosted a mountain pine beetle summit in May, bringing together stakeholders including representatives from the government of British Columbia , First Nations, environmental and conservation groups, researchers, academics, municipal leaders, the federal government and industry.
The representatives discussed a wide variety of mountain pine beetle issues. The minister announced the creation of a mountain pine beetle advisory group which met twice in 2006.
Alberta BearSmart program
The Alberta BearSmart
program was launched in 2006. This public education program is aimed
at reducing human-bear encounters to bolster public safety, protect
property and enhance the conservation of bears.
The program encourages people to take responsibility for changing their behaviour in order to prevent conflicts with the animals. Information on bear safety is available to everyone but is targeted at residents of communities in bear country, outdoor enthusiasts, farmers, ranchers, beekeepers and hunters.
Alberta will launch the BearSmart program to the oil and gas and forest industries in 2007. To learn more about the Alberta BearSmart program, visit www.srd.gov.ab.ca/fwbearsmart/.
Provincial Fisheries Management Round Table
Alberta made
strides in fisheries management by establishing the Provincial Fisheries
Management Round Table in 2006. Members of this provincial fisheries
advisory group represent many key sectors and organizations, including
angling and conservation groups, the sportfishing industry and Metis
and First Nations organizations.
Sometimes called "a council of wise people," members provide their views on a wide range of fisheries-related issues, as well as input on angling innovations proposed by the province. Their counsel assists Alberta with fisheries planning and decision making. The group met three times in 2006 and their first meeting in 2007 will take place in spring.
Chronic Wasting Disease
The province updated
its chronic wasting disease (CWD) response programs in 2006 to reduce
the further spread of CWD in wild deer in Alberta .
The first case of CWD in a wild deer in Alberta was discovered in 2005. At the end of December 2006, more than 10,000 wild deer and elk in Alberta had been tested for the disease since surveillance began in 1996.
Animals tested include deer gathered during collections by Fish and Wildlife staff and deer heads submitted by hunters. Hunters and landowners have played a key role in the success of Alberta 's control program.
In 2006, it became mandatory for hunters to submit the heads of all wild deer taken in Wildlife Management Units 150, 151, 234, 256 and 500 for CWD testing. Hunters were also encouraged to voluntarily submit the heads of deer taken in several other Wildlife Management Units.
