124- Logging Jasper with David Argument, Landon Shepherd, Kari Stuart-Smith and Shelley Tamelin

YourForest

That’s right, logging Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. Blasphemy you say? We have to protect the resource! We have to keep it “pristine”, “untouched”, “wild”! Well…you are not alone in that thought. However, we are now realizing that maybe “letting nature take care of itself” is not the best strategy. Time to think outside the box. Jasper had a problem, they took a risk, and a lot of people learned a lot of neat things.

Resources

Canfor

Sponsors

West Fraser

GreenLink Forestry Inc.

Damaged Timber

Forest Proud

Giveaway

Enter YourForest10 at checkout at the Damaged Timber store for a 10% discount!

Quotes

1.14.49 - 1.14.57: ”The more collaboration and… open and honest work that you can do with people upfront, the better off the project’s going to be.”

Takeaways

Then and now (04.56)

David speaks of the change in perspective from putting fires out in the early 1900s to shifting to Indigenous fire management and how fire protects the forest.

Reducing fire risk (07.11)

David’s team began considering removing the fuel load from Jasper National Park mechanically to reduce fire risk in the community.

Protecting the community (11.34)

David mentions that logging in a national park has become more common to deal with fire risks in the community. Landon recounts the history of logging in Jasper National Park.

Doing right by the people (25.43)

They wanted the logging to be at the lowest cost to the public, so they used the value of the wood logged to cover the cost of the project. They picked Canfor for their ecological focus.

The right people for the job (32.19)

Kari knew Canfor had the right equipment and experience from working on different projects with different organizations. Kari also has extensive experience and education in ecology.

The top two objectives (37.59)

The two objectives - to reduce the canopy fuel density to reduce the risk of severe wildfire and to maintain ecological integrity, were equally important to David and Landon.

Wins and challenges (40.29)

Kari describes the equipment, season and process used which protected the ground from disturbance.

Protection and forestry (44.20)

For Jasper National Park and Canfor, arriving at a common point of view and language was a necessary undertaking to achieve goals in time.

Finding the balance (55.45)

Those involved with this project wanted to leave a good legacy, to have the soil be as unaffected as possible while logging. Canfor suggested some procedures in order to do so.

The know-how (1.02.18)

Shelley viewed the logging project as a good fit for her to take on, given her experience navigating the complexities of contractual agreements and speaking the loggers’ language.

Finding a way out (1.06.35)

Shelley believes in the non-prescriptive approach with loggers so new possibilities can show up for both ecological and economical sustainability to be achieved.

The memories etched onto the land (1.10.45)

Different parts of the landscape are meaningful to different people, and balancing that with the economics of the task is challenging, Kari acknowledges.

The path forward (1.18.56)

Some areas of Jasper National Park are marked for Indigenous partners to use for ceremonies and gatherings. Reducing fire risk in the area is part of a continuing conversation to bring cultural burning back on the land.