Healthy forests help maintain a healthy environment, and we make sure the forest industry does too. The health of trees, plants, animals, air, water and soils – today and in the future – drives what our industry does and how we do it.

Green Energy

Alberta’s forest industry respects the value of every tree and forest companies work hard to minimize waste from their operations.

Material left over from making forest products – like sawdust, and other components that can’t be used for lumber, panels, value-added wood products, or pulp and paper – can be used to create carbon-neutral renewable energy.

Many of the industry’s manufacturing facilities produce and use this kind of energy to power their operations. Any excess renewable electricity created from forest biomass is also transferred to the provincial grid, reducing the overall environmental impact of supplying electricity to Alberta communities.

Climate

Trees capture carbon from the atmosphere and produce oxygen while they’re alive. Young, growing trees do this faster than older trees.

When trees die and decay, they release the carbon they’ve stored in their lifetime back into the atmosphere. And in the case of a fire, the forest releases a lot of carbon in a short time.

By harvesting mature trees and replanting those areas with new seedlings, the forest industry limits the spread of wildfire – and helps keep carbon out of the atmosphere. This carbon stays locked in wood products, like lumber and paper, instead of being released back into the environment, and the cycle begins again with newly planted trees capturing even more.

Water

The forest industry is extremely careful about how we use water.

A commitment to sustainable operations has kept freshwater usage within the government’s regulatory limits, and ensures the quality of water that is used in our operations and then returned to the environment.

Government-issued limits are there as a minimum standard to protect the environment, but the industry strives to exceed those standards, not just follow them. We work hard to minimize the amount of water used in manufacturing, and companies also reduce their environmental impact by using organic matter recovered from wastewater treatment to generate green energy.

Employment

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Forest Management

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Health & Safety

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Lumber Grading

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Transportation

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Environment

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Let Nathan Fillion be your guide to Alberta’s incredible forests

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Alberta Forest Products Association

AFPA is a non-profit association that represents Alberta’s forest industry. We support our members in reaching new heights of sustainability, safety, efficiency and innovation, and we give Albertans opportunities to learn about our forests and the forest industry.

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Work Wild is here to help people who are looking for a career they’ll love – whether you’re a high school student evaluating career options for the first time, or looking to make a change in your career.

If you’d like more information about employment opportunities in the forest industry, you can find job profiles, current job postings, scholarships and more here.

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DID YOU KNOW?

96% of Alberta’s managed forests (where forest companies operate) are independently certified for sustainability.

Learn more about the forest industry’s sustainable forest management practices.

Forest Management