Forests cover more than 60% of Alberta. For as long as people have lived on this land, we’ve relied on our forests and tended them in return.
Responsible forest management has kept Alberta’s forests strong for over 100 years. As global leaders in sustainability and environmentally responsible manufacturing, Alberta’s forestry companies secure our forests’ full environmental, sociocultural, and economic benefits for generations to come.
read moreAlberta’s Forestry Industry
grows
3x
as many trees as we harvest
planted more than
100 million
trees last year
makes a
200-year plan
for the future of our forests
creates more than
30,000 jobs
for Albertans
supports more than
70 communities
across the province
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 provide resources so Albertans can learn more about our forests and the forest industry.
We take this responsibility seriously because the forest industry’s work affects everyone. Thanks to the practices used in Alberta, our forests are net carbon sinks instead of net carbon emitters, we have more mature forest than we’d have without human intervention, and we sustainably produce some of the best quality forest products in the world. That includes everything from lumber to paper to innovative products like carbon-neutral biofuels, in an industry where no part of a harvested tree goes to waste.
The products we make in Alberta are important, but how we make them matters just as much. Every part of the industry’s activities, from harvesting to manufacturing to transporting materials, has to be done responsibly. Harvesting is carefully planned, with tight limits on how many trees are harvested and where, to minimize impact on forest ecosystems. Harvesting is always offset by replanting – and we’re not planting monocultures or tree farms, but growing new forests with a natural, resilient range of biodiversity. Alberta forestry companies are leading contributors to ecological and wildlife research that helps us improve our practices, and we take care on the manufacturing side to keep our facilities and operations safe and environmentally conscious.
Our industry works to ensure that Albertans benefit from our forests by providing essential renewable products and well-paying jobs while ensuring our forests stay healthy and continue growing. Forests are essential to Alberta, and AFPA brings Alberta’s forest companies together to steward them with care and respect.
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