Aerial view of part of Forest Management Unit G16, about 70 kilometres northwest of Grande Prairie (Supplied by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry)

By Shaun Penner

51,000 cubic metres

Norbord granted annual cut increase

May 6, 2021 | 1:25 PM

Norbord has been awarded 51,000 cubic metres of unallocated deciduous timber in annual allowable cut to the northwest of Grande Prairie by the provincial government.

Through a bid put in as part of the Forest Jobs Action Plan in 2020 with the support of the City and County of Grande Prairie, MD of Greenview and Saddle Hills County, Norbord (which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of West Fraser Timber Co.) has been granted the cut within Forest Management Unit G16.

The unallocated AAC falls within the northern section of Forest Management Area G16 (Courtesy of the Government of Alberta)

General manager of Western Woodlands for Norbord Inc. Noel Roberts says this deciduous will be utilized at its OSB plant south of the city.

“This sustainable volume is an important piece of the existing fibre basket that supports our world-class oriented strand board facility in Grande Prairie,” said Roberts.

The province says the goal of the bidding process as part of the Forest Jobs Action Plan last year was to allocate unassigned timber through an open, competitive process that maximized economic, environmental and community benefits.

As part of Norbord’s bid, the province says Norbord will be giving hundreds of thousands in funding to the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute to improve biodiversity monitoring and habitat restoration in northwestern Alberta. They will also be putting hundreds of thousands into supporting Indigenous consultations.

“We believe our successful proposal strikes an appropriate balance between supporting Indigenous consultation capacity, investment in science to better understand biodiversity, and financial value to Albertans in exchange for the opportunity to manage these forests and provide jobs in the Grande Prairie region,” added Roberts.

It is estimated this cut will provide $10.5 million to Alberta’s gross domestic product (GDP) through direct, indirect and induced economic benefits.

“They will be able to make the most of the available wood while at the same time generating positive environmental and social impacts in their communities,” said Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Devin Dreeshen.

Back in October, the provincial government increased the annual allowable cut in Alberta by 13 per cent, with an eventual goal of up to a 33 per cent increase.

At that time, a spokesman for the Alberta Forest Products Association said he felt it would be possible to meet higher allowable cut allowances.

Association vice president Brock Mulligan said to EverythingGP there was what he termed “extensive analysis” of cut allowances.

“The analysis reveals that we can sustainably up allowable cut levels and that is because our forests are so sustainably managed. We have a 200-year planning horizon and we plant two trees for every one we harvest.”

The province is also hoping its Forest Jobs Action Plan allows the industry to take advantage of record prices.

Mulligan said prices for building materials, cut lumber and OSB, are booming worldwide.

“It is due to a combination of a few factors. One is that folks are now at home a lot more and they’re really thinking about ways to beautify that space, especially their outdoor spaces, so we’re seeing a lot of deck and fence building and that is driving demand.

“Two is that the economics in the U.S. that underpin housing are pretty strong. Their housing stock is getting older and needs to be replaced.”

The province adds Alberta’s forestry sector directly employs approximately 18,100 people and supports more than 22,700 additional jobs in Alberta, contributing $1.7 billion in salaries and wages in 2019.