Advertisement 1

Residents, environmentalists sound alarm over clear cutting in Kananaskis Country

Article content

Area residents and environmentalists are raising concerns about the effects of upcoming extensive logging in Kananaskis Country.

B.C.-based Balcean Consolidated Contracting Ltd. has a timber quota for 430 hectares near Highwood Junction at the south entrance to the provincial park. The wood will be processed at the Canfor mill in Elko, B.C.

Concerns range from dismay over visible swaths of bald landscape, to potential effects on jobs, tourism and the environment — including water quality and risk of flooding.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content
Article content

“We want the minister to press pause on this so we can assess what is the value of clear-cutting in Kananaskis,” said Stephen Legault, program director at the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.  

“Also, over the long term, we need to have conversations about our watersheds. Kananaskis Country is where Calgary and High River and other municipalities downstream get their water from. We want to have those conversations.”

In a statement, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier said the government is committed to protecting land and water, and staff will monitor timber harvesting to ensure it complies with standards.

“We continue to work to ensure a thoughtful and sustainable approach to forest management that balances the economic, social, and environmental needs of our communities — in the Kananaskis region and across the province.”

The Balcean timber quota covers an area south of Hwy 40 and on both sides of Hwy 940.
The Balcean timber quota covers an area south of Hwy 40 and on both sides of Hwy 940. Calgary

As for concerns that large blocks of clear cut land increases the risk of flooding, a forestry spokesman said research shows the risk of extra water yield is extremely low. The logging will be done on lower elevation trees and not in the protected snowy headwaters area.

Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

“Flooding in Alberta is driven by heavy rainfall or rain-on-snow events. An earlier melt in a harvested area (due to less shade and more wind) actually reduces the chances of a rain-on-snow event in June (when heavy rainfall events are more common).”

Graham Kroeker, general manager for Balcean, was unavailable Friday for comment.

The logging will begin this year and continue in 2018 near Highwood Junction (where highways 40, 541 and 940 meet), south to Etherington Creek recreation area and Cataract Creek Campground. 

Residents from towns south of the park, such as Longview, Turner Valley and Black Diamond, have long opposed logging there, dating back to 2001 when the forest management plan was signed with Spray Lakes Sawmills of Cochrane. Recently, a group of recreational users started a Facebook page called Take a Stand for the Upper Highwood and created a petition calling on Premier Rachel Notley and Environment and Parks Minister Shannon Phillips to stop logging in the park. 

“We’re concerned about where it’s going to happen. It will be quite visible to people coming from around the world recreating in south Kananaskis,” said Neil Williams, a Black Diamond resident and member of a local outdoors group who has watched clear-cutting happen in other areas of K-Country over the past two decades.

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

“We have a passion for hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and fishing in that area. It should be a sacred place that is protected. We don’t want to see it scarred.”

A mule deer doe wades across Cataract Creek in the mountains west of Longview.
A mule deer doe wades across Cataract Creek in the mountains west of Longview. Postmedia files

Justin Sjogren’s concerns are more financial than esthetic. He says the logging will affect his livelihood, as he recently bought the area trap line.

“This area has been part of my family’s heritage for generations. Now, instead of a small family business we’ll have clear cuts, little wildlife and damaged streams.”  

For some, logging in Kananaskis raises philosophical issues.

“Kananaskis Country is currently managed for multiple use,” says Katie Morrison, conservation director of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Calgary chapter.

“But much has changed in the 40 years since Lougheed’s original visions for the region. There are twice as many people in Alberta today as there were when Kananaskis Country was founded, and more than a million people a year visit to enjoy the mountains, rivers, foothills and wildlife. It’s time to update the multiple-use mandate of K-Country.”  

mjarvie@postmedia.com

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    This Week in Flyers