KSL-Sawmills
Kee Tas Kee Now Sawmills
Throughout the planning and implementation of their Forest Management Plan (FMP) KSL will strive to offer opportunities for public input. KSL will provide meaningful opportunities for review and for the community to put forth questions or concerns about upcoming operating plans.
KSL intends to offer training opportunities for those in the community interested in forestry and encourage students in the community to consider forestry as a career. By emphasizing and promoting employment in forestry, they hope to grow and support the local economy for years to come.
Alberta Value
Public Involvement
Successful public involvement will have the public and various stakeholders participate in the development of the FMP by providing feedback on various aspects of forest management practices. Effective public involvement process will encompass a wide range of engaging public knowledge, interest, involvement levels, availability, and ability to participate.
Stakeholders include but are not limited to trappers, tenure holders, interest groups, indigenous communities, and local government.
Public Participation
Public Advisory Group (PAG)
1. To provide a forum for information exchange between the companies and stakeholders.
2. To obtain constructive community input, advice and recommendations to ensure all local interests are effectively involved in forest management planning.
3. Work with KSL to develop and maintain a Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Sustainable Forest Management Practice (SFMP) in accordance with CSA guidelines, as follows:
- Identify and select values, objectives, indicators, and targets, based on Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) elements and any other issues of relevance to the Defined Forest Area (DFA). These must be consistent with relevant government legislation, regulations, and policies.
- Develop one or more possible strategies.
- Assess and select one or more strategies.
- Review the SFM plan.
- Design monitoring programs, evaluate results, and recommend improvements. and
- Discuss and resolve any issues relevant to SFM in the DFA
Information from the PAG and regarding upcoming public involvement initiatives will be posted here when available.
COVID Protocols
Open Houses
Open houses typically provide the public, Indigenous communities, and forest stakeholders an opportunity to meet KSL, provide input and learn more about the operations in the area. KSL is committed to responsibility operating and managing the local forest which includes hearing from all groups who live in and use the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I provide input as a member of the public?
If you are interested in providing input and hearing more information on forest management planning by KSL, you can attend an open house or become a member of the PAG by contacting KSL through the website.
Who can I contact if I have questions about forest management planning?
Any questions or concerns can be submitted through the CONTACT section of the website where a member of KSL will get back to you.
Where can I see where harvesting will take place over the next 10 years?
As part of forest management planning the areas available for harvest are mapped through a Spatial Harvest Sequence (SHS) for the first 10 to 20 years. Before the SHS is submitted to the government, consultation with the public advisory group and the Indigenous communities in the area will occur. When the forest management plan is complete this map, as well as the forest management plan document will be posted on the GoA and KSL website for public viewing.
How are wildlife and other non-timber values considered in forest management planning?
A big part of sustainable forest management planning is integrating non-timber values into your plan. This ensures the forest management plan (FMP) will be socially, economically, and environmentally responsible. Models are specifically built around sensitive wildlife to ensure their preferred habitat remains stable throughout the planning horizon. KSL is an advocate for the conservation of wildlife habitat and actively investigates innovative strategies to encourage the protection of biodiversity on the landbase.
What happens after harvesting, how is the forest brought back?
All publicly owned forest land in Alberta is required to be reforested within two years of being harvested. For more information on reforestation refer to the forest management section of this website.
How is water protected during forest operations?
Before harvesting is allowed to occur, a detailed classified landbase is required to be created by KSL. A classified landbase determines what area is eligible for harvest (contributing landbase) and what area is not available for forestry activities (non-contributing landbase) within the defined forest area. As waterbodies are a sensitive part of any landbase, they are buffered according to their size and type and that buffered land is put into the non-contributing landbase. Therefore, to a certain extent the area surrounding waterbodies will never be harvested. If a company accidently harvests within a water buffer, they are subject to fines by the province. If a waterbody is found during harvesting that was not previously considered in the classified landbase, buffers will still be applied in the field and harvesting will not take place around this waterbody. During the development of the classified landbase and forest management plan, watersheds as a whole are also managed to make sure over harvesting does not occur within one watershed.
How does forestry mitigate wildfire risk?
During forest management planning there is a focus to reduce forest areas that are deemed high risk or very high risk of forest fires within first 10 years of the plan. These areas are then either harvested as soon as operationally possible or other fire smart programs and practices are applied to bring them into a lower risk category.