Spray Lake Sawmills’s (SLS) bid to gain approval under the Rainforest Alliance’s Smartwood Program continues to move forward, with a second application possibly being submitted sometime this spring.
Gord Lehn, communications director for SLS, said that during the Rainforest Alliance’s first audit of the forestry company, several areas were identified that needed to be addressed before certification would be granted.
Lehn said many of the issues had to do with timing, such as inventory and timber supplies not being in sync with timeframes outlined in the audit protocol.
Another area of concern was SLS’s public engagement efforts.
“Some items related to expanding our program for public involvement,” said Lehn, “and another required us to conduct a detailed analysis of protected areas in the region.”
With SLS’s Forest Management Agreement area being on crown land, Lehn said several other stakeholders must be taken into account.
“We would like to ensure that our work does not occur in isolation of these other interest groups,” said Lehn. “We would like to provide the opportunity for them to review and provide input in what we are planning and doing.”
SLS has been accused of not adequately engaging the public on their logging plans in the past. Most recently, plans to harvest in West Bragg Creek, where several advocacy groups like Sustain Kananaskis and the Greater Bragg Creek Trails Association were vehemently against the plan.
Logging in the Castle region was another area where SLS heard public outcry.
Lehn said one of the efforts his company is utilizing to better and expand communication with the public is a blog.
“Our public involvement process has historically focused more directly within our own community,” said Lehn. “We wanted to expand opportunities for people outside of our own community to engage.”
Lehn credited social media as being a valuable tool to reach people in a broader range, and hopes the endeavor will do just that.
The Rainforest Alliance has been conducting third-party forest management certification in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) for more than 20 years, launching its Smartwood Program in 1989.
Once a company is approved for the program, benefits include the protection of wildlife and waterways, and the preservation of aboriginal rights and local communities.
