Water and watershed management are high priority considerations for any resource management activities within the eastern slopes of Alberta. Spray Lake Sawmills conducts its timber harvest operations in headwaters areas of the South Saskatchewan Region. As such, it has become important for the company to develop “best management” practices which recognizes and accommodates these values. The following video clip outlines some of the practices Spray Lake Sawmills uses within its woodlands operations. Stay tuned for more water related videos over the next few weeks.
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About the Author: cpazarka
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This video is amazing. Can you please explain how all the science failed in your hidden creek logging operation causing the river bank below your haul road to collapse? This in turn wiped out one of the last remaining healthy Bull Trout populations. Why did you ignore the numerous warnings from scientists and the public and in turn destroy an endangered splicers remaining population? Why did your science go against everyone else’s?
Thank you for your comment. This provides a good opportunity for us to provide some clarification. The science worked well for us in the Hidden Creek area. There was no river bank failure below our haul road resulting in damage to bull trout habitat. Spray Lake Sawmills monitored the Hidden Creek harvest area on a weekly basis throughout the spring and summer to ensure our roads and reclamation efforts were stable. The provincial government, through the Department of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, also conducted periodic inspections to ensure regulatory compliance. There was some bank failure and sediment which entered the Creek but this was naturally occurring on the opposite side of the Creek from where our operations took place. The trigger for this was due to the extreme rainfall which occurred this past spring/summer.