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1.3 Methods

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Getting Started

Navigating this Report

 

This report consists of two companion reports—one for the Northern Operating Area and one for the Southern Operating Area. All the features necessary to navigate within each report as well as switch between reports are included in the bookmark on the left of the screen. These features include:

Main Menu

The main menu is accessed through the hamburger menu in the "bookmark" on the left-hand side of the page. This report is divided into five chapters. From this menu, you can access each of the main chapters and their sections from anywhere in the report.

Tip: The down arrowhead expands when you are viewing a chapter within the hamburger menu. You can quickly navigate to any section within a chapter by making a selection from the expanded menu.

North and South Reports

Click these icons to navigate between the reports for the Northern Operating Area and Southern Operating Area. 

 

Information Guide

Click on the "information" icon in the left menu to access the report navigation guide. You can access this at any time without leaving the page you’re on.

The "page turner" arrows at the bottom left of your screen will sequentially take you through the report, page by page. For example, press the right arrow to move from Section 2.1 to Section 2.2.

Tip: If you’re interested in the full report, we encourage you to start with the Introduction found in Chapter 1, and use the page turner function (arrows on the bottom left of the page) to sequentially navigate through the report.

R Caners

Introduction

Tolko’s Northern Operating Area covers 42,771 km2 in northwestern Alberta. This operating area is located entirely within Alberta’s Boreal Forest Natural Region, and is characterized by:

  • Vast forested areas of coniferous, mixedwood, and deciduous forests that support a wide range of plants and animals.
  • Large numbers of wetlands, meandering streams, and numerous lakes.
  • A natural disturbance regime that is dominated by wildfire, with insects and diseases also playing important roles[1].
  • Socially and economically valued activities including hunting, fishing, trapping, and other recreational pursuits.

Northern Operating Area

Click on a topic to find out more about Tolko’s Northern Operating Area:

Area of Analysis

Area of Analysis

This report describes the status of land cover and biodiversity in Tolko’s Northern Operating Area. 

  • The Northern Operating Area is located in the northwestern corner of Alberta and covers 42,771 km2; this makes up 75% of Tolko’s total operating area in Alberta.
  • Tolko shares management of this land base with West Fraser Mills Ltd. and La Crete Sawmills Ltd[1].
  • In this region, Tolko predominately harvests coniferous species (White Spruce, pine species, Black Spruce, Balsam Fir). Incidental harvest of deciduous trees is passed along to West Fraser Mills Ltd.
Northern Operating Area
Area of Analysis. Results of this report focus on Tolko’s Northern Operating Area (shown in blue). Findings for the Southern Operating Area (outlined in green) are presented in the corresponding companion report.

Ecosystems

Ecosystems

Tolko’s Northern Operating Area encompasses a diverse range of ecosystem types within the Boreal Forest Natural Region of northern Alberta.

The dominant natural subregions are:

  • Central Mixedwood (47.1%),
  • Lower Boreal Highlands (23.1%),
  • Northern Mixedwood (14.1%), and
  • Dry Mixedwood (11.1%).

The Boreal Subarctic (3.4%) and Upper Boreal Highlands (1.3%) cover small areas.

Tolko’s Northern Operating Area contains 6.5% of Alberta’s Dry Mixedwood Natural Subregion, which represents covers 11.1% of the Northern Operating Area. A major portion of the Dry Mixedwood Natural Subregion has been converted to agricultural use, with a variety of annual and forage crops. This subregion is underrepresented in protected areas (federal and provincial parks and protected areas) at 1.6% and, therefore, responsibility for this subregion is higher.

Use Ctrl + Scroll to zoom the map
Legend
Ecosystem Types. Distribution of natural subregions that overlap with Tolko’s Northern Operating Area.
Ecosystem Types. Area and per cent (%) area of the six natural subregions that overlap the Northern Operating Area, and the per cent of each subregion managed as a federal or provincial protected area in Alberta.
    Northern Operating Area Alberta
Natural Region Natural Subregion Area (km2) Area (%) % Managed as Protected Area
Boreal Forest Central Mixedwood 20,138 47.1 13.6%
Lower Boreal Highlands 9,882 23.1 10.1%
Northern Mixedwood 6,017 14.1 44.8%
Dry Mixedwood 4,735 11.1 1.6%
Boreal Subarctic 1,433 3.3 49.4%
Upper Boreal Highlands 567 1.3 25.6%

Wetlands

Wetlands

Wetlands are an integral part of the landscape and provide a number of important benefits.

Ecologically intact wetlands, and their associated biodiversity, act as a catalyst for the physical, chemical, and biological processes that:

  • provide clean water;
  • mitigate flood and drought events;
  • recharge ground and surface water;
  • capture and store carbon;
  • recycle nutrients;
  • support a high level of primary productivity; and,
  • provide critical wildlife habitat.

Wetlands add habitat complexity at local and regional scales through the creation of micro-habitats, edge effects, and localized microclimates that support a high level of biodiversity, both in the wetland and the surrounding landscape.

Wetlands are common in the Northern Operating Area, covering 36.0% of the land base.

  • Fen (also known as muskeg) is the most common wetland class, covering 21.4% of the Northern Operating Area, followed by swamp (5.8%) and bog (4.8%) wetland classes. Marsh and open water wetland classes each cover <2.5% of the area.
  • Ecologically significant wetlands in the area include Hay-Zama Lakes—a Ramsar wetland of international importance—as well as several water bodies/watercourses of importance to Trumpeter Swan (a species of special concern in Alberta).
Use Ctrl + Scroll to zoom the map
Legend
Wetland Types. Distribution of wetlands, by category, in Tolko’s Northern Operating Area. Note: wetlands cover less area than what is displayed in the map.
 
 
Wetland Types. Area and per cent (%) area of five wetland land cover classes in Tolko’s Northern Operating Area.
Wetland Class Area (km2) % area
Bog 2,049 4.8
Fen 9,143 21.4
Marsh 698 1.6
Open water 1,027 2.4
Swamp 2,489 5.8
All Wetlands Combined 15,406 36

References

1.

Tolko Industries Ltd., Norbord Inc., and La Crete Sawmills Ltd. 2017. Forest management plan. Forest management plan submitted to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry December 2017 for FMU26. 375 pp.

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