Introduction

Tolko harvests deciduous trees in Forest Management Agreement (FMA) areas in its southern operating area, where it shares tenure with other forest companies^[1]. 

Tolko strives to manage its forest tenures professionally and sustainably—maintaining environmental, social, and economic values. Tolko is committed to:

• sustainable forest practices,
• managing forests in a way that respects the environment and cultural connections,
• implementing actions to mitigate climate change,
• independent scrutiny through third-party certification, and
• initiating and maintaining Indigenous partnerships.

The ABMI is a leader in monitoring biodiversity health and changes in human land use (i.e., human footprint) in Alberta, including Tolko’s Southern Operating Area. Our biodiversity and human footprint data are designed to evaluate whether forest management activities are achieving the goal of maintaining species alongside other land-use activities (e.g. energy development) in Alberta’s forests.

This report offers a preliminary assessment of land cover and biodiversity in Tolko’s Southern Operating Area. It establishes baseline conditions for various land cover and biodiversity indicators, providing a foundation for evaluating long-term forest health and informing adaptive management strategies for Tolko’s current and future operations.

This document supports Tolko’s goal to manage sustainably by providing “best available information”—specifically, up-to-date, scientifically credible monitoring data that can be used to assess environmental performance and track changes within their Southern Operating Area.