Companies wishing to harvest trees on Crown land in Canada must enter into a forest tenure agreement with the provincial, territorial, or federal government. As you have learned, this allows the company to lease Crown forest from the government and harvest the trees on a certain area of land. These land leases are long-term and renewable; however, the company must comply with all current legislation and requirements.

In return for the right to harvest trees, the company pays the provincial government a fee. This is known as a stumpage fee.

Roles and responsibilities of forest companies operating in Canada include:

• preparing a forest management plan which addresses how the operator will manage forest values other than timber. For example, how will wildlife be protected? How will rivers and streams be safeguarded?
• assisting the provincial or territorial government in fire protection
• working in partnership with the province or territory to protect forests from insects and disease
• planning and implementing day-to-day operations, such as reforestation, in accordance with current legislation and regulations

In Alberta, reforestation is the responsibility of those who harvest forest trees, and must take place in all areas where trees are cut down. This means that even the temporary access roads must be reforested after a forest company is finished harvesting trees in a particular area. Furthermore, forest companies are obligated to carry out reforestation in accordance with provincial standards and to pay for reforestation costs. In general, the type of tree regenerated must match the original dominant species of that area. In other words, if a white spruce forest is harvested, then a white spruce forest must be regenerated. By law, reforestation activities must begin within two years of harvesting, and may be either natural or artificial.