Unit 3 - Demands on the Forests


Lesson 1: Overview


Multiple-uses of forested lands are practised in Alberta. This involves coordinating the various activities over time and by location.

To better understand what this means, let's consider the following example:

A grazing lease may be issued for a particular area within an FMA (Forest Management Agreement), yet the forestry company is allowed to schedule the timber for logging at some point in time. By conducting winter harvesting, disruption to cattle grazing is minimized.

Alberta has approximately 38 million hectares of forested Crown land. Many Albertans use that land. Some of the forest land uses include:

  • timber production
  • oil and gas exploration, mining, and pipelines
  • power transmission lines
  • commercial grazing
  • commercial trapping
  • wildland recreation
  • roads and highways
  • coal or other mining
  • research
  • parks and protected areas


In this unit we will explore some of the various demands on our forested land.


Key Point: The public has the right to influence how forested lands are used.