Lesson 5: Oil and Gas

In Alberta, forestry is the third largest industry, after oil and gas and agriculture.
As the largest industry in Alberta, exploration and development of oil and gas deposits has had significant impact on the forest. Many trees have been cut down in order to make room for equipment, well-sites and other facilities. In fact, in some years and in some areas, the oil and gas sector in Alberta has harvested more trees than timber companies. Both industries, forestry and oil and gas, are essentially operating on the same land base.

Historically, the activities of these two industries have not been coordinated. For example, rather than sharing one road into a forest, forestry companies and oil and gas companies have typically each built their own roads. Practices such as this have resulted in significant fragmentation of Alberta's forests.
In the past, forest use by oil and gas companies has also disturbed forest ecosystems. 

 

Fragmentation occurs when forests are cut down in a manner that leaves small, isolated "islands" of forest. These islands of forest tend to lose species faster than a single forest. For example, species such as woodland caribou or songbirds require large tracts of continuous forest habitat in order to thrive.

Today, in Alberta, efforts are being made to reduce forest fragmentation through the implementation of Integrated Land Management. This approach seeks to coordinate the activities of the energy industry and the forestry industry. It is hoped that, by working together, environmental impact on forests may be reduced.