Outdoor lovers oppose clearcut logging plan that would affect hiking trails near Bragg Creek

Beloved hiking trails near Bragg Creek, around 30 minutes west of Calgary, are at risk of being affected by a proposed clearcut logging project — and concerned outdoor enthusiasts are trying to stop it.

Spray Lake Sawmills, a Cochrane-based forest products company, is slated to harvest in a popular area of West Bragg Creek and Moose Mountain in 2026. The exact size of the harvest hasn't been determined, but the company is allowed to log around 800 hectares.

Finalized plans haven't been drafted or approved by the province yet, but a rough plan posted by the company shows the area impacted would include popular hiking and cycling trails like Fullerton Loop, Strange Brew and Race of Spades.

It has caused public outcry on social media, with hundreds of people advocating for a full stoppage or big changes to the plan. An online petition with over 9,000 signatures calls on the company to reconsider its plans.

"It's going to be quite intrusive to the area," said Shaun Peter, owner of Bragg Creek & Kananaskis Outdoor Recreation.

"We're quite concerned about what's going to happen with the trails and how this was allowed and how we move forward with that."

He says the trail networks in West Bragg Creek and Moose Mountain were built thanks to around 100,000 hours of volunteer labour and public donations.

Now, under this proposed logging plan, trail users — many of whom travel to Alberta for the experience — would no longer have lush forest to hike, bike, snowshoe or ride through, he says.

"It's really an economic driver in the province. To have a major logging operation over top of that … it's kind of unfathomable," said Peter, who hoped the implementation of the Kananaskis Conservation Pass would help protect popular trail areas.

Promising public engagement

According to the Alberta Ministry of Forestry and Parks, the company's plans conform to provincial regulations. The company submitted a broader two-decade forest management plan to the province in January 2021, which was approved that May.

"As the proposed harvesting in the West Bragg Creek and Moose Mountain areas would not occur for several years, an annual operating plan has not been received and permission to harvest has not been granted," said spokesperson Leanne Niblock.

Ed Kulcsar, vice-president of woodlands for Spray Lake Sawmills, says he's aware of the public's concerns.

However, he says about 30 per cent of forest in southern Alberta is available for timber harvesting and is open to multiple use — including the area slated for logging.

"That's where we then have our public and stakeholder engagement processes to ensure that we integrate our activity with all those other multiple activities out there," said Kulcsar.

He says this plan will help reduce fire risk by getting rid of older trees that are more susceptible to fire. Once they complete a detailed assessment of the area, they'll confirm exactly how much timber will be harvested and what will be left behind, he says.

"We will look for opportunities to leave parts of the timber stands behind."

Until then, Kulcsar says, there will be opportunities over the next few years for the public to provide feedback. That can be done directly any time on the company's website and they'll also host annual open houses, he says.

"It's an opportunity to shape what the actual harvest design will look like."

Calls to change the Forest Act

For Devon Earl, a conservation specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association, this proposed project depicts a bigger problem in the forestry industry. 

"This type of clearcutting is happening all over the province and it isn't sustainable," said Earl. 

"That goes down to the laws and the regulations, which are really out of date and really don't view forests as ecosystems."

She says the province needs to modernize the Forest Act to ensure recreation, tourism, water quality and biodiversity is not being compromised by harvesting timber — something that's been previously called for by First Nations in the province.

Earl contests Kulcsar's point about fire safety, and points to research that suggests there's a higher likelihood of wildfire initiation in forests that had been harvested in the last 30 years than those that hadn't.

"We really need to think very carefully about how our forest management practices are actually making this situation worse," said Earl. "We need to change those moving forward so that we don't have wildfire seasons just like this one in the next few years."

'We have to respect what [they're] doing'

Conrad Schiebel, president of Bragg Creek Trails, says this is the reality of what the land is zoned for.

But in his eyes, it could also be an opportunity.

"We'll try to work with the various users to try to mitigate any damage that we foresee to the trail system and, when possible, try to take advantage of the disturbances occurring to actually improve the trail system," said Schiebel.

He says he'll keep in touch with the company and, when the time comes, suggest changes that could improve the plan for all sides.

"We have to respect what Spray Lakes is doing and try to direct them into a partnership with the public so that everybody gets heard."