At Spray Lake Sawmills, we are committed to sustainable forest management; a long-term goal to maintain natural ecosystems, communities and native species in the forest in balance with social and economic needs.

Our Approach features a continuous feedback loop that involves:

• Using existing knowledge/information from completed studies.
• Building new knowledge of ecological relationships, habitat supply and regional social values.
• Integrating this knowledge into the forest management planning process and into the development of management strategies, and.
• Monitoring aspects of the implementiation and its impact on the ecosystem over time.

This process enables us to respond and adapt as new information becomes available.

Some of the information we currently have or are building for the Forest Management Agreement area includes:

• Alberta Vegetation Inventory.
• Ecological Land Classification.
• Forest Succession Modeling.
• Habitat Suitability Modeling and Mapping.
• Digital Elevation Modeling.
• Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre Data.
• Historic Resource Predictive Model and Mapping of Known Sites.
• Stream charactics and Water Quality Monitoring.
• Forest Growth and Yield Sample Plot and Research Plots.
• Fire Regime Analysis.
• Biodiversity/Species Observation Database.
• East Slopes Grizzly Bear Project.
• Foothills Model Forest Grizzly Bear Research Program.

Under the Forest Management Agreement, the primary use of the forest management area is "for re-establishing, growing, harvesting and removing timber." Within this context is the need to recognize other resource values and uses.

SLS has reviewed the Kananaskis Country Sub-Regional Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), the Nordegg-Red Deer River Sub-Regional IRP and the Ghost River Sub-Regional IRP for issues and resource values important to the FMA area. These IRPs provide direction to the DFMP in terms of the integration of important ecological and social values. We also received input from the public through our DFMP Public Involvement Process.

Following is the list of issues and values developed through this process. The issues/values list formed the basis for the development of the objectives and the strategies in the DFMP.

DFMP Management Objectives and Strategies:

• Access Management.
• Adaptive Management and Research.
• Aesthetics and Recreation.
• Biodiversity and Wildlife Habitat.
• Community Timber Program.
• Soil Conservation.
• Forest Health (forest pest management).
• Forest Land Base.
• Forest Protection (fire).
• Historical Resoruces and Unique Areas.
• Integration of Other Values and Non-Commercial Uses.
• Integration with Other Commercial Users.
• Protected Areas.
• Public Involvement.
• Public Safety.
• Reforestation.
• Sustainable Timber Supply.
• Water Quality and Quantity and Fisheries Resoruces.
• Carbon Sequestration.