Woodlands
Sundance Forest Industries Ltd. has a 20-year Forest Management Agreement (FMA) with the Province of Alberta to establish, grow, harvest and remove timber from approximately 266,000 hectares of public land. At the time of signing, the company committed to a planning process that includes landscape management concepts, public involvement and preformance monitoring.
The Sundance FMA area is located south of the Town of Edson Mountains. It is managed by the company for the long term production of timber, presently supplying about 55% of the total mill requirement. Additional volume is purchased from other private and crown sources. In addition, Sundance actively pursues all salvage from FMA lands. Deciduous species are sold or traded to other mills for processing.
Sundance is proud to be the first company in Alberta certified under the American Forest and Paper Association's Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Program. The SFI program is a broad system of principles, objectives, performance measures and core indicators that combine tree growing and harvesting with the protection of wildlife, plants, soil, water and air quality.
Independent specialists in forest and wildlife management audited Sundance to assess compliance with the program.
Timber harvesting is conducted primarily by two contracting companies with supervision by Sundance personnel. An annual volume is also available for hand falling through the Local Loggers Opportunity Program (LLOP). Operations take place year round in compliance with approved plans. Contract staff and camps are required to meet Sundance safety and environmental standards.
Aggressive reforestation ensures that all Sundance cutblocks are treated within two years following harvest. Immediate treatment allow roadways to be reclaimed earlier and reduces the amount of competition in the cutblocks. Pre-harvest assessments and post-harvest monitoring takes place to identify potential problems ahead of time and allow corrective treatments to be carried out. Cutblocks must meet Provincial establishment stardards within 8 years after harvest, and Provincial free-to-grow standards within 14 years.
The overall impact of Sundance operation on the Edson area economy is significant. Approximately 220 employees work at the site, with another 90 contract workers employed in logging and trucking operations and more than 150 part-time contractors involved in the Local Loggers Opportunity Program (LLOP), silvicultural applications, road construction and road maintenance. In addition, local businesses are contracted to supply goods and services as much as possible, resulting i indirect employment of other area residents.