Dear Editor,
I have been hiking, hunting, camping, fishing and horseback riding in the upper Highwood and south of Highwood House for 65 years. It was, is and always will be a wonderful place to be. When I was a kid Foothills Lumber had a sawmill on Cataract Creek. In the 1920s, Lineham Lumber had a sawmill on Loomas creek and later floated logs down the Highwood to High River until a lighting-caused wild fire devastated the whole forest area.
The forests there today are a reminder that our forests are a renewable, sustainable resource. We should understand that disturbance will happen whether it is fire, insect and disease, wind or weather. We have done a good job in protecting the area from wildfire. Wildfire wastes a valuable resource, dumps huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere and pays no attention to protecting the valuable water courses and wildlife. We need an alternative to create openings for forest renewal. Harvesting followed by prompt reforestation is part of a long term (100 years of more) plan covering the whole forest area. The amount removed each year insures sustainability. The design of the harvest area makes every effort to meet many objectives including watershed protection, wildlife, fire, access, and aesthetics. Pleasing aesthetics is particularly challenging as it is a change in the visual of the landscape. Extensive effort is made to minimize the impact. One cannot be so selfish to criticize a viewscape change when we think about the long-term health of the forest.
I too shared the pain of the 2013 flood in High River. I thought the myth that forest harvesting was the cause of the flooding was dispelled. It was a heavy rain and rain on above normal snowpack at high elevations event. Drainages where no activity has occurred for many generations also experienced dramatic change.
By using the best science and ongoing research, extensive harvest and planning guidelines are in place to insure best practices are followed on the ground. These include notification of the registered owner of trap lines in the area. Sometimes the owners share or pass on the trapping to others and they miss the opportunity in the planning process for discussion on trap and cabin location.
Most of us live in wood frame homes built on land that will never be returned to its natural state and urban sprawl takes more every year. It is good to see our public forest land will be there for my grandchildren to enjoy.
Norm Denney
High River
