Alberta Forest Growth Organization


A large group of Alberta’s forest companies have identified a need for co-ordination and long-term funding for growth and yield research.  Demonstrated performance in sustainable forest management (SFM) is a top priority, and quantifiable knowledge is imperative in order to support SFM claims.  In addition, forestry is not the only industrial player on the landbase, and to have true sustainability it is necessary to involve other resource based players.

In the face of climate change and carbon emission regulations, all of Alberta’s resource-based industries will begin to rely on the estimation of forest growth and yield to demonstrate sustainability, and to derive/trade carbon credits.

The Alberta Forest Growth Organization (AFGO) was created after a successful application by a number of partners to the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA). The AFGO will raise the profile of growth and yield, and its link to carbon, as well as secure long term funding, create partnerships outside the forest industry, and ensure the efficiency and applicability of growth and yield research.

The AFGO will engage all sectors (industry, government and academia) of all of Alberta’s resource-based industries (forestry, energy, mining, agriculture, power and water) to:

  • Indentify high priority growth and yield needs and opportunities
  • Work towards co-ordination of existing and newly initiated growth and yield research
  • Secure funding for relevant existing and identified new research
  • Create partnerships between sector groups, especially around the creation and trading of carbon

As Alberta’s resource industries move into a world where cap and trade may be the new reality, it will be necessary to ensure that on-time accurate data are available that can demonstrate sustainability and carbon budget accountability. Information from forest growth research can quantify the carbon sequestration that can be attributed to forest management practices. These offsets offer a new opportunity for forestry and other industrial sectors to partner and manage the collection, trading and management of these available offsets within an Alberta context. AFGO will foster these partnerships in order to realize these opportunities.

One of the projects proposed for the AFGO is to organize a conference that will engage Alberta’s resource management sectors to identify and prioritize the most urgent emerging issues requiring forest growth expertise and technology. This conference is already being planned for October 19-21, 2010 and is titled “Forestry and Energy – Growing Towards a Carbon Neutral Alberta”.

This conference will showcase the opportunities and present practices by the various resource players within Alberta, as well as identify resources and expertise outside of Alberta and Canada that could assist Alberta in achieving these goals.

It will only be through partnerships and coordination of a variety of agencies that such progress can be achieved and implemented in a way that will showcase Alberta as a place where sometimes competing interests can partner on common issues. AFGO will play a key role in this partnering and coordinating process.