Logging plans near Bragg Creek scaled back, but many trail users still upset
Canada's largest lumber producer has reduced the size of the area it plans to log near Bragg Creek from 880 hectares (about 9 square kilometres) to 556 hectares — but many backcountry trail users said it's not enough.
On Wednesday, West Fraser Timber held an open house in Bragg Creek to talk about its plans and address public concerns.
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West Fraser Timber held an open house in Bragg Creek on Wednesday to seek public feedback to its logging plans for the area. Global News
The company said the area to be harvested was scaled back following a previous round of public feedback last year.
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'We took the feedback from the public — we also worked with the different trails groups throughout the summer to go walk and bike the trails to see how they would interact with our potential harvest plans,' said company spokesperson Tyler Steneker.
'From that, we've made some changes to our plans, which resulted in a reduction of 37 per cent harvest area from last year to this year.'
Steneker claims harvest plans have also been changed so they'll now only affect about 2.1 km of trail.
'I think the initial thought is that our activities would overlap with all the trails and the trails would be would be gone — now our activities avoid the trails for the most part,' said Steneker.
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West Fraser Timber said it has scaled back its logging plans in the Bragg Creek area from 880 hectares to 556 hectares. Global News
Mike Duszynski of the non -profit group Bragg Creek Trails said he's pleased with the changes.
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'We have, we manage about 166 kilometers of trails — four season trails. We understand that we're one of many stakeholders in the region, but we're trying to preserve our viewscapes for the enjoyment of the people that use our trails,' said Duszynski.
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Duszynski said there's been logging in the Bragg Creek area before, by a different company that failed to address the group's concerns , but this time it's a much better relationship.
'So we have a mandate with the government — it's called the Master Plan — which is a 10-year expansion program of adding more trails and converting trails that are not all-season. So we've got a major work plan that we have to execute within the next several years,' said Duszynski.
'So through that, West Fraser is helping us collaboratively put their roads in in certain locations so that they can reclaim them afterwards and they make one of our new trails.'
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Mike Duszynski of Bragg Creek Trails said he's pleased with the changes West Fraser Timber has made so far to it's logging plans. Global News
However, not all trail users are pleased with West Fraser's efforts.
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Jeffrey Woodgate of the Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society said he's 'frustrated.'
While he said the company is doing their job to consult with stakeholders, both it and the provincial government have failed to recognize the intrinsic value of the trails.
'They have the opportunity to play this card of social licence where it is recognized how valuable this trail system is to the 2 million plus people that live in the greater Calgary area who this is their only form of wilderness recreation that they can access in under an hour,' said Woodgate.
'So the value of that trail system has to far outweigh the value of the stumpage fees that they're going to be getting from harvesting that zone, both for the government and for the logging company itself.'
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Jeffrey Woodgate of the Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society said he's 'frustrated' because of the wide-ranging effects logging in the area will have. Global News
Woodgate said that while there will be no trails lost in the Moose Mountain area, removing hundreds of hectares of trees from the area will broad ranging effects.
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'That's tree cover over our trail system — and our particular soil type is very thin — it doesn't hold moisture well. So anytime they're moving tree cover off there, our ability to build and maintain new trails, or the existing ones, just is greatly diminished,' added Woodgate.
'Also the experience of riding through that tree cover is gone — you are seeing the carnage that's been wrought upon what was a beautiful, essentially virgin forest. It's been growing there for 100 years and you're going to lose that for another 100 years.'
His concerns are shared by Shaun Peter of the group Guardians of Recreational Wilderness Society.
'We keep seeing where there's more and more clear-cutting and the government acknowledges the value of the recreation area,' said Peter.
'But then they turn around and they're allowing things to go forward in a way that's going to really damper if not destroy the recreation area in this side. Or the outdoor recreation industry in this area.'
Peter estimates the area being clear cut to still be equivalent to about 800 soccer fields.
He and other opponents would like to see the area protected just like a park, where people can enjoy recreation in a park-like setting.
'This area wasn't created by the government, it was created by volunteers. Thousands of hours, millions of dollars have been put into this area,' said Peter.
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'It was all done through volunteer efforts. They took that recreation area that we built — and now we're destroying it.'
West Fraser is planning additional open houses, with logging set to begin in the fall of 2026.
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