What is a Woodlot?

Any trees on your property, regardless of their size, are part of your woodlot. This includes naturally occurring trees as well as ones you planted yourself.

Why Manage your Woodlot?

Woodlots are managed for several reasons:

• To produce products such as lumber, pulp wood, posts, wild food and decorative materials.
• To complement existing crop and/or livestock production (agroforestry).
• To enhance wildlife habitat.
• To provide recreational opportunities.

Many owners manage their woodlots for more than one purpose. The Woodlot Association of Alberta can provide you with information to help you understand the value of your woodlot resource and develop an integrated management plan to enhance its potential.

Woodlot Tours

These demonstration tours are for landowners and anyone interested in learning how to manage private forestland to maintain social, environmental and economic values. Many of the woodlots are managed for added income. Below is a brief description of featured woodlots.

For more information on woodlot tours, feel free to contact our office at 1-800-871-5680.

Beaverlodge Colquhoun Acres, named after the creek that flows through it, consists of 55 hectares of forest adjacent to Saskatoon Mountain Provincial Park near Beaverlodge. The regenerating forest has been left undisturbed since it was burned 100 years ago. There are three distinct forest types in the woodlot: a dense juvenile aspen forest, a mature aspen forest with scattered mature white spruce and birch, and a poorly drained area containing balsam poplar, aspen, willow and alder. Each forest type is being managed in a different way. The area supports a heavy moose population along with white-tailed and mule deer. A small herd of elk is present in the general area.

Bluesky This forested quarter section is located northeast of Fairview and Bluesky. It contains variously aged stands of white spruce and aspen along with five acres of wetland. Some of these spruces are over 200 years old. There are five km of trail which are primarily use for cross-country skiing. The native berry-producing shrubs in the woodlot are used by local wildlife. The woodlot has been managed by the present owners since 1984.

Breton The woodlot, located a few miles northwest of Breton, consists of a section of forest containing a rich diversity of soil types, plants and wildlife. Tree species include balsam fir, white and black spruce, tamarack, aspen, birch, balsam poplar and lodge pole pine. The woodlot is managed for a wide variety of products and uses. In addition to the growing and harvesting of wood fiber, the woodlot is used for natural history tours, research, camping and hunting.

Deadwood This large woodlot, located near Deadwood, consists mostly of mixed wood boreal forest containing spruce, aspen and some pine and birch. The age of the trees ranges from seedlings to over 140 years. Selective harvesting has encouraged biodiversity. The owners sell logs to mills and sell firewood as well as producing lumber for construction and furniture. A variety of different methods of selective logging have been used on this woodlot including horse logging and small machine logging.  

Edson This quarter section, located southeast of Edson on Highway 32, has several small-scale plantations that enable visitors to view the results-in-progress of a number of different reforestation and site preparation methods. The owners have also established plantations of hybrid poplars, Siberian larch, Scots pine and other exotic species. Several different site preparation methods have been employed, including harrowing to promote natural regeneration of white spruce and plowing to create microsites for planting.

La Corey This quarter section near La Corey (north of Bonnyville) currently has a mixture of vigorous stands and older, mature forest cover. Approximately two-thirds of the woodlot was harvested in 1996. Vigorous coppice regeneration has restocked the clear-cut. Spruce was planted on a portion of the woodlot in 1997 in order to create a mixed wood stand. A test plot was also cleared in 1999 and planted to hybrid poplar in 2000.

Lundbreck Elkhorn Ranch is six sections of forest and cattle grazing land near Lundbreck. The Pharis family had been managing this land for three generations, and has increased its biodiversity over this time. Some of the Douglas fir trees that have been left for seed sources are between 300 and 400 years old. There are also some lodge pole pine that are 100-110 years old and some white spruce that is 80-100 years old. Every year 20-30,000 board feet of lumber are produced. Milling has been carried out on the woodlot since 1963. The ranch is often used by groups such as 4-H as well as for filming educational videos.

Newbrook This woodlot, also known as Alpen Tree Farm, is situated twelve km north of Newbrook and twenty nine km south of Boyle on Highway 63. It is a combination of native forest and tree plantation. White spruce, aspen poplar and mixed spruce-aspen make up the native stands. There are also abandoned crop fields where trees are being allowed to regenerate naturally. Trees from this woodlot have been sold for saw logs, veneer, pulpwood and Christmas and landscaping trees.

Sundre This 300-acre woodlot near Sundre contains a mixture of pine, spruce, aspen, balsam poplar, tamarack, willow and a thick understory of young spruce and aspen. There are also shrubs and herbs throughout. Soil moisture ranges from very moist to dry. Some of the mature pine, spruce and aspen were harvested in 1992. Three-four acres of black spruce were harvested in 1996 for corral railings and firewood. Peat moss was also harvested to enlarge a spring-fed pond. Harvesting is now done annually.

Whitecourt The Krummbrook Tree Farms woodlot consists of 75 acres of mostly forested land apfproximately ten miles south of Whitecourt. There are several different types of stands in this woodlot. The most predominant is lodge pole pine overstory with white spruce understory. Transplant and Christmas trees are produced as well as hardwood and softwood lumber for personal use and sale. Sheep raised on the farm are grazed in the white spruce Christmas tree plantation to control vegetation around the trees without use of herbicides or cultivation.