Drought Watch 2024: Forests and Drought Management in Alberta

21 Mar Drought Watch 2024: Forests and Drought Management in Alberta

Drought Watch 2024: Forests and Drought Management in Alberta

Alberta is currently experiencing severe drought conditions.  Drought can have a negative impact on forest health, dynamics, abundance and distribution of tree species.[i] On the other hand, a healthy forest contributes to a healthy watershed in many ways including by capturing precipitation, moderating snowmelt rates, and reducing soil erosion.[ii]

Effective forest management is needed to maintain healthy forests which in turn support healthy watersheds.  The forest management focus in Alberta should shift from ensuring a sustainable source of timber to ecosystem-based management of forest values. Ecosystem-based management includes consideration of the impacts of climate change, including drought events, on forest ecosystems.

In February, we began our series of blog posts on how the protection of our wetlands, forests, and grasslands may be a solution to help prevent even worse drought conditions in the future. In celebration of International Day of Forests on March 21st, we are looking at the role of forest management in drought resilience.

Current Drought Conditions

You may recall from our February blog post (or have otherwise heard the news) that there are severe ongoing drought conditions in Alberta. Alberta is currently in stage 4 (of 5) in its water shortage management response plan. Stage 4 is defined as a large-scale water shortage.[iii] The next, and final, step is the declaration of an emergency.[iv]

There are currently 51 water shortage advisories in place, in some cases requiring communities in southwest Alberta to rely on water trucks to get access to water that would normally come from the Oldman Reservoir.[v]  Currently, there are well below normal water levels in several southern reservoirs, low winter river levels, and below average snowpacks leading to a below average water supply outlooks in Alberta’s river basins.[vi]

Minister Schulz (Minister of Environment and Protected Areas) has announced that the Drought Command Team will begin negotiating water sharing agreements for the Red Deer River, Bow River and Old Man River basins in anticipation of even worse conditions.[vii] The government has also requested that water license-holders move to a digital system to assist in tracking water use and availability,[viii] and has established a drought and flood protection program with the most recent provincial budget (to protect critical infrastructure from flooding and drought).[ix]

In addition to 2024 being a year of major water concerns, all indications are that this is going to be a significant year for wildfires in the province as well.  The government of Alberta has announced an early start to wildfire season in the province due to warm and dry conditions.[x]  In addition, the most recent provincial budget allocates $151 million for new wildlife preparedness, prevention, response and mitigation technologies.[xi] This winter, due to drought conditions, there are an increased number of winter wildfires including carry-over fires (which started last year, are still smouldering and ready to ignite with the snow melt).[xii]

Forests in Alberta

In Alberta, the majority of forested lands are owned by the provincial government.  Most of Alberta’s forests are boreal forest located in the northern part of the province with a strip of subalpine and foothills forest running along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.[xiii]  Forest preserve soils, cycle nutrients, support biodiversity, filter air and water pollutants, reduce surface and air temperature, and play a key role in the carbon cycle.[xiv]

From an administration perspective, the province of Alberta is divided into two main areas: the White Area and the Green Area.  The White Area consists of the settled portions of the province (central, southern and Peace River areas) whereas the Green Area consists of the forested portion of the province.[xv]  The forested areas are further sub-divided into forest management units (FMUs) for timber management purposes.

In Alberta, forests are typically managed with a view to maintaining a sustainable supply of timber under a principle called sustainable forest management.  The primary piece of legislation regulating the forestry industry is the Forests Act.[xvi]  Under the Forests Act, harvesting timber on public lands requires a dispostion (i.e. forest management agreements (FMAs), timber licences, timber permits and timber quotas).  FMAs are the most significant timber disposition, enabling a person to “enter on forest land for the purpose of establishing, growing and harvesting timber in a manner designed to provide a yield consistent with sustainable forest management principles and practices”.[xvii]  Essentially, an FMA-holder is granted ownership over all the timber in the FMA area (whether standing or harvested) and is responsible for management of the area.  It should be noted that there may be other timber disposition holders within the FMA area, as well as other rights holders (such as oil and gas operators).

While the Forests Act is the primary piece of legislation applicable in forests, other legislation applies.  This includes the Alberta Land Stewardship Act, the Water Act, the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, the Wildlife Act, and various pieces of natural resource development legislation.[xviii]  These pieces of legislation – along with numerous regulations, policies and guidelines under the Forests Act – impact on the regulation of forestry operations and management of forests in Alberta.

It should be noted that some of Alberta’s forested areas are found in protected areas under the Provincial Parks Act, the Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act, or the federal National Parks Act.[xix]  These pieces of legislation offer various degrees of protection to designated landscapes (which may include forests).  Depending upon the type of protected area designation, there may be forest management with a primary focus on ecological protection to very little protection (even allowing industrial activity and forestry operations).

Forests and Drought

Forests may be impacted by drought in several ways including declining growth rates, increased severity and frequency of fire, increased risk of pest infestations, altered biogeochemical (nutrient) cycling, and increased prevalence of early successional species which may lead to widespread forest-type conversions.[xx] Overall, forest health, dynamics, abundance and distribution of tree species can be impacted by drought (the effects which will be exacerbated by increased heat associated with climate change).[xxi]

There is evidence that forests with greater diversity in tree species have greater drought resistance.[xxii]  As such, restoring species diversity is a possible way to mitigate the impact of extreme droughts (although it is noted that the effect of species diversity is less strong in boreal forests).[xxiii] This means that timber harvesting and reforestation requirements to increase species diversity (as opposed to replacing forests with same-age monocultures) may be useful in mitigating the impacts of drought.  Similarly, protection and management of existing forests will improve species diversity (i.e. ensure some forests are not subject to timber harvesting).

It should be noted that forests are not comprised solely of treed areas.  Wetlands are also common in Alberta’s forests, covering almost 29% of forested lands.[xxiv] Wetlands which, if protected and maintained, can alleviate the impacts of drought.  Because wetlands have high capacity to store water, they help regulate hydrological processes and increase river basin resilience to drought.[xxv]  Unfortunately, there has been a significant loss and alteration in wetlands (as well as deforestation) in Alberta.[xxvi]

Fig. Loss, gain, and difference between loss and gain values of each class in Alberta over the past four decades. The numbers indicate the difference values.

Source: Melisma Amani et al., “Wetland Change Analysis in Alberta, Canada Using Four Decades of Landsat Imagery” (2021) 14 IEEE J. Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observation and Remote Sensing 10314, DOI: 10.1109/JSTARS.2021.3110460.

A shift in forest management focus from merely ensuring a sustainable timber supply to ecosystem-based management would include consideration of wetlands as part of the forest ecosystem.  While current operating ground rules (which govern day-to-day timber operations) recognize the importance of wetlands and recommend the avoidance of wetlands, avoidance is not a requirement and it is accepted that avoidance will not always happen.[xxvii] The Forests Act, its regulations, guidelines and policies, as well as forest management plans and operating ground rules should reflect ecosystem-based management principles.

It is well known that forests (and their wetlands) are carbon sinks which can mitigate climate change impacts by affecting atmospheric greenhouse gas levels. But at the same time, forests are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change including drought.  As such, forest management practices should be designed to include vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning to address climate change impacts.[xxviii]

Healthy forests support healthy watersheds.[xxix]  This is because trees capture precipitation, create shade to moderate snowmelt rates, reduce soil erosion, increase the infiltration capacity of soils, and transpire (remove water from soil and release it into the air).[xxx]  There is even some evidence that increased forest cover leads to increased precipitation (although, like tree species diversity and drought resistance, this effect may be less strong in boreal forests).[xxxi]  Effective forest management is needed to maintain healthy forests which in turn support healthy watersheds.

The ELC recommends that the management focus in Alberta shift from ensuring a sustainable source of timber to ecosystem-based management of forest values: a shift from regulating forestry to managing forests.  Ecosystem-based management includes consideration of the impacts of climate change, including drought events, on forest ecosystems.

Photo by Dmitry Bukhantsov on Unsplash

[i]  James M. Vose et al,, Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis, Gene. Tech. Report WO-93b (Washington, DC: 2016, United States Department of Agriculture).

[ii]  Government of Alberta, Forests and Water (Edmonton: 2012, Government of Alberta).

[iii] Government of Alberta, “Water Shortage Management Stages” (Aug 2023) Fact Sheet online: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/fa34c6e0-14e2-4eb4-b553-8c6e13bf122a/resource/488e9eef-0c58-4527-91c7-1be7680368f5/download/epa-water-shortage-management-stages-2023-08.pdf; Government of Alberta, “Drought – current conditions” online: https://www.alberta.ca/drought-current-conditions.

[iv] Government of Alberta, “Water Shortage Management Stages” (Aug 2023) Fact Sheet online: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/fa34c6e0-14e2-4eb4-b553-8c6e13bf122a/resource/488e9eef-0c58-4527-91c7-1be7680368f5/download/epa-water-shortage-management-stages-2023-08.pdf.

[v] Jason Markusoff, “A societal issue: Drought-plagued Alberta braces for even worse conditions” (1 Feb 2024) CBC News online: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/drought-alberta-rebecca-schulz-pincher-creek-1.7101179.

[vi] Government of Alberta, “Drought – Current Conditions” online: https://www.alberta.ca/drought-current-conditions.

[vii] Government of Alberta, “Alberta River Basins Map” online: https://rivers.alberta.ca/; Government of Alberta, “Water-sharing negotiations start on Feb. 1” (31 Jan 2024) News Release online: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=89676C2D28FE9-E839-18D3-DB74EE219C47A707.

[viii] Government of Alberta, “Digital water licenses speed up drought response” (March 7, 2024) online: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=89878FEA6A4B8-CDD5-DF72-773DE01CD5DCD601.

[ix] Government of Alberta, “Protecting Albertans from drought and floods” (March 4, 2024) online: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=8985066752D14-D5A7-04BD-6E093981EB72FF04.

[x] Government of Alberta, “Province at the ready for 2024 wildfire season” (February 20, 2024) online: https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=89769D0F4EE6C-E054-7BF8-96A3A2367916CECB.

[xi] Government of Alberta, “Taking wildfire operations to new heights” (March 1, 2024) online:  https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=89840CEC1B47D-D22E-1B3C-4A67318D438D2725.

[xii] Aaron Sousa, “Alberta has dozens of wildfires still burning this winter. Here’s why” (February 8, 2024) CBA News online:  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/how-alberta-wildfire-responds-to-increased-winter-fires-1.7108499.  See also the Alberta Wildfire Status Dashboard online: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/3ffcc2d0ef3e4e0999b0cf8b636defa3.

[xiii] Alberta Wilderness Association Website online:  https://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildlands/forests/.

[xiv] Natural Resources Canada, The State of Canada’s Forests, Annual Report 2022 (Ottawa: 2022, Government of Canada) online: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/sites/nrcan/files/forest/sof2022/SoF_Annual2022_EN_access.pdf.

[xv] Sustainable Forest Management: 2015 Facts & Statistics (Edmonton: 2017, Government of Alberta).

[xvi]  Forests Act, RSA 2000, c. F-22.

[xvii] Forests Act, s. 16.

[xviii] Alberta Land Stewardship Act, SA 2009, c. A-26.8; the Water Act, RSA 2000, c. W-3; the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, RSA 2000, c. E-12; and the Wildlife Act, RSA 2000, c. W-10.

[xix] Provincial Parks Act, RSA 2000, c. P-35 ; the Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act, RSA 2000, c. W-9; and the federal National Parks Act, SC 2000, c. 32.

[xx] James M. Vose et al,, Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis, Gene. Tech. Report WO-93b (Washington, DC: 2016, United States Department of Agriculture).

[xxi]  James M. Vose et al,, Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis, Gene. Tech. Report WO-93b (Washington, DC: 2016, United States Department of Agriculture).

[xxii] Dan Liu et al., “Drought resistance enhanced by tree species diversity in global forests” (2023) Nature Geoscience, DOI:10.1038/s41561-022-01026-w and M. Pardos et al., “The greater resilience of mixed forests to drought mainly depends on their composition: Analysis along a climate gradient across Europe” (2021) 482 Forest Ecology and Management 118687.

[xxiii] Dan Liu et al., “Drought resistance enhanced by tree species diversity in global forests” (2023) Nature Geoscience, DOI:10.1038/s41561-022-01026-w.

[xxiv] Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, Wetlands Atlas of Alberta, Version 1.2.1 (2024) online: https://wetland-report.abmi.ca/atlas-home/2.0-Alberta-Wetlands/2.2-Wetlands-Boreal-Region.html#:~:text=Highlights,%2C%20and%20marsh%20(0.8%25).

[xxv] Yancheng Wu et al., “Wetland mitigation functions on hydrological droughts: From drought characteristics to propagation of meteorological droughts to hydrological droughts” (2023) 617B J. Hydrology, DOI: 10.1016/j.hydrol.2022.128971.

[xxvi] Melisma Amani et al., “Wetland Change Analysis in Alberta, Canada Using Four Decades of Landsat Imagery” (2021) 14 IEEE J. Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observation and Remote Sensing 10314, DOI: 10.1109/JSTARS.2021.3110460.

[xxvii]  Government of Alberta, Alberta timber harvest planning and operating ground rules (Edmonton: 2023, Government of Alberta) at section 2.17.

[xxviii] M.H. Johnston and J.E. Edwards, Adapting sustainable forest management to climate change: an analysis of Canadian Case studies (Ottawa: 2013, Canadian Council of Forest Ministers).

[xxix] Government of Alberta, Forests and Water (Edmonton: 2012, Government of Alberta).

[xxx]  Government of Alberta, Forests and Water (Edmonton: 2012, Government of Alberta).

[xxxi] John C. O’Connor et al., “Forests buffer against variations in precipitation” (2021) 27(19) Global Change Biology 4686, DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15763 and Ronny Meier et al., “Empirical Estimate of Forestation Induced Precipitation Changes in Europe” (2021) Nature Geoscience 14, DOI: 10.1038/s41561-021-00773-6.