Sustainability

Operating out of the heart of beautiful British Columbia, we know how essential our forests are for the continued health and well-being of our communities. That is why we take pride in balancing our business practices with our continued commitment to a productive and sustainable future.

Most of our timber is sourced from the Merritt and Lillooet Timber Supply Areas (TSAs) with additional operations in the Kamloops, Okanagan and Fraser TSAs. These areas are home to rich, bio-diverse ecosystems that we protect and conserve through our Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). We empower our employees and contractors to meet our commitment to maintaining SFM goals in all our operations and therefore maintain a thriving environment and community.

First Nations

For over twenty-five years, we have been working closely with First Nations’ bands in Merritt, Chase, Kamloops, and Lillooet to develop Cooperative Forest Management Agreements that not only protect the land we work on but support the communities we work in. We strongly encourage the mentoring and involvement of First Nations communities in all phases of our operations, whether it is planning, harvesting, road development and maintenance, silviculture, post-harvesting activities or mill production operations such as lumber, veneer, sheathing and Pourform.

We are a strong advocate and member of the Nicola Similkameen Innovative Forestry Society, which exemplifies cooperative First Nations management in the forest industry.

We have also developed successful forest management partnerships with Stuwix Resources Joint Venture Ltd. that includes planning, silviculture, harvest, and road building programs.

Our Coldwater Post and Rail facility, located on the Coldwater Indian Band reserve just south of Merritt, employs almost exclusively local First Nations Band members.

Health and Safety

Producing the highest quality lumber is made possible by our highly-trained and competent work force. Just as we strive to protect our land base, we are committed to promoting a culture of safety and respect at all levels of our business.

Please visit our Resources page to learn more about our commitment to the health and safety of our workers.

Environmental Policy

With our commitment to a sustainable practices now and in the future, we strive to:

  • Prevent pollution
  • Comply with all current laws, regulations and commitments
  • Honour international agreements and conventions to which Canada is a signatory
  • Recognize and respect Aboriginal rights as they may affect our Woodlands operations
  • Provide safeguards to the health and safety of our employees, contractors, and the public through responsible management of our Woodlands
  • Implement advances in SFM science and technology as they occur
  • Continually improve on our SFM and environmental performance
  • Provide the pubic, including Aboriginal communities, with the opportunity to participate in SFM within the defined forest area
  • Review and amend our SFM and environmental objectives and targets with the Public Advisory Group

Forest Certifications

Aspen and the AP Group of Companies encourage public participation and involvement in our Certifications Programs. Our Public Advisory Group (PAG) welcomes new individuals who would be interested in attending and joining.

We are currently operating a Forest Management System which complies with the requirements of CAN/CSA-Z809-2008. This includes Forest Management activities of planning, harvesting transportation and silviculture on the Nicola Thompson defined forest areas.

British Columbia Ministry of Forests and Range Innovative Forestry Practices Agreements

As part of our ongoing commitment to Sustainable Forest Management, we are proudly certified by the following:

In 2000, we collaborated with other licencees, local public groups and First Nation representatives (the SFM Advisory Group) to develop SFM Plans for the Merritt and Kamloops areas. In 2004, we underwent a similar process for the Lillooet TSA. This collection of local public groups and First Nations represented a broad cross-section of the many local interests in the areas, such as recreation, ranching, forestry, water, and education.

Our current SFM Plan, Nicola Thompson Fraser, combines the three SFM Plans into one large area plan with involvement from forest licencees, First Nations and public members from the broader area.

Our SFM Plan as outlined in the current Nicola Thompson Fraser Sustainable Forest Management Plan Document:

The SFM Plan includes a set of values, objectives, indicators and targets that address environmental, economic and social aspects of forest management in the Nicola Thompson Fraser area. The Plan is based on the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Sustainable Forest Management Requirements and Guidance, which is one of the primary certification systems currently being used in British Columbia. An SFM Plan developed according to the CSA standard sets performance objectives and targets over a defined forest area to reflect local and regional interests. Consistent with most certifications, and as a minimum starting point, the CSA standard requires compliance with existing forest policies, laws and regulations. This SFM Plan has undergone substantive revisions with both the merging of SFM Plans and the rewriting of the CSA SFM Standard (Z809-08). Changes to this plan reflect the 2008 standard requirements and the public meetings held to implement these changes.

Irrespective of changes occurring to the CSA SFM Standard, the SFM Plan is an evolving document that is reviewed and revised on an annual basis with the SFM Advisory Group to address changes in forest conditions and local community values. All participating forest licencees are committed to the achievement of the SFM Plan. Each year the SFM Advisory Group reviews an annual report prepared by the licencees to assess achievement of performance measures. This monitoring process provides the licencees, public and First Nations an opportunity to bring forward new information, and to provide input concerning new or changing public values that can be incorporated into future updates of the SFM Plan.

The Nicola Thompson Fraser Sustainable Forest Management Plan, annual reporting and other relevant information can be obtained at Nicola Thompson Fraser Certification website. Licensees encourage public participation in the public advisory process – for more information visit:

Thompson Okanagan Sustainable Forestry

The Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification

Many of our customers want to know that the products they buy are sourced from legal and sustainably managed forests. With the PEFC Chain of Custody certification, our customers are provided with third-party verified assurance.

The Chain of Custody is the documented process and procedure which tracks logs from the geographic location where they originated to the company scales and log yard to the milling processes and to their final destination with Aspen Planers customers. By tracking where our lumber originates, we can determine which logs are certifiable under the CSA SFM sources and which are deemed uncertifiable (companies not certified to SFM standards, private land and woodlots). By tracking our log deliveries, we can provide our customers with an accurate percentage of certified wood products.

Aspen Planers Ltd. Sustainable Forest Management and Environmental Policy

Aspen Planers Ltd. PEFC Certificate of Registration

Aspen Planers Ltd. CAN/CSA Certificate of Registration

Forest Stewardship Plan Amendment

NOTICE – Ainsworth Engineered Canada LP in the Kamloops Forest District intends to submit an amendment to their Forest Stewardship Plan (FSP) ID# 295. It will add non-replaceable forest licence A88772 held by Aspen Planers Ltd.

This plan is a requirement of the Forest and Range Practices Act. The FSP outlines the results or strategies that the holders of the plan intend to implement in order to meet the objectives set by the government along with other legal requirements including its area of application. This amendment to the FSP is publicly available for review and for written comment for 15 days. Those wishing to review this plan may do so by visiting our website, or by contacting Trevor Ball, RPF – Operations Forester at Aspen Planers Ltd at 250-378-9266 or in writing at Box 160, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 or faxed to (250) 315-4239.

This FSP amendment will be submitted for approval no sooner than March 20, 2013, fifteen days after this notice was published. While comments are encouraged to be within this 15-day time frame, discussions are welcome throughout the year.

Ainsworth Engineered Canada LP – Kamloops FSP – Feb 27, 2013