Conservation and Biodiversity

As a company operating in the natural resources sector, Resolute Forest Products has an impact on the natural landscape through our harvesting, site preparation and tree planting operations.

Protecting, Managing and Renewing the Forest

All of the initiatives and actions we undertake build upon our core commitment to protect, manage and renew the forest through responsible management. Resolute recognizes that it is possible to harvest trees carefully while maintaining biodiversity and upholding the forest values we all respect.

Some examples of our initiatives include:

  • Actively protecting biodiversity and species at risk by identifying and maintaining a proportion of over-mature stands in the forests we manage
  • Participating in woodland caribou research and recovery plans, and fostering forest health, including regeneration after harvest
  • Protecting watersheds, water resources, and the fish and wildlife that depend on them
  • Partnering in government and private sector research to improve forest management

Biodiversity Conservation and Monitoring

In the Canadian provinces where the vast majority of woodlands managed by Resolute are located, biodiversity is typically monitored by the provincial agencies responsible for wildlife policies and wildlife management.

Protection of forest biodiversity is an important aspect of all internationally recognized forest management certification standards and a key component of the 25-year forest management plans that forestry companies must develop in association with government and the public. These plans ensure that specific objectives and monitoring processes are prepared and are in place for all woodlands operations. Annual surveillance audit reports for each of our woodlands operations are available on the certification standards’ websites. The audit reports contain detailed information on the biodiversity value of each area and our forest management practices.

In addition to these forest management plans, Resolute has adopted strategies to safeguard biodiversity. They include identification of protected areas, implementation of selected management practices (such as partial or progressive cuts, retention of trees for nesting, buffering around eagle nests and leaving riparian green belts), and natural and planted forest regeneration.

In coordination with the provincial governments, Resolute also seeks to identify critical habitat areas for species of interest, such as the woodland caribou. Our goal is to ensure that our forest management plans protect such areas and minimize disturbance to the populations in question. For more information about how Resolute manages biodiversity conservation, visit our Protected Areas page.

Canadian forest products companies operate in a highly regulated environment with active enforcement by the federal, provincial and local governments. A Yale University study and a comparative study by Finland’s Indufor Oy have cited Canada’s forestry regulatory environment as one of the most stringent in the world.

Resolute’s Boreal Forest webpage has additional information on Canada’s strong environmental record and robust regulatory controls.