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Alberta timber harvesting earns world-class stamp of approval

Alberta’s program for monitoring how well industry complies with timber harvesting and reforestation regulations an…

Alberta’s program for monitoring how well industry complies with timber harvesting and reforestation regulations and policies has been certified as meeting world-class standards for quality management.
The ISO 9001 certification was awarded May 4 for the province’s Forest Operations Monitoring Program (FOMP), following nearly two years of development. Alberta is the only province to have such a monitoring program accredited under ISO 9001 standards.

“We earned the certification by meeting the highest international standards for quality management and control, and we lead the country in taking this step,” said Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) Minister Ted Morton. “Albertans can be proud that our industry monitoring system is now recognized as being among the best in the world — it reassures us that our forest companies are meeting stringent reforestation requirements.”

The FOMP program provides a standard procedure to monitor industry compliance with the province’s Timber Management Regulations, policy directives, and operating rules. The program examines whether activities occurred as approved, whether they followed established operating ground rules and regulations, and that they were accurately reported to SRD.

SRD’s 100 monitoring officers routinely undertake approximately 3500 inspections a year. ISO 9001 certification ensures these inspections are conducted and documented using the same principles and processes. ISO certification also requires meeting rigorous protocols for standardized staff training and consistent application, interpretation and enforcement of rules.