Interview with Jason Krips, President and CEO of the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA)

26 Jun Interview with Jason Krips, President and CEO of the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA)

What makes Alberta’s forests such an important asset for the province’s economy?

In Alberta, we take great pride in managing our forests for future generations. Few industries can truly say they plan on a 200-year horizon and that long-term approach allows us to remain deeply rooted in communities across the province. Today, the forestry sector is active in around 70 communities, primarily in northern Alberta. We work closely with the provincial government to develop long-term forest management plans that balance a wide range of priorities, including healthy watercourses, wildlife habitat, recreation, Indigenous values, climate adaptation and wildfire mitigation. The sector supports approximately 30,000 direct and indirect jobs across Alberta. It is a substantive industry that continues to create value for both our economy and our communities.

How would you describe AFPA’s role today in supporting Alberta’s forest sector?

As AFPA approaches more than 80 years of history, I would group our legacy into three key areas.

First, the major roles we play for our members. We play a big role in health and safety by providing and supporting training, setting standards and as a certifying partner. Lumber grading is also a role that has been part of our association since the beginning. AFPA remains the primary lumber grading certification agency in Alberta. We train and certify new graders in the sector and we are responsible for ensuring that all AFPA stamped lumber is up to grade. Lastly, we are conveners. We bring together industry, governments, academia and communities together at events like our annual conference to strike meaningful discussion and drive the industry forward.. We help lead conversations about the importance of forestry to both the economy and the environment and the role it plays within the broader ecosystem.

For the public, we focus on building education and awareness of forestry. One initiative we are especially proud of is the Love Alberta Forests platform, which has been running for seven years. It highlights the benefits of forestry for all Albertans and we have seen public perception improve over that time. The platform also features a virtual reality tour narrated by Edmonton-born actor Nathan Fillion, who coincidentally started his career filming another forestry education video for a local youth education program. The Love AB Forests virtual forest tour experience takes viewers through the early, middle and mature stages of a forest, explaining the importance of each phase within the broader ecosystem and the different plants and wildlife habitats they support.

We also engage directly with students through our Work Wild program. Our educators visit junior and senior high schools to talk about the importance of forestry and the diversity of career opportunities in the sector. Finally, we play an important role in the global economy. We help open markets and strengthen relationships participating in trade missions across the United States, Asia and Canada, promoting Alberta’s forestry sector and building the relationships that enable our companies to continue growing their markets and sales.

Could you explain how Alberta’s forest management model works in practice and what sets it apart internationally?

Our forest management model is something we are very proud of because it balances environmental, social and economic priorities. Alberta’s forest companies manage their forests on a 200-year horizon. These plans reflect a wide range of forest values and long-term priorities from habitat for wildlife, clean air, healthy watercourses, wildfire mitigation, Indigenous values, recreation and more. Our role is to ensure forests remain healthy and are continually renewed.

Much like farmers actively manage agricultural land to keep it productive and healthy, foresters actively steward forest landscapes to ensure they remain healthy, resilient and productive for generations to come. Alberta is predominantly covered by boreal forest, where trees naturally reach the end of their life cycle between 80 and 120 years. If forests are not actively managed during that period, they become increasingly vulnerable to pests, mountain pine beetle and wildfire. At that point, instead of acting as a carbon sink, they can become a carbon emitter.
Sustainable forest management helps address that challenge. The carbon remains stored in the wood products created from harvested trees, while the forest is regenerated. In Alberta, we grow three trees for every one that is harvested and that new growth is monitored for a minimum of 14 years to ensure it is healthy, diverse and self-sustaining.
Our provincial government is a strong partner in stewarding healthy forests. It is a collaborative system designed to ensure forests are managed responsibly and sustainably, with clear recognition of the value that forestry can play as an economic engine in rural communities, as a strategic tool for mitigating fire risk and an ally in managing healthy forests  over the long term.
What sets Alberta apart internationally is our commitment to independent certification. More than 80% of the forests where Alberta forest companies operate are certified by internationally recognized third-party organizations, including the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and the Forest Stewardship Council. Canada’s level of third-party certification is roughly four times higher than that of most other countries, reflecting the exceptionally high standard of sustainable forest management we maintain.

How is the sector adapting to a more challenging wildfire environment and what role does active forest management play in reducing risk and improving resilience?
Wildfire is becoming one of the defining features for forest areas across North America. Forests are not static landscapes. They are dynamic ecosystems shaped by natural disturbances, regeneration, climate change and human stewardship. As a society, we have become very effective at suppressing fires to protect communities, which is an important achievement. But at the same time, we may have become almost too effective, allowing a significant amount of timber to move beyond its natural life cycle.
Wildfire behavior is driven by three key factors: weather, topography and fuel. While we cannot change the weather or move mountains, we can manage the fuel load within forests. That is where proactive forest management becomes one of the most practical tools for reducing wildfire risk and building more resilient landscapes.
We see sustainable forest management very clearly as a wildfire mitigation tool and this is a perspective that is shared across jurisdictions like Alberta and California. California has experienced significant wildfire impacts in recent years and is also advancing new approaches. We recently saw the establishment of a mass timber coalition by the California government, reinforcing a broader North American shift toward recognizing wood products as part of the solution – supporting housing, climate goals and forest health. Going forward, forestry will play an increasingly important role in helping manage wildfire risk across multiple regions, including Alberta and California.

How is technology changing day-to-day operations in Alberta’s forestry industry?

A phrase we often use is that today’s forestry industry is not your grandparents’ forest sector. Modern forestry combines boots-on-the-ground expertise with advanced technologies like drones, artificial intelligence, LiDAR, satellite imagery. These tools assist with  mapping, monitoring and modeling different forest management strategies that support and enable adaptive forest management. In wildfire response, technology is also very important. The provincial government now uses night-vision-equipped helicopters to improve wildfire suppression and response capabilities. We are also seeing modernization inside mills. For example, lumber grading is now done using artificial intelligence, which continues to improve its ability to determine the appropriate grade of timber for different markets. Sophisticated manufacturing systems open the door to new products and innovations like mass timber and bioenergy generation.

Which global markets are currently most important for Alberta’s forest products and where do you see the strongest demand?

On the sawmilling side, about 50% of the products we produce stays in Canada domestically. Of the remaining 50%, including lumber, wood panels and other products, about 95% goes to the U.S. It is a vital market for us. The remaining 3-5% goes to offshore markets such as Japan, China and Korea, which are also very important. California, in particular, is a major market for Alberta forest products. In 2025 alone, Alberta supplied 273 million square feet of oriented strand board to California for housing, schools and community construction. Housing affordability starts with housing availability and housing availability depends on reliable access to quality building materials. Alberta’s forest products help support the homes, schools and communities that Californians rely on every day.

On the pulp side, about 20% of Alberta’s production stays within Canada. The remaining 80% is exported, with roughly half going to the United States and the other half to markets such as China, Japan and Korea. In California specifically, Alberta supplied around 44,000 tons of pulp, used in products such as tissue, paper towels, medical masks and a range of other pulp-based goods.

What is driving closer cooperation between Alberta and U.S. markets such as California in forestry today?

The history of our partnership goes well beyond economics. Neither jurisdiction is a stranger to the devastating impacts of wildfires and are quick to step in and lend a helping hand. A team of Alberta wildland fighters were deployed as recently as last year to support wildfire response in California. But our wildfire challenges have also shed light on the value of managing forests. Both jurisdictions share a recognition that more sustainable forest management can help mitigate wildfire risk while also creating economic opportunities. I would also point to the recent Mass Timber Coalition announcement as an example of an emerging opportunity for collaboration. We have a major mass timber producer in Alberta that ships both across Canada and into the United States. It uses spruce from northern Alberta to produce high-quality engineered wood products used in stadiums and other large-scale venues.
More broadly, the Canada-U.S. forest products relationship is built on mutual benefit. When Alberta’s forest sector succeeds, it supports jobs, businesses and communities on both sides of the border by supplying the renewable materials needed to build homes, schools and other essential infrastructure. We are also seeing California  recognize that wood products can play a role in addressing housing needs, climate challenges and forest health. This reflects a growing shared understanding of the importance of forest products, including their role in supporting more sustainable forest management and reducing wildfire risk.

As you look to the years ahead, what are AFPA’s priorities and what is your vision for Alberta’s forest industry?

Our vision is for Alberta to be one of the top forest product manufacturing jurisdictions in North America. At AFPA, we represent 28 companies ranging from sawmilling to pulp, paper, wood pellets and everything in between, from large multinational companies to smaller, independently owned operations that are significant in their own right.
Forestry in Alberta is a story about stewardship. It’s about keeping Alberta’s forests healthy, resilient and able to support future generations by creating environmental, social and economic value for the long term. As the voice for sustainable forestry in Alberta, our team works hard every day to provide value to our members, to the sector and to our province. We will continue working hard to create spaces for collaboration and learning, spark action and opportunity, grow public education and awareness and open doors for Alberta’s vibrant forest industry. We might be one of Alberta’s oldest industries, but the best is yet to come.

Why should investors and visitors choose Alberta for both business and investment?

Alberta has a very strong, business-focused government that works closely with industry and stakeholders to attract investment. It maintains low taxes and a stable policy environment, not only for forestry but across other sectors. That kind of stability, combined with a business-friendly approach and a government that also places strong emphasis on the environment, creates a very powerful combination.

For investors, it makes Alberta an attractive place to look at — not only for forestry, but for the province as a whole. We really have a strong “triple bottom line,” where we care about the climate, the economy and people in our communities.