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Part of Sustainable forest management

Forest management – Compliance and enforcement

The Alberta government conducts industry audits and inspections to ensure regulations are being followed.

Compliance and Enforcement Action

Essential to sustainable forest management is ensuring forestry-related regulations and policy directives are followed. The Alberta Government monitors compliance by conducting planned and random audits of forest operations and timber production and by conducting field inspections. There is also self-reporting by forest companies and individuals. Good management of Crown land by all forest users depends on these activities.

If a company or individual is found to be non-compliant, the Alberta Government will take compliance and enforcement action. This may include:

  • assessing penalties
  • follow-up action plans and corrective actions
  • seizing timber
  • suspending or cancelling timber harvest rights or dispositions

Enforcement and Penalties

Violations or contraventions of the legislation may be found during audits and inspections and through forest company self-reporting. Contraventions require further investigation. If a violation is confirmed, the forest company or individual is required to fix the problem. Appropriate fines or penalties, established under legislation, may also be assessed for these contraventions.

Section 65 of the Forests Act and Section 59.9 of the Public Lands Act require the Minister to disclose:

  • the name of the person or company who has broken the law or specific conditions
  • the municipality in which the person resides or the company is located
  • a description of the contravention
  • the amount of the penalty

For more information on this legislation, see:

Also visit Open Government at:

Contraventions for the Past Five Years

To meet these legislated requirements, the Department publishes all contraventions assessed in the last five years. In all cases appearing below, the respondents have been notified of the penalty assessments and invoiced accordingly.