As construction is underway on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, right-of-way preparation activities need to take place that include removing trees and vegetation.
Trans Mountain has a comprehensive forestry team that oversees the clearing activities and ensures these activities are executed safely, efficiently, effectively and in compliance with all applicable regulations. All merchantable timber is managed by a professional timber broker who works on behalf of Trans Mountain. Trans Mountain’s forestry team and broker work together to ensure all merchantable timber is salvaged and used.
Timber that is not merchantable is disposed of in several ways. Where possible, non-merchantable timber can be chipped on-site and used for reclamation purposes such as soil amendment or erosion control. In many areas, non-merchantable timber such as juvenile trees, dead trees and waste wood (i.e. branches, stumps, tree limbs and shrubs) will be burned in a controlled environment.
Controlled burning is a common practice that is used in the forest industry, and in some cases is required to mitigate against the potential for forest pest infestations and reduce wildfire risk. Trans Mountain uses controlled burns to help facilitate the construction of our Expansion Project.Controlled burning is defined as a fire that is intentionally planned and controlled by fire specialists and forestry professionals that have experience with managing controlled burns. These specialists consider the weather, vegetation type, terrain and fire behaviour to ensure the safety of the public and the environment. Light smoke and open flames may be visible during controlled burns. While smoke is unavoidable, fire specialists go to great efforts to reduce the volume of smoke that is created.
Trans Mountain is committed to abide by all provincial and federal regulation, as well as follow industry best management practices, as they relate to forest stewardship and environmental protection. Our goal is to have as little impact as possible and, where we do have an impact, inform the communities in which we work, mitigate that impact to the extent possible and ensure that we return the land to an acceptable functioning condition.