Land Use Forester

Alberta Newsprint Company; Whitecourt; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Alberta Newsprint Company is seeking a Land Use Forester to manage access to forested lands and ensure regulatory compliance. This role involves stakeholder engagement and operational planning within the Woodlands department, primarily office-based with field responsibilities. Candidates should have a degree in Forestry and significant experience in forest operations.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5+ years prior experience in forest operations or land use planning.
• Eligible for Registered Professional Forester (RPF) or Registered Professional Forest Technologist (RPFT) certification.
• Deep understanding of Alberta forest legislation and multi-sector land access issues.

Responsibilities

• Manage access to forested lands and coordinate stakeholder engagement.
• Prepare and submit the Annual Fire Control Plan.
• Update and maintain contractor safety forms and operating guidelines.

Skills

Negotiation

Conflict Resolution

Communication

Organization

Education

Bachelor's degree or diploma in Forestry or related field

Tools

ArcGIS

Microsoft Office

LIMS

ESRI software

Job description

Alberta Newsprint Company (ANC), a joint venture of the Stern Group and West Fraser Timber Company Ltd., is a leading manufacturer of premium paper products. Located in Whitecourt, and operating with a non-unionized workforce, the firm's paper millthe first in Albertaproduces paper of such high quality that it has become the standard by which other paper products manufactured in North America are measured. The company is a successful, well-financed, progressive organization that is regarded as one of the best companies in the paper industry.

ANC is currently hiring for the role of Land Use Forester in our Woodlands department . This role is critical in managing access to forested lands, coordinating stakeholder engagement, ensuring regulatory compliance, and contributing to sustainable land use planning within ANC's Forest Management Agreement (FMA). Reporting to the Operations Superintendent, this role is mostly office based, with occasional field-related responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities of the Land Use Forester

Land Use & Access Management

• Review and assess applications to access FMA and provide consent in accordance with regulatory and stewardship requirements, ensuring minimal operations disruption or conflict.
• Coordinate planned industrial dispositions with other land-based users.
• Support integrated land use initiatives, including access planning, land withdrawals, and stakeholder engagement.
• Manage the salvage wood program and submit required timber returns.
• Submit gravel returns and ensure accurate timber damage compensation.
• Manage disposition acquisition and renewals.
• Lead stream crossing inspection program (FSCP).

Stakeholder & Regulatory Engagement

• Provide support to the Woodlands department with road use and crossing agreements.
• Participate in forest certification audits and contribute to industry and government committees as required.
• Liaise with other forestry companies to support industry benchmarking and knowledge exchange.

Operational Planning & Environmental Monitoring

• Prepare and submit the Annual Fire Control Plan.
• Monitor insect and disease in forest operating areas.
• Lead weeds program in accordance with operational and environmental standards.
• Obtain and renew temporary water diversion licenses.

Safety, Systems & Contractor Oversight

• Update and maintain contractor safety forms, training materials, and operating guidelines in ANC's LMS / SMS.
• Manage daily staff field check-ins.
• Resolve issues with SPOT and Garmin field safety devices.
• Annually update the Woodlands Safety Manual.
• Oversee contractor management related to land and road use activities.
• Develop the annual land use and road use budget; monitor monthly, quarterly, and annual fiscal performance.
• Manage land use correspondence, including the Road Use inbox.
• Ensure timely and accurate processing of invoices.
• Coordinate with the Woodlands Accountant on budget tracking, accruals, and reporting.

Data & Documentation

• Manage and maintain spatial data and records related to land access, encumbrances, and stakeholder activities.
• Ensure alignment with company SOPs and regulatory expectations.
• Complete regular administrative reporting tasks on scheduled basis.

Qualifications of the Land Use Forester :

• Bachelor's degree or diploma in Forestry or related field.
• Eligible for Registered Professional Forester (RPF) or Registered Professional Forest Technologist (RPFT) certification.
• Minimum of 5+ years prior experience in forest operations, land use planning, or other relevant areas.
• Deep understanding of Alberta forest legislation, Crown land use planning, FMA obligations, and multi-sector land access issues.
• Familiarity with integrated resource management and certification systems (SFI, FSC, etc.) would be an asset.
• Proficiency with LIMS, ArcGIS, Microsoft Office, and ESRI software.
• Strong working knowledge of forestry best practices, timber salvage, road construction, and environmental protection.
• Effective communicator with strong negotiation, facilitation, and conflict resolution abilities.
• Highly organized and able to work independently.
• Valid Class 5 Driver's License; comfortable working in remote field environments.

Working Conditions of the Land Use Forester :

• 80% in office, 20% in field.
• Heavily administratively focused role.
• Must have a willingness to perform fieldwork in rugged terrain during adverse weather conditions.
• The Woodlands team follows a 9 / 80 compressed work schedule with every second Friday taken as an earned day off.

Alberta Newsprint Company will only consider those eligible to work in Canada either by citizenship, permanent residency, or valid Canadian work permit.

We thank all those who apply, but only applicants being actively considered for employment will be contacted .

Education Preferred

• Technical / other training or better
• Bachelor's degree or better

Licenses & Certifications Preferred

• RPFT

Create a job alert for this search

Forester • Whitecourt, Alberta (AB), Canada

We Care About Your Privacy

We and our 1 partners store and access personal data, like browsing data or unique identifiers, on your device. Selecting I Accept enables tracking technologies to support the purposes shown under we and our partners process data to provide. Selecting Reject All or withdrawing your consent will disable them. If trackers are disabled, some content and ads you see may not be as relevant to you. You can resurface this menu to change your choices or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the Show Purposes link on the bottom of the webpage [or the floating icon on the bottom-left of the webpage, if applicable]. Your choices will have effect within our Website. For more details, refer to our Privacy Policy.