Modern forest management and a sustainable forest industry finally arrived in Alberta in the early 1950s. Frank Ruben, a Calgary business-man with interests in the Coal Branch, incorporated North Western Pulp & Power Limited in 1951 and approached the Alberta Government, acquiring timber rights near Edson for a pulp mill.

In 1954, Ruben encouraged St. Regis Paper Company under its President Bill Adams to partner in the venture. A final Forest Management Agreement (FMA) was signed, centering the operation near Hinton. Eric Huestis, then Director of Forestry for the Province, negotiated an Agreement which for the first time put the full responsibility for proper forest management on the shoulders of industry Desmond I. Crossley, Chief Forester for North Western Pulp & Power. In return, NWP&P was given a secure, renewable tenure on the forest estate.

Two visionary foresters - Des Crossley of NWP&P and Reg Loomis of the Alberta Forest Service were given the task of refining the details of the Agreement and making it work in practise on the 800,000 hectare FMA. The right people, in the right place, at the right time made it work in letter and spirit, guiding Alberta into an era of enlightened forest husbandry.

• History of Weldwood's Hinton Division Overview
• The Beginning- A discussion on the start up of operations in the Hinton area and the men who started it all.
• Some of the Pioneers- The forestry people were some of the first hired. This section talks about the early pioneers, and contains numerous photos.
• Early Forest Management- An explanation of forest management in the early years with some interesting photographs of early transportation methods including Volkswagen "Bugs" and Tote-Goats.
• Logging: Camps to Commuting- This section discusses the transition from men working out of logging camps to the time when housing and roads improved and loggers began to live in the community and commute to work.
• Logging: Horses to Horsepower- In 1967 the Company changed from primarily a horse logging operation to one using diesel engine powered skidders.
• Early Forest Renewal- A look at early forest renewal including the first forest industry greenhouse in 1965

Hinton Web Design would like to thank Aaron Jones at  Weldwood & Hinton Forest Resources for the use of this information
Please visit their Website for more information on this and other areas of Weldwood

Hinton Forest Resources