The Forest Management Agreement (FMA) area that Hinton Forest Resources manages has been in existence since 1951, making it the oldest FMA in Alberta. The Hinton FMA was unprecedented in many respects. It marked the first binding commitment of its kind by a major Canadian forest industry to sustained yield forest management. It established a unique co-operative relationship between government and industry for sharing costs and responsibilities. And it allowed scientists to apply their knowledge on a large scale. Forging the arrangement, and putting it into practise, required much good will, commitment, hard work and creativity. The following is a summary of key milestones accomplished since the inception of the FMA in 1951:

1951 North Western Pulp & Power signs first Forest Management Agreement in Alberta 1956 Harvesting and reforestation begin 1957 First bales of Hinton Hi Brite Pulp shipped 1960 First detailed Forest Management Plan developed 1961 First seedling planted 1965 Alberta's first forest industry greenhouse built 1972 50 million board foot stud mill constructed 1973 First development of Company hiking trails: Wild Sculpture Trail 1978 North Western Pulp & Power becomes St.Regis (Alberta) Ltd. 1981 New greenhouse built 1985 Operation sold to Champion International Corporation. Champion Forest Products (Alberta) Ltd. established. 1988 Weldwood of Canada buys the Hinton site. New Forest Management Agreement signed. Weldwood hires Alberta's first forest industry biologist. 1990 Pulpmill expansion completed; production doubled 1991 50 millionth seedling planted 1992 Foothills Model Forest granted to Hinton (Joint proposal by Weldwood/Forest Technology School/Provincial Government) 1993 HI-ATHA Sawmill opens to produce 220 million board feet/year Hinton Pulp stops using elemental chlorine 1995 Jasper National Park joins the Foothills Model Forest 1996 Hinton Forest Resources achieves ForestCare certification 1997 Willmore Wilderness Park joins FMF. Weldwood achieves ForestCare Certification. 40th Anniversary 1999 100 millionth seedling planted 100th Anniversary of Canadian Forestry Service (Dominion Forest Service) 2000 Hinton Forest Resources certified Environmental Management System to ISO 14001. Hinton Forest Resources certified FMA to CSA Sustainable Forest Management Standard - CAN/CSA Z809.

• 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.

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Please visit their Website for more information on this and other areas of Weldwood

Hinton Forest Resources