Millar Western, forest sector and Ducks Unlimited renew wetlands partnership
On September 23, in conjunction with the start of National Forest Week, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) announced that the Forest Management Wetland Stewardship Initiative (FMWSI) would be renewed for a second three-year term. FMWSI is a unique partnership between DUC and Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Canfor, the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), Millar Western Forest 
Products Ltd., Tolko Industries Ltd., West Fraser, and Weyerhaeuser Company. The initiative grew out of a shared desire among partners to pool resources and tools, to advance wetland stewardship in the working forests of Canada’s boreal region.
In its first term, FMWSI focused on addressing knowledge gaps in the industry by developing guiding principles and best management practices for forest practitioners operating in or near wetlands. Now complete, these resources are available for free download or purchase from the DUC website. The second term will build on the accomplishments of the first, with a greater emphasis on knowledge transfer.
Millar Western’s Chief Forester Bob Mason joined other FMWSI partners to celebrate the accomplishments of the first term and develop a work plan for the second. Said Bob, “We are working with DUC to review operational procedures to ensure consistency with wetlands best practices and to provide wetlands training to our Woodlands team. There is no doubt that FMWSI is making a positive difference in our understanding of how we can better operate in and around wetlands.”