Maple creek company fined for illegally importing Alberta pine logs

A Maple Creek firewood, logging and sawmill company has been ordered to pay nearly $10,000 after illegally importing pine logs from Alberta.

According to Saskatchewan’s environment ministry, the investigation started with a call to the provincial Turn in Poachers and Polluters (TIPP) line, which indicated that Landrider Trux Ltd. was bringing pine logs from Sundre, Alta. to its property near Maple Creek, in southwestern Saskatchewan.

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“In May 2023, a conservation officer visited the business, arriving just after a truck containing logs had been unloaded,” the ministry explained in a statement.

“The officer identified and seized two piles of logs on the property. Further investigation by the Ministry of Environment’s Forest Service Branch confirmed the wood’s origin. The wood was eventually sorted and the pine logs with bark were burned.”

The company was fined $9,700 as a result.

The order restricting the movement of pine logs has been in place since 2008, in order to help control the spread of mountain pine beetles.

“The mountain pine beetle has killed large swaths of forest in B.C. and Alberta, and is also established in the Cypress Hills area, putting all of Saskatchewan’s pine forests at significant risk,” the ministry noted.

“The order prohibits the import of pine logs with bark into Saskatchewan from BC, Alberta and the U.S., and their movement out of the Cypress Hills area into other areas of province.”

The harmful insects are monitored closely by the ministry, which noted that to date, no mountain pine beetles have been found in Saskatchewan’s northern forests.

Anyone who suspects environmental, wildlife or fisheries violations was encouraged to call the TIPP line at 1-800-667-7561 or make a report online.

“You may be eligible for cash rewards from the SaskTIP Reward Program and don’t have to give your name,” the ministry said.