Sawmills - Water Management

The log and lumber yards surrounding JDI’s sawmill sites cover approximately 100 hectares (244 acres) of land, and are home to various watercourses and wetlands. To protect these waters, we manage the levels of total suspended solids (TTS) through rigorous environmental standards. By settling, filtering, or separating sediment in storm water, we can ensure all pollution is removed before releasing it back into the environment.

With the help of advanced technology, such as hyper-accurate LiDAR technology, we can understand the topography of log and lumber yards and apply rain and snowfall modeling to design infrastructure that minimizes Total Suspended Solids (TSS). After years of sampling showing high TSS levels at our sawmill in Ashland, Maine, an effort to prevent sediments from leaving the site has been introduced with the help of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Irving Forest Products, and Haley Ward Engineering. Stormwater has been redirected and several new structures have been created with the goal of eliminating stormwater sampling completely. 

Woodlands – Water Management

Our vast forests are the source of much of our freshwater, collecting rainfall and snowmelt. This water moves along the surface and underground to small streams leading to large rivers across the landscape. Water is also stored under the surface as groundwater and in ponds, lakes, and wetlands. Because of this, our Woodlands operations interact with water every day and we have a responsibility to look after and care for the land.

One of the tools we use to protect water are riparian buffers. All streams and water bodies in the forest, no matter how small, require a riparian buffer. Across the landscape, these riparian buffers account for more than 10 per cent of the lands we own or manage.

We focus on enhancing our water-related performance by following best practice and regulations. We report on performance through our forest certification and continually improve to proactively protect our waters for generations to come.

There are more than 30,000 kilometers of forest roads on the lands that are owned or managed by the foresters in the Woodlands Division. By implementing a new asset management tool enabled by mobile technology in 2021, we are able to identify and inventory where forest roads cross streams and prioritize action needed to keep the water clean.

Doing it right: Cains River Bridge

Completed in 2021, the Cains River bridge, located in central New Brunswick, provides safe access over a river crossing for our Woodlands team members and the environment.

Our goal is to reduce the number of log trucks on government highways which improves public safety. The bridge also reduces transportation costs by allowing larger on and off-road trucks which will decrease the number of trucks required in the future and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.