| HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Dates of Founding and/or Dissolution
The Eastern Rockies Forest Conservation Board was established on June 19, 1947 through an agreement between the province and the Dominion government. The Alberta government
ratified this through An Act to Validate and Confirm an Agreement Between the
Government of the Province of Alberta and the Government of the Dominion of Canada
Providing for the Conservation of the Forests on the East Slope of the Rocky Mountains and
the Protection of the Watersheds and the Rivers Therein (S.A. 1948, c. 20). The agreement
became effective April 1, 1948, and was terminated on March 31, 1973.
Predecessor and Successor Bodies
The Alberta Forest Service of the Department of Lands and Forests assumed the programs
of the Eastern Rockies Forest Conservation Board after the agreement between the federal
and provincial governments was terminated.
Administrative Relationships
Under the initial agreement, the Eastern Rockies Forest Conservation Board was to
report to the federal and Alberta governments. In Alberta, the board reported first to the
Minister of Lands and Mines and, beginning in 1949 until its termination, to the Minister
of Lands and Forests. The province, under the direction of the board, was responsible
for carrying out the programs of the agreement, as well as the board’s program for forest
management.
Functional Responsibilities
The Eastern Rockies Forest Conservation Board, established as a corporate body, administered
the Crowsnest, Bow River, and Clearwater forests, an area known as the Eastern
Slopes as well as the Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve which includes the headwaters of
the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers. This area is of interprovincial importance as these rivers flow through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and are therefore of vital importance to all the Prairie provinces.
The Eastern Rockies Forest Conservation Board was to plan, advise, direct, supervise,
and carry out the following: the construction, operation, and maintenance of projects and facilities for the protection of forests of the area; the protection of these forests from fires, insects, disease, and other damage; and the conservation, development, maintenance, and management of these forests to obtain the greatest flow of water in the Saskatchewan River and its tributaries. The implementation of the board’s policies fell to the Alberta
Forest Service, which was initially part of the Department of Lands and Mines, but later
part of the Department of Lands and Forests.
In the first six years of the agreement, the federal government provided capital expenditure
funds for the location and construction of forest improvements, and the creation
of a forest inventory, reforestation, and other such works and services. This included, for
example, the building of roads, trails, and telephones lines, and the purchase of equipment
and any other materiel needed for fire suppression. Following these first years,
the province provided funding for the administration, research, and maintenance of
programs established during the initial development phase.
On April 1, 1955, the Eastern Rockies Forest Conservation Board assumed responsibility,
from the province, for the administration and planning of the area. Beginning in
April 1959, the province again assumed these administrative duties. As a result, the board’s
functions underwent some minor changes. The board was to set policies regarding the
administration and management of the area, which were to be followed by the Alberta
Forest Service; to plan programs for forest management; to ensure the implementation of
its plans and policies; and to arrange for a watershed research program. Over the years that
followed, administration and staff positions were taken over by the Alberta Forest Service.
The initial agreement was set for a twenty-five year period, at the end of which either
government could terminate the agreement with one year’s notice. In March 1972, the
Alberta government gave notice that it intended to terminate the agreement. The termination
became effective March 31, 1973.
Administrative Structure
The Eastern Rockies Forest Conservation Board was composed of three members: a
chair and a second member appointed by the Governor General, and a third member
appointed by Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor. From 1954, Alberta’s Lieutenant Governor
appointed two members and the Governor General appointed one.
Chief Officers
Chairs of the Eastern Rockies Forest Conservation Board
Howard Kennedy 1948–1959
G. Tunstell (Acting) 1951
Herber G. Jensen (Acting) 1959
John Robert Herbert Hall 1959–1973
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