Latest news with #WestFraserTimber
Global News
15-05-2025
- General
- Global News
Logging plans near Bragg Creek scaled back, but many trail users still upset
Canada's largest lumber producer has reduced the size of the area it plans to log near Bragg Creek from 880 hectares (about 9 square kilometres) to 556 hectares — but many backcountry trail users said it's not enough. On Wednesday, West Fraser Timber held an open house in Bragg Creek to talk about its plans and address public concerns. View image in full screen West Fraser Timber held an open house in Bragg Creek on Wednesday to seek public feedback to its logging plans for the area. Global News The company said the area to be harvested was scaled back following a previous round of public feedback last year. Story continues below advertisement 'We took the feedback from the public — we also worked with the different trails groups throughout the summer to go walk and bike the trails to see how they would interact with our potential harvest plans,' said company spokesperson Tyler Steneker. 'From that, we've made some changes to our plans, which resulted in a reduction of 37 per cent harvest area from last year to this year.' Steneker claims harvest plans have also been changed so they'll now only affect about 2.1 km of trail. 'I think the initial thought is that our activities would overlap with all the trails and the trails would be would be gone — now our activities avoid the trails for the most part,' said Steneker. View image in full screen West Fraser Timber said it has scaled back its logging plans in the Bragg Creek area from 880 hectares to 556 hectares. Global News Mike Duszynski of the non -profit group Bragg Creek Trails said he's pleased with the changes. Story continues below advertisement 'We have, we manage about 166 kilometers of trails — four season trails. We understand that we're one of many stakeholders in the region, but we're trying to preserve our viewscapes for the enjoyment of the people that use our trails,' said Duszynski. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Duszynski said there's been logging in the Bragg Creek area before, by a different company that failed to address the group's concerns , but this time it's a much better relationship. 'So we have a mandate with the government — it's called the Master Plan — which is a 10-year expansion program of adding more trails and converting trails that are not all-season. So we've got a major work plan that we have to execute within the next several years,' said Duszynski. 'So through that, West Fraser is helping us collaboratively put their roads in in certain locations so that they can reclaim them afterwards and they make one of our new trails.' View image in full screen Mike Duszynski of Bragg Creek Trails said he's pleased with the changes West Fraser Timber has made so far to it's logging plans. Global News However, not all trail users are pleased with West Fraser's efforts. Story continues below advertisement Jeffrey Woodgate of the Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society said he's 'frustrated.' While he said the company is doing their job to consult with stakeholders, both it and the provincial government have failed to recognize the intrinsic value of the trails. 'They have the opportunity to play this card of social licence where it is recognized how valuable this trail system is to the 2 million plus people that live in the greater Calgary area who this is their only form of wilderness recreation that they can access in under an hour,' said Woodgate. 'So the value of that trail system has to far outweigh the value of the stumpage fees that they're going to be getting from harvesting that zone, both for the government and for the logging company itself.' View image in full screen Jeffrey Woodgate of the Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society said he's 'frustrated' because of the wide-ranging effects logging in the area will have. Global News Woodgate said that while there will be no trails lost in the Moose Mountain area, removing hundreds of hectares of trees from the area will broad ranging effects. Story continues below advertisement 'That's tree cover over our trail system — and our particular soil type is very thin — it doesn't hold moisture well. So anytime they're moving tree cover off there, our ability to build and maintain new trails, or the existing ones, just is greatly diminished,' added Woodgate. 'Also the experience of riding through that tree cover is gone — you are seeing the carnage that's been wrought upon what was a beautiful, essentially virgin forest. It's been growing there for 100 years and you're going to lose that for another 100 years.' His concerns are shared by Shaun Peter of the group Guardians of Recreational Wilderness Society. 'We keep seeing where there's more and more clear-cutting and the government acknowledges the value of the recreation area,' said Peter. 'But then they turn around and they're allowing things to go forward in a way that's going to really damper if not destroy the recreation area in this side. Or the outdoor recreation industry in this area.' Peter estimates the area being clear cut to still be equivalent to about 800 soccer fields. He and other opponents would like to see the area protected just like a park, where people can enjoy recreation in a park-like setting. 'This area wasn't created by the government, it was created by volunteers. Thousands of hours, millions of dollars have been put into this area,' said Peter. Story continues below advertisement 'It was all done through volunteer efforts. They took that recreation area that we built — and now we're destroying it.' West Fraser is planning additional open houses, with logging set to begin in the fall of 2026.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Investing in West Fraser Timber (TSE:WFG) five years ago would have delivered you a 328% gain
It hasn't been the best quarter for West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (TSE:WFG) shareholders, since the share price has fallen 11% in that time. But that scarcely detracts from the really solid long term returns generated by the company over five years. We think most investors would be happy with the 300% return, over that period. So while it's never fun to see a share price fall, it's important to look at a longer time horizon. The more important question is whether the stock is too cheap or too expensive today. Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business. We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free. While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. We know that West Fraser Timber has been profitable in the past. On the other hand, it reported a trailing twelve months loss, suggesting it isn't reliably profitable. So it might be better to look at other metrics to try to understand the share price. We doubt the modest 1.7% dividend yield is attracting many buyers to the stock. On the other hand, West Fraser Timber's revenue is growing nicely, at a compound rate of 6.8% over the last five years. In that case, the company may be sacrificing current earnings per share to drive growth. You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image). It's good to see that there was some significant insider buying in the last three months. That's a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, West Fraser Timber's TSR for the last 5 years was 328%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return. While the broader market gained around 14% in the last year, West Fraser Timber shareholders lost 6.4% (even including dividends). Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 34%, each year, over five years. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. Investors who like to make money usually check up on insider purchases, such as the price paid, and total amount bought. You can find out about the insider purchases of West Fraser Timber by clicking this link. If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: most of them are flying under the radar). Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Canadian exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
