With the province starting to lift some of the restrictions around COVID-19 Albertans are now able to get out and enjoy some of the natural wonders of the province during Alberta Forest Week.

Around 60 per cent of the province is forested, that’s around 87 million wooded acres. That’s larger than the entire country of Japan, or even Germany.

Alberta Forest Week aims to celebrate the forests, educate people on how to properly manage invasive pests that attack them, and highlight actions that prevent and mitigate wildfires.

“A working forest is a healthy forest. Alberta has world-class sustainable forest management practices that regenerate forests, defend against the mountain pine beetle, provide jobs and economic opportunities, and protect communities within our forests,” said Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. “Foresters replant millions of trees every year and intelligently reduce wildfire risk with sustainable harvesting. These measures ensure our forests will be healthy and safe for generations to come.”

As part of the easing of government restrictions, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced last week that Alberta parks would open again on Friday, May 1.

Vehicle access restrictions at parking lots and staging areas in provincial parks and on public land have been lifted, but not all services will be available.

“We recognize many Albertans want to get outside, but we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, so we’re encouraging anyone visiting our parks and public land for recreation purposes to follow public health guidelines. Visit parks near your home. Now is not the time for long road trips or non-essential travel.” said Alberta Parks in a statement posted on its website.

Washrooms and garbage pick-up aren’t available yet and campgrounds don’t open until at least June 1, bookings won't start until May 14. Alberta Parks campgrounds will also only be operating at 50 per cent occupancy to start the 2020 season. Sites will only be available to Albertans, and all existing reservations made by out-of-province campers will be cancelled.

“We’re busy staffing up so we can clean washrooms and plan for garbage services. It will take time to get these services in place,” said Alberta Parks.

In the meantime, if you are visiting parks or taking a hike through public land, Albertans are asked to respect the land and to make sure they aren’t leaving any garbage behind. Anyone looking to take advantage of the great outdoors is encouraged to plan ahead and ensure they have enough food and water and remember to pack some have sanitizer.

A fire ban remains in place for all Provincial Parks and Forest Protection areas.

For anyone with kids at home, the province also has some activities for kids and families to work on together to learn more about Alberta’s Forests. You can download the Bertie Beaver and EnviroKids activity books for free.