Forest & Range Evaluation Program (FREP)

The Forest and Range Evaluation Program (FREP) is a foundational element of the Forest and Range Practices Act (FRPA).

FREP Mission: Collect and communicate the best available natural resource monitoring information to inform decision making, improve resource management outcomes and provide evidence of government’s commitment to environmental sustainability.

FREP Objectives:

  1. Assess the impacts of forest and range development on the 11 FRPA resource values to determine if on-the-ground results are sustainable
  2. Identify resource value status, trends and causal factors, and
  3. Identify opportunities for continued improvement of practices, policies and legislation.

FREP supports government’s stewardship and resource development objectives in five key ways:

  1. Fulfills government’s commitment to monitor
  2. Provides evidence for government’s commitment to environmental sustainability and industry competitiveness
  3. Supports decision makers and professional reliance
  4. Provides science-based evidence to guide continued improvement of practices, policies and legislation
  5. Is an opportunity to meaningfully engage First Nations in sustainable resource management through participation in resource stewardship monitoring

FREP is a nationally accredited program; it is science-based with approved protocols and extension products. Over 9,000 samples (see below) have been collected since 2005.

Below: Sample site locations for timber, stand-level biodiversity, riparian, water quality, visual quality, cultural heritage and soils.

Sample site locations

Learn more about the program's strategic direction:

Publications

Monitoring Values

There are 11 resource values to be monitored under FRPA: Biodiversity, Cultural Heritage, Fish/Riparian, Forage & Associated Plant Communities, Recreation, Resource Features, Soils, Timber, Visual Quality, Water and Wildlife.