Herbicide Alternative Program 2.0
What is HAP?
The Herbicide Alternatives Program (HAP) was established in 2010 by Indigenous representatives and Tembec (now Rayonier Advanced Materials- RYAM) to identify and apply alternatives to the use of herbicides on company Sustainable Forest Licenses (SFLs) in northeastern Ontario. With a priority focus on the Chapleau Crown Game Preserve and the Gordon Cosens, Romeo Malette and Martel Forests, significant reductions in herbicide use were targeted. Begun as a collaboration coordinated by Mushkegowuk Environmental Research Centre (MERC), Wahkohtowin Development GP. brings new energy and capacity, aiding RYAM in moving from strategy to action in a phase of the program referred to as HAP 2.0.
HAP 2.0 includes the sharing of indigenous knowledge, modification of existing silvicultural techniques and application of LIDAR as examples of new approaches from Forest Management Plan development through to free-to-grow. In 2019, Natural Resources Canada joined Wahkohtowin and RYAM to expand the reach and capacity of the initiative.

Click on the images below to watch the HAP webinar recordings on YouTube!
Exploring Potential Alternatives to Herbicide Use for Vegetation Management- September 2020
Boots on the Ground – October 2020
Concerns from Matachewan First Nation – November 2020
Digital Soil and Ecosystem Mapping as a Potential Tool for Planning Herbicide Aternatives – January 2021
An Ecological Framework for Evaluating Site-Specific Herbicide Alternatives – March 2021
Anishnaabek G’giikendaaswinmin Keno gego nahadosi – April 2021
Direct and Indirect Ecosystem Changes from Canadian Forestry – May 2021
Knowledge From the Land – June 2021