EDMONTON -- The Alberta Forest Products Association has snagged a renowned actor for the narration of their new online forest tour.

Edmonton-born actor Nathan Fillion will guide listeners through the AFPA tours. Fillion has numerous acting and voice-actor credits to his name, making him the obvious choice, the association’s CEO said.

“We were really fortunate to land Nathan Fillion,” Jason Krips told CTV News Edmonton.

“We all collectively zeroed in on local talent, homegrown talent, someone who’s renowned and Nathan became top of the list.”

Forest tour

AFPA decided to create the virtual walk-through tour and take the forest to Albertans due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“We went out and had film shot throughout forests in Alberta. What we wanted to do was show different stages of forest in the [province].”

“A very mature forest causes issue with respect to wildfire and pest infestation. If you have pest infestations you actually then create more fuel for wildfires.”

As you make your way through the tour, Krips said you can expect Fillion to be both engaging and informative.

“Oh, look Alberta, I can see your house from here,” Fillion says in the intro.

“Don’t be nervous. You’re not alone. You’ll have a healthy dollop of Nathan Fillion with you the whole time. That’s me.”

forest tour

Krips wants Albertans to explore the province’s beautiful ecosystem while also learning about the benefits of forest harvesting. 

“Forest companies think in 200-year time frames,” Krips said. “They look at the right timing and planning for a mature forest to be harvested. When they look to harvest from a particular area, they plan out the reforestation. Once those trees are reforested, they have a 14-year commitment to ensure those forests continue to grow.

“A properly managed forest is actually very healthy for the environment,” Krips said.

You can do your own virtual tour now online.