Saskatchewan's Forests

Saskatchewan Forest Company gets 'Seal of Approval' from environmentalists

SES comments on the province’s standards for forestry

Half of the province of Saskatchewan is covered in forested land. Not what often comes to mind when one thinks of this “prairie” province, but 23.7 million hectares of Saskatchewan is forest. Just over half of this forest area is productive land on which the forestry industry operates.

Ninety-seven percent of Saskatchewan's forests grow on Provincial Crown lands, with Federal Crown land accounting for one percent of total forest area, and private land comprises the remaining two percent.

Most of Saskatchewan's timber harvesting takes place in the Boreal Plain Ecozone, a region which covers about 27% of the province. The Boreal Plain Ecozone is heavily used by the commercial forest industry as it is a closed-crown, mixed-wood and coniferous forest; with the predominant hardwood tree species in this area being trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), and the main softwood species are jack pine (Pinus banksiana), white spruce (Picea glauca), and black spruce (Picea mariana).

However, the commercial forestry industry is expanding north into the Boreal Shield Ecozone. This area occupies most of northern Saskatchewan, covering nearly one-third of the total area of the province. It is an area of relatively low commercial forest productivity. Industrial exploitation in this ecozone has traditionally been limited by a lack of industrial infrastructure development and the extra costs of transportation to plants and markets. Also, due to the rocky and rugged nature of the Precambrian Shield, the cost of environmentally appropriate harvesting techniques has been a confining factor. Within the Boreal Shield Ecozone, most of the planned forestry expansion will take place in the Churchill River Upland eco-district, which is characterized by a mix of rocky topography, thin soils with black spruce as the dominate tree species.

A Saskatchewan Forestry Overview

The boreal forest is a resource of immeasurable value for our province, Canada and indeed, the entire planet, one that must be protected and managed wisely for today and for a sustainable future. Toward this end SES has examined a number of forest issues:

Provincial Rules for Saskatchewan's Forests

The provincial government is in the process of creating new standards for forestry companies to operate in the province. Until now, there have been no regulated standards in place within Saskatchewan, which means that forestry operations are ad hoc with little consistency. The provincial government hopes that the creation of these legislative manuals will lead to standardization of operations across the forest land base. What are the new standards, and what are SES's comments on these standards?

Climate change and the boreal forest

At least one-third of the world’s forests are in danger from global warming. What does this mean for Canada’s boreal forest?

Forest certification & Sustainable Forest Management

Increasing pressure is being placed on forests as the demand for forest products escalates. Forest certification can play an important role in the sustainable management of forests.

Sustainable Economic Development in Saskatchewan's Forests

Saskatchewan needs forest-based economic development in northern areas that provides long-term economic, community and environmental sustainability. SES has examined non-timber forest products and ecotourism as tools for sustainable economic development in northern Saskatchewan.

Prince Albert National Park

For some time now, SES has been contributing to and monitoring developments of the Prince Albert National Park’s management plans. In 2002 and 2003, a savage debate raged over whether or not Parks Canada should spray pesticides in the Waskesiu townsite in order to kill a naturally occurring forest insect, the spruce budworm.

Standards | Climate change | Forest certification | Sustainable economic development | Prince Albert National Park