A report released by the Ministry of Environment — the second comprehensive report on the state of Saskatchewan’s provincial forests for this year — finds that things look good in terms of forest health.
The report looked at 24 indicators of forest health, including managing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving the biological diversity of both trees and forest animal populations, deforestation and regeneration in harvest areas, and natural disturbance to forested areas.
The outcome indicated that the harvested areas are being renewed at an appropriate rate, and Indigenous participation in the sector remains an important mandate for the province, as Saskatchewan leads the country in Indigenous inclusion.
Boreal forests make up a large portion of both the provincial economy and of northern Saskatchewan in terms of landscape. Because much of this forest exists on Crown land, sustainable management is the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment. This report is part of a legislated commitment to track the state of those forests every 10 years.
More details regarding the report and the indicators informing the assessment can be found on the provincial government website.
