Over half of Saskatchewan is forested, representing 34 million hectares.
The Commercial Forest Zone makes up 12 million hectares, of which over 5 million hectares are classified as productive forest land available for commercial timber harvesting.
Saskatchewan has a well-established and competitive forest industry, with leading-edge technology. There are seven large forest products manufacturing facilities producing lumber, pulp and oriented strand board, and over 210 small forest businesses producing a variety of forest products.
Forestry is northern Saskatchewan's largest industry. In normal market conditions, the forest industry generates over $1 billion in forest product sales annually and supports nearly 8,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Saskatchewan's forest industry currently has 62% of the commercial forest certified to one or more of the following internationally recognized forest certification regimes:
- Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Sustainable Forest Management
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
- Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
The industry is well positioned for continuous growth, and investment opportunities exist in the emerging bio-economy and other value-added products.