Forest Product Licences

The Government of Saskatchewan regulates the harvest of timber on Crown lands, using several types of licences with varying rights and responsibilities.

Please refer to the Saskatchewan Timber Supply Area and Large Forest Products Mills Map for a visual perspective of the commercial forest zone, the forest fringe zone and the timber supply areas.

Forest Management Agreement

A forest management agreement (FMA) is a licence that grants the licensee the right to harvest Crown timber for a 20-year term, which can be extended every five years if the licensee is not in default of any part of the FMA. This form of licence is issued to a licensee that has developed a 20-year forest management plan for the defined timber supply area. FMAs are typically used for large forestry companies or multiple forestry companies working jointly. The licensee has a specific timber allocation and the obligation to meet sustainable forest management standards to ensure that forest values are being maintained in the long run.

There are five forest management agreements in Saskatchewan’s commercial forest zone, as of February 2026:

Area-based Term Supply Licence

An area-based term supply licence (TSL) grants the licensee the right to harvest timber from a specific timber supply area where there is no FMA, for a term of ten years if a forest management plan is in place, or for a term of five years if no forest management plan has been prepared. Area-based TSLs can be renewed for a further five or ten years if the licensee is not in default of any part of the licence. This form of licence is typically used for large forestry companies including Indigenous-owned businesses. The licensee has a specific timber allocation and the obligation to meet sustainable forest management standards.

There are two area-based term supply licences in the commercial forest zone, as of February 2026:

Volume-based Term Supply Licence

Volume-based term supply licences are typically issued to small business operators with processing facilities after an evaluation of their business plan. This licence grants the small business the right to harvest a timber allocation from a specific timber supply area for a term from two to five years with the potential to renew the licence after expiry.

Each timber supply area of the commercial forest zone has a timber volume reserved for small businesses. The Ministry of Environment Forest Service Branch administers the small business licensing program. Please contact the Forest Service Branch if you are interested in obtaining a volume-based term supply licence.

In 2025, there were 18 active small business volume-based term supply licences in the commercial forest zone. A variety of facility types are supported by the small business licensing program, including: circular sawmill; band sawmill; scragg mill; planer; firewood processor; post peeling and treatment. These businesses produce diverse products including lumber, posts, siding, flooring and logs for building homes.

Volume-based term supply licences can also be issued to larger forest companies operating within the commercial forest zone or forest fringe zone.

A volume-based term supply licence obligates the licensee to meet operational standards. Harvested cutblocks are reforested by the area-based licence holder.

Commercial Timber Forest Product Permit

A forest product permit is an annual licence that grants the licensee the right to harvest a specified volume of timber. The permit expires either on the date specified on it or March 31 following the date of issue. Commercial forest product permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

If a person wants to harvest fuelwood from the provincial forest for commercial purposes, whether it is green (live) or dead or down, a forest product permit is required. Harvesters must develop an operating plan, which must be approved by the Area Forester. All applicable Crown dues and forest management fees on the volume harvested must be paid.

For more information, see the Environment Resource Library articles:

• How to harvest firewood in Saskatchewan
• How to harvest Christmas trees in Saskatchewan

Timber Dues and Forest Management Fees

All timber harvesting licence holders pay dues to the Government of Saskatchewan in exchange for harvesting timber from the publicly owned provincial forest. The amount paid is based on the volume of timber harvested. The means to measure timber volume after it is cut is called timber scaling.

Dues payable may be reduced where damaged timber is being harvested and used (e.g. wildfire, blowdown and insect- and disease-damaged timber). Each licensee must submit a written request for a dues reduction prior to harvest.

All timber harvesting licence holders are required to pay fees into a fund, and the money is used to reforest areas harvested within the licence area. The forest management agreement holder or area-based term supply licence holder are required to reforest areas they harvested or by other parties that have harvested timber under volume-based term supply licences or forest product permits within their licence areas.

The Saskatchewan Quarterly Dues and Fees Table lists the applicable dues and fees rates. The table is updated on the Monday before the start of each quarter.

You need a permit for all own-use green forest products or own-use dead and down forest products for all purposes other than fuelwood. You may be required to develop an operating plan, which the Area Forester must approve. You must also pay all applicable Crown dues and forest management fees on the volume you harvest.

You do not need a permit for the following activities:

• Harvesting berries, fruits and mushrooms for commercial or own-use, or subsistence gathering;
• Gathering dead or down trees for fuelwood for your own use;
• Harvesting a Christmas tree for personal use; trees must be under four metres tall and must not be taken from a renewed area;
• Harvesting forest products for your own use from Crown resource land for which you hold a recreational disposition; and
• Harvesting up to 24 cubic metres of wood for a purpose connected to your Fur Conservation Area licence or commercial fishing licence.

For more information, see the Environment Resource Library articles:

• How to harvest firewood in Saskatchewan
• How to harvest Christmas trees in Saskatchewan.

A forest product permit is required to harvest trees for landscaping purposes from the provincial forest for commercial or own-use. These are trees less than or equal to one metre in height that are not found within reforested cut blocks.

For more information, see the Environment Resource Library article How to harvest landscaping trees.

A licence is required to graze livestock in the provincial forest. The Forest Service Branch has been securing each grazer under a term supply licence rather than an annual forest product permit. A range management plan is required to be submitted for the term of the licence. This plan sets out the details of how the livestock will be managed within the licence area to minimize impacts to the land.

A forest product permit or a term supply licence is required to cut hay within the provincial forest. An operating plan may be required to be submitted.

A permit is required by any person taking or introducing by planting a specific forest product or parts of a forest product for the purposes of reintroduction, propagation, rehabilitation, protection or scientific research, or when conducting research activities that have an impact on the functioning of the forest ecosystem.