About the Report

The boreal forest dominates the landscape of northern Saskatchewan and is an important part of the province's economy, ecology and social foundation. The sustainable management of these forests, most of which are on provincial Crown land, is the responsibility of the Ministry of Environment. Without proper management of this renewable resource the values and services it provides will be impacted, which will, in turn, reduce the growth potential of the province.

Assessing Saskatchewan's progress in achieving sustainable forest management is challenging due to the many factors that need to be considered. Each indicator, prepared by subject experts within government, provides an assessment of a specific aspect of sustainable forest management. The ratings for each are based on available data, the geographic extent of the area studied and are interpreted using the expertise and experience of the subject matter experts.

State of the Environment 2019: A Focus on Forests (full report pdf)

List of Indicators

	Productivity and Resilience Managed forests and greenhouse gas emissions Natural forest disturbance Deforestation in Saskatchewan Watershed health within the greater commercial forest Cumulative impacts from linear features Regeneration of timber harvest area Mountain pine beetle detection and prevention
	Economic and Social Benefits Annual timber harvest Indigenous involvement in the forest sector Forest sector contributions of the provincial economy Economic value of select non-timber forest uses
	Conserving Biological Diversity Forest type and age Protected areas Woodland caribou habitat Genetic conservation of native commercial tree species Species at risk in the commercial forest Moose in the provincial forest Marten populations in the provincial forest
	Sustainable Forest Management Compliance collection of royalties and forest management fees Compliance and enforcement of the forest industry Client services available online and in person Opportunity for stakeholder engagement in forest management planning Research and education Forest licence allocation