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Saskatchewan forests deemed healthy: report

“I am pleased to say that this report finds that our forests are being maintained in a healthy state,” Environment Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said. “Forests provide many benefits – economic, environmental and social – that enhance our quality of life. Our government is committed to protecting this significant part of Saskatchewan’s natural heritage and to reporting regularly on our progress.”

The publication provides a snapshot of the condition of Saskatchewan’s publicly-owned forests. By law, the provincial government must report on the state of Saskatchewan’s forests every ten years. The 2012 report assesses four indicators of the 23 included in the last full reporting in 2009. The indicators are: wildfire disturbance; insect and disease disturbance; proportion of the sustainable harvest utilized; and regeneration.

“Each year, we intend to provide an ongoing, focused assessment how we’re doing in key areas, leading up to the next state of the forest report in 2019,” Cheveldayoff said. “This information will be invaluable as we work to fulfill our mandate to protect the long-term health of our forests, and the significant industry that they support.”

Saskatchewan’s provincial Crown forest covers more than 34 million hectares, more than half of the province’s total area. In 2011, the province’s forest industry employed 2,600 people directly, with $400 million in product sales.

Click here to read the report.