Province Defends Policy on Harvesting Burned Trees

Province Defends Policy on Harvesting Burned Trees

Thursday, September 18, 2003 at 14:20

The hidden values of burned-out forestlands in the province are becoming a topic of concern for independent loggers in the North.

Many of them are asking why they’re not being allowed into areas recently scorched by forest fires, once

the blazes have moved on and the ground has cooled.

As well, some operators have complained publicly about Weyerhaeuser’s criteria for choosing which contractors are allowed to harvest the areas.

Al Willcocks of Saskatchewan Environment explains the province is partially responsible for deciding who

can log in areas damaged by fires, but it doesn’t keep loggers out for anything other than environmental reasons.

Willcocks says the health of the forest is always the primary consideration for any of their decisions.