The Ministry of Environment has released Saskatchewan’s 2019 State of the Environment report, which focuses on the province’s forests.
The report was officially released Wednesday and has evaluated 24 indicators of forest health.
Assistant deputy minister for the Ministry of Environment Kevin Murphy spoke about the report at the annual general meeting of the Association of Saskatchewan Forestry Professionals on Wednesday.
“Some of the highlights are that we have a sustainable forest, we have a sustainable forest industry and we’re looking for growth in that forest industry,” Murphy says. “We’ve got some work to do around managing our roads and trail network. We’ve got some work to do to maintain caribou sustainability, but overall, the measures that we are putting forward for forestry are sustainable.”
This assessment is the second of its kind and the first report was released in 2009.
“Saskatchewan is very proud to have the highest level of Indigenous and Métis people’s participation in the forest industry in all of Canada,” Murphy said.
“That’s throughout all the way from the working level right up to CEOs. A number of First Nations and Métis communities have wood supply allocations in the forest. They’ve been instrumental in continuing to do that utilization and undertake that industrial investment.”
The Ministry of Environment has committed to report on the province’s Crown forests every decade.
“The Ministry of Environment continues to strive for balance among the social, economic and ecological benefits that forests provide,” said Environment Minister Dustin Duncan. “It is only by objectively assessing how well we are achieving this balance that we can continue to do better. Overall, the news is good, as our forests continue to be sustainably managed with harvested areas appropriately renewed.”
The full report can be viewed online.
(PHOTO: Kevin Murphy speaking at the annual general meeting of the Association of Saskatchewan Forestry Professionals.)