By James Bowler

PA forestry industry growing in more ways than one

Dec 11, 2013 | 5:47 AM

Saskatchewan’s forestry industry is starting to gain traction after the major economic downturn in the mid 2000s.

The main concern now is taking the needs of aboriginal peoples into consideration when it comes to a number of issues. Those issues include lifestyle needs, communities, wildlife habitation, recreational activity areas, and focusing on renewing growth in the forests in Saskatchewan.

As a result, Sakaw Askiy Management is working with shareholders and community members to come up with a five-year plan to help grow the industry but also make sure that forests are being regrown and renewed and that these other factors are not being negatively affected by tree-cutting.

The company oversees all concerns and management of the eight forestry companies/shareholders that fall under Prince Albert Forest Management Agreement (PA FMA) jurisdiction.

“People are always concerned about whether the cut level is sustainable,” said David Knight, general manager of Sakaw Askiy. “There’s a whole range of issues that get talked about.”

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Knight met with shareholders in Prince Albert Tuesday night as the final stop on the tour of the main stakeholder communities around the PA FMA region.

According to Knight, there are 3.5 million hectares of forested land, but only 55 per cent of that land is useable to the forestry industry.

Knight said it’s important for Sakaw to make sure that cut rates and the renewed growth are managed properly so that the industry can thrive.

“We’re operating at probably about 50-60 percent of the capacity, so we’ve got lots of opportunity to expand,” said Knight. “We, with our shareholders, manage the FMA, and their future is really dependent on the quality job that we do on the PA FMA, it’s about sustainable wood supply that gives them the security that they need.”

Knight said the most important thing is to come up with this plan to keep up with the changing times.

“The world has changed since 1999, and the plan should have been renewed or could have been renewed in 2009 and it wasn’t because of the circumstances that had occurred, so the closure of the mills and the collapse of the market and nobody was running,” said Knight. “What we’re dealing with is a situation today that is totally different than the situation in 1999. That’s economic conditions, business conditions and forest management conditions. That’s why we need a new plan.”

One shareholder, Bart Smith, general manager of Kaskew Forestry Products and a representative for the Montreal Lake First Nation, said these informational meetings do provide communities and stakeholders the ability to have their voices heard and also keep informed with where the forestry industry is going in Saskatchewan.

“Everyone is given the opportunity to have input,” said Smith. “We do try to attempt to talk to all aboriginal bands and stakeholders that use the forest.”

Smith said that this five-year plan will assist in providing new jobs in the forestry industry as well.

“In Montreal Lake, we’re getting more into harvesting, and there’s going to be jobs for harvest, there’ll be jobs in tree planting, there’ll be jobs in forest technicians, truck driving for logging,” said Smith. “We’re actually going to be doing a training course this winter for truck driver training and heavy equipment operators.”

Knight has visited various communities around the PA FMA region and offered the information on where the industry has been and some of the plans for the future.

This is part one of putting together the five-year plan, according to Knight.

“Then we get onto analyzing timber supply, then we put it all into a package,” said Knight. “It’ll be distributed for public consumption and comment early in the new year.”

Knight says overall the process to try and manage the future of the forestry industry in the PA FMA region has met with positive results.

“From our shareholders we have (had positive support), they’ve been intimately involved in the process right from the beginning,” said Knight. “And really from the public meetings that we’ve had, we’ve had strong support.”

jbowler@panow.com

On Twitter: @journalistjim