The Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport has entered into a 10 year agreement with Weyerhaeuser Saskatchewan Ltd. to renew the forest at Duck Mountain Provincial Park. The ecologically responsible logging operation will emulate the natural growth patterns of the forest and is one of the first of its kind in Saskatchewan.
“The protection and conservation of Saskatchewan’s natural environment is incredibly important,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Mark Docherty said. “This forest renewal project will ensure that the forest at Duck Mountain Provincial Park will remain healthy for many years to come.”
The forest at Duck Mountain Provincial Park is approximately 120 years old and is primarily made up of trembling aspen. Trembling aspen forests require a large scale disturbance such as wildfire to regenerate naturally. Without a large disturbance, the trembling aspen forest will die and the area will convert to shrubland. As people have settled in the areas in and around the forests, natural wildfires have been suppressed and the forest has become uncommonly old.
Beginning in mid-December, Weyerhaeuser will begin logging operations in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. Over the next ten winters, approximately 10,000 hectares of forest in the north half of the park will be renewed.
Logging throughout the winter months while the ground is frozen minimizes the impact of the machinery on the environment. In addition, the removal of the trees while they are dormant will prompt new suckering from their roots in the following spring. In this way, the forest will regenerate using its own natural patterns and processes and it will remain as natural, diverse and healthy as possible. This is the first time that an ecologically responsible logging process of this type has been used in a Saskatchewan Provincial Park.
The Government of Saskatchewan recognizes the value and importance of Saskatchewan’s provincial parks and continues to invest in them. The 2014-15 Budget increased funding to provincial parks by 4.6 per cent and capital investments will total a record $14.9 million this year.
