SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE BOREAL PRINCE-ALBERT-MODEL-FOREST IN SASKATCHEWAN

Canada recently embarked on a model forest program that is guided by t he notion of sustainable development. Ten model forest sites have been established at operational scales (0.1 - 1.5 million ha) in different ecoregions since 1992. This study presents a framework for advancing both the human welfare and environmental dimensions of sustainable for est use by a localized multi-stake-holdership of First Nations, govern ment and industry in the boreal Prince Albert Model Forest, Saskatchew an. The pressure on the local forest environment has been rising due t o timber harvest and tourism. Human welfare has been influenced strong ly by colonial legacies such as racial divisions, territorial boundari es, and centralized forest administration, The landbase, productivity and forest value approaches are proposed to advance sustainable forest use; but current data availability favours the landbase approach. Ana lysis of forest inventory data suggests that management needs to plan for a significant aggregation of harvest areas to sustain ecological a nd cultural functions which depend on large and continuous patch size. Forest policy-making must address ownership issues, local economic de velopment, and economic philosophies of the stakeholders in order to o vercome the colonial legacies and to redefine management responsibilit ies. The study proposes that the currently dominating government-owned management concepts should evolve into a more localized concept of ow nership and management that can be sustainably supported and financed by forest stakeholders, governments, and local communities.