Northern Saskatchewan Boreal Forest Potential

Walk on the Wild SideNovember 30, 2017

Presentation Outline

• KCDA Background

• Saskatchewan’s Boreal Forest

• Elements of sector development

• Sustainability

• What’s next

• Plant Potential

KCDA Background

• Non Profit Member based organization

• Operate on Project based Funding and Service Provision

• Mission to Support Socio-economic development in N SK

• Focus on Regional Ec Dev support, and Labour Market

Service support

Saskatchewan’s Boreal Forest

• More than half of the province is Boreal

Forest

• 135,000 sq. miles – 35 trillion hectares

• 85 species of mammals, 400 species of

birds, 80 species of amphibians and

reptiles, 160 species of fish

• 32,000 insect species (1/3 yet to be

described)

• 3,200 species of plants

Saskatchewan’s Boreal Forest

• 350 to 400 boreal plant species are

edible

• Historically - trapping, fishing, logging,

mining

• Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP) have

been overlooked until now

• Has been viewed as “wasteland, or

moose pasture”

Saskatchewan’s Boreal Forest

• Interest boreal plants as foods and

medicines has increased

• People crave contact with the natural

world

• Food, medicinal, and commercial

products have been created

• STEP - “Organic certified products are

some of the fastest growing sectors in

food manufacturing. NTFPs can benefit

from this trend”

Elements of NTFP Sector Development

• Sustainability

• Markets and Marketing

• Harvesting and Processing

Technology and Know How

• Research

• Investment

Elements of NTFP Sector Development

• Our approach is driven by

potential of benefit to our

region

• Natural medical compounds

over manufactured

• Wildcrafted or low impact

agriculture produced products

over monocropped produced

• Sustainable harvest over

volume for cheapest

production

Sustainability

• Most important element

• Harvester Training (GACP

Training through HSSA)

• Permitting and input to Ministry of

Environment

• Land mapping of harvest and

plant abundance

• Northern Indigenous plant

advisory committee

What’s Next

• Business development, internally and

support external – WD Agreement

• Create awareness of plants and

potential

• Research and Investment

• Marketing and sales

• Develop harvest and processing

technologies

• Harvester training and sustainability

practices

Plant Potential• Potential of 4 plants: Willowherb

(Fireweed), Wild Rice, Birch Fungi,

and Wild Sarsaparilla

• Traditional Woodland Cree use of

plants from Healer and Educator

Eleanor Hegland

• Specialty Northern products –

Larissa Muirhead – Northern

Apothecary

• Social following presentations will

feature northern teas and food

products