Porcupine Provincial Forest

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Porcupine Provincial Forest is a protected boreal forest in Canada. It covers the Porcupine Hills along the Saskatchewan–Manitoba border.

By the late 1800s, Eastern Canada had almost no marketable timber left because of unsustainable logging, clearing for farms, and more forest fires. In 1899, Clifford Sifton appointed Elihu Stewart to lead the protection of federal forests and to help restore damaged lands.

Before 1905, the Porcupine Hills were part of the Northwest Territories, so the forest was under federal control. In 1901, a fire-range service was created in Western Canada to help protect forests and plan land use. In 1905, Saskatchewan became a province, and its eastern border cut through the Porcupine Forest. About 80% of the forest stayed in Saskatchewan and 20% remained in the Northwest Territories. Because the Prairie Provinces did not have control over natural resources, Saskatchewan could not build infrastructure or cut wood without approval from the federal government.

In 1906, the Dominion Forest Reserves Act established the Porcupine Forest Reserve as a national forest. Forest rangers were hired and a headquarters was built at Ushta, Saskatchewan. The first rangers were forestry engineers from the University of New Brunswick or World War I veterans. By 1914, the reserve was overseen by 11 rangers and 1 ranger-in-charge, who also managed the Pasquia Forest Reserve. Facilities included the headquarters, four ranger cabins, five stables, and four fire towers.

In 1930, the Saskatchewan Natural Resources Act transferred control of Saskatchewan’s forests and other natural resources from the federal government to the province. The rangers then joined the Saskatchewan Department of Natural Resources. Coordinates: 52°24′57″N 101°56′26″W.