Forestry Branch

The Canadian Council of Forest Ministers wants to hear from you! Our forests need a renewed Vision for the next decade and beyond.  A Vision for Canada’s Forests: 2018 and Beyond is championed by the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM). 

Manitoba is an active member of the CCFM and we are supportive a renewed vision that builds on the accomplishments and challenges of previous strategies. Over time, the approaches, issues, and emphases have changed to reflect the evolving values and institutions that characterize Canada’s broad forest sector.

Please visit the CCFM website for further information and to share your thoughts on the renewal of A Vision for Canada’s Forests. The CCFM will review all feedback and incorporate it as feasible into A Vision for Canada’s Forests: 2018 and Beyond; a “what we heard” document will be made accessible prior to Ministerial release of the renewed Vision in September, 2018.


The Forestry Branch of Sustainable Development is one of several resource branches responsible for ensuring sustainable resource management for present and future generations of Manitobans.

Under the authority of The Forest Act, the Forestry Branch manages provincial Crown forests by setting forest harvest levels, monitoring forest management activities, ensuring forests are regenerated, providing protection from insects and diseases and collecting revenues for use of Crown timber.

The Forestry Branch also supports forest management programs outside of Crown forests. Through  the Manitoba Conservation’s Sustainable Development Innovations Fund  our partner the  Manitoba Forestry Association, delivers woodlot management programs to private landowners in southern Manitoba.

The department assists rural and urban areas with community forest management, including the Dutch elm disease management program and Cost Shared Agreements and by administering the Forest Health Protection Act, Forest Health Protection Regulations and Arborists Regulations.

The Branch is comprised of approximately 50 professional, technical and support staff at its Winnipeg head office. These staff set the policy and planning framework for forest management throughout the province and maintain a forest inventory.

Throughout the forest zone, regional forestry staff implement forest management programs on behalf of the department. Regional personnel supervise the forest industry and work with other natural resources managers to provide maximize benefits relating to wildlife, recreation and water to name a few. Regional forestry offices are located in Lac du Bonnet, Gimli, Swan River, The Pas, and Thompson.