Meadow Lake Provincial Park Forest Operating Plan
About
In the fall of 2019, Tolko, in partnership with Carrier Forest Products, was awarded the contract for the development and implementation of a forest operating plan for the Meadow Lake Provincial Park (MLPP). This Operating Plan is aligned with a strategic 20-Year Forest Conservation Management Plan (FCMP) for the Meadow Lake Provincial Park (MLPP) and the Ecosystem Based Management Plan developed for MLPP, both developed by the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport.
The plan is being submitted by Tolko, for activities including, harvesting, road construction, road maintenance / reclamation, tree planting, scarification, and surveying. This operating plan covers the approval period from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2025. The operating plan is being submitted to the Ministry of Park, Culture and Sport and the Ministry of Environment, Forest Service for review and approval.
Tolko and Carrier Forest Products, working with Mistik Management, have transferred management of this project and the accompanying Forest Products Permit to Mistik Management. The Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, together with the Ministry of Environment, Forest Service, approved the development and implementation of a plan for harvest activities within Meadow Lake Provincial Park by Waterhen Lake First Nation, supported by Mistik Management Ltd. with respect to the planning of forest operations. Waterhen Lake First Nation will be engaged with harvest activities upon their ancestral lands within the Park. These activities are expected to commence in February 2021.

Operating Plan
This Operating Plan is being developed to assist Parks with the implementation of their Forest Conservation Management Plan by managing the forest resource to maintain a healthy forest ecosystem with a variety of forest types and ages.
Every person who holds a licence for the harvesting of forest products and who is required by the Forest Resources Management Act to submit an operating plan to the minister for approval shall ensure that an operating plan is prepared in accordance with the Forest Operating Plan Standard for each licence area.
Current Operating Plan documents are provided below:
Operating Plan Maps
Current Operating Plan Maps:
Public Engagement
Public Engagement
Resources on the MLPP support various activities of other forest users. The forest plays an active role in peoples’ lives including trapping, outfitting, grazing, tourism, fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation. In preparation for the submission of the 2020-2025 Operating Plan, Tolko, Carrier, and MLPP staff have met with and documented feedback received from First Nations communities, cabin owners, trappers, outfitters, and other stakeholders. Stakeholder input was received through community open houses, one on one meetings, phone calls, email communication, and field tours. Stakeholder engagement mechanisms are continually being modified and adjusted to meet peoples’ needs and expectations, and legal requirements. The goal is to reach interested people and communities in whatever manner is most effective.
In addition to the engagement outreach described above, public information sessions were held in Greig Lake and Meadow Lake on November 13, 2019.
Tolko and Carrier also have an obligation to engage with First Nations and Metis communities. Registered letters were sent to three First Nations communities which could be directly impacted by this operating plan. As well, Tolko and Carrier attends any meetings requested by a First Nation or Metis group.
Tolko documents engagement in the form of a Stakeholder Database which summarizes the consultation and engagement with stakeholders. A summary of the Commitment Report from this database has been provided to the Ministry in digital format with this submission. In preparing this plan, Tolko has accommodated other forest users where possible. Commitments and changes made to the plan, if spatial, are identified on the 1:15,000 scale maps as a Stakeholder Commitment. Another stakeholder category created for this OP is an Area of Concern (AOC) that resides on the Stakeholder Commitment layer within the GIS. The AOC’s are expanded buffers along larger lakes and water courses and located based on stakeholder input. If Dwarf Mistletoe is identified in an AOC, the infected jack pine will be harvested. In addition to the Stakeholder Commitment layer on the operating plan maps, Tolko also created an additional GIS layer to further inform the planning and engagement process. This is the Active Stakeholder Trail layer which identifies known active trails that will be left open upon completion of harvest. Many of these trails were identified through field tours and communication with local stakeholders.
Mistik will continue the stakeholder database and GIS layers developed by Tolko as well as the commitments agreed to by Tolko during the planning process.
Public Information Sessions
Details on upcoming public information sessions:
Due to Covid 19 restrictions, public information sessions are not planned. This website has been developed to share the Operating Plan. Please contact us with your comments via the link provided.
Duty to Consult
It is the duty of the Government of Saskatchewan to consult, and if appropriate accommodate, First Nations or Metis locals if the actions contemplated by the Government could adversely affect Aboriginal rights. The Government of Saskatchewan has a duty to consult to identify potential adverse impacts on the exercise of established or credibly claimed Treaty and Aboriginal rights, such as the right to hunt, fish, and trap for food, and the carrying out of traditional uses (Rights and Traditional Uses), on unoccupied Crown land, or occupied Crown land, or public water bodies to which First Nations and Métis have a right-of-access.
Contact Us
Questions or feedback can be sent to:
info@mistikwaterhenmlpp.caAssociations and Corporate Links

Mistik Management Ltd.
Mistik is a woodlands management company equally owned by two parent companies – NorSask Forest Products Inc. and Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp Inc. Our company also provides forest management services for L&M Wood Products (2018) Limited Partnership. Please visit their company websites for more information.
Mistik is located in the midwestern section of the province of Saskatchewan in Canada. We are situated in the southern half of the mid boreal upland ecoregion, and the transition from farm land to forest land.
Mistik Management Website
Waterhen Lake First Nation
With a population of approximately 1896 members, the Waterhen Lake First Nation serves its band members in the form of capital projects, health and social programming and cultural activities. Waterhen owns and operates a mechanical forest harvesting company that harvests timber on the Mistik FMA.
Waterhen First Nation Website
Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks Culture and Sport
Ministry of Parks Culture and Sport WebsiteSaskatchewan Ministry of Environment
Minsitry of Environment Website
Forsite Consultants
Forsite is an integrated forest land management company providing innovative, sustainable, and operationally realistic services. Forsite provides operational solutions from strategic level and resource planning to operational surveys and project implementation to ensure meaningful decision support.
Forsite Consultants Website