The Government of Yukon is opening new timber harvest areas and speeding up permits to help commercial harvesters get more wood to Yukoners.
Two new timber harvest plans are now available at Crooked Creek near Stewart Crossing and Cabin Creek near Watson Lake. The Cabin Creek project is being developed in partnership with Liard First Nation.
These new areas bring the total to four new timber harvest plans approved in 2026, giving commercial operators access to approximately 169,000 cubic metres of harvest volume across the Yukon. This complements the work by the Government of Yukon to identify and expand summer harvesting opportunities and build infrastructure to support access into older timber harvest plans.
The Government of Yukon has also made significant progress on faster permitting. This fall, commercial harvest permits are being processed about 35 per cent faster than last year. The number of permits issued is also on track to exceed last year’s total.
Harvesting is already underway, with operators supplying firewood to Yukon homes for winter. Reported harvest volumes are already approaching the total harvested in all of 2025 with more than two months of the year remaining.
The Government of Yukon is working with First Nations, communities, industry and the Yukon Wood Products Association to open new harvest areas, support local operators and improve access to timber for Yukoners. Additional projects are being developed to expand summer harvesting opportunities.
The Government of Yukon also announced in June that it is working with the Yukon Wood Products Association to provide and subsidize pre-harvest migratory bird survey training for harvesters to support additional summer operations.
Additional funding is also being directed toward winter road maintenance and improving all-season access to harvesting areas.
Increasing access to timber and forest resources is a key mandate commitment of the Yukon government.
Yukon harvesters need access to more timber and less time waiting for permits. We are delivering on both. By opening new harvest areas and speeding up approvals we are helping local operators get more firewood to Yukon homes. This is about making it easier to harvest timber, supporting local jobs and keeping Yukoners supplied through winter. We know there is more work to do and are committed to continuous improvement. In less than a year we have demonstrated what is possible.
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Crooked Creek and Cabin Creek each have approximately 19,000 cubic metres of wood available over the next 10 years. Harvesters can contact the Forest Management Branch to apply for permits in these areas.
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The Government of Yukon has submitted the larger Poison Lake project to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) Executive Committee for review. This is an important step toward developing a longer-term timber harvest opportunity in the Watson Lake area.
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New projects that allow for summer harvesting are in development. They will be submitted to YESAB in the coming months and may be ready in 2027.
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As of October 13, 2026, the Forest Management Branch has issued commercial fuel wood permits for operators to harvest up to 53,324 cubic metres. This volume has already exceeded full-year totals for commercial fuel wood for 2021–23 and 2025 and is approaching 2024 levels.
- The Crooked Creek salvage timber harvest operation south of Stewart Crossing has areas for both personal use firewood and commercial woodcutters. Harvesting may occur in all seasons when the ground is dry or frozen.
- The Cabin Creek salvage timber project northwest of Watson Lake offers fire-killed spruce and pine for fuel wood and saw logs. Harvesting is almost year-round except during spring break-up.
- Cabin Creek will supply harvesters until the larger Poison Lake burn can be assessed. As required due to the proposed plan’s larger size, Poison Lake is under YESAB Executive Committee review, which is a longer assessment process.
- Over the past five years, 16 timber harvesting projects have completed environmental assessment, representing more than 500,000 cubic metres of timber evaluated for potential harvest.
- Timber harvest plans help ensure the sustainable use of forests. In the Yukon these plans cover landscape units ranging from 5,000 hectares to around 300,000 hectares.
- The Yukon has more than 70 businesses employing people across the territory who harvest and sell wood to Yukoners and Yukon businesses.
- The Forest Resources Act and Regulation guides timber harvest planning and timber tenure in the Yukon. These plans are typically subject to assessment under the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Act and Regulations.
- The Government of Yukon is required to consult with affected First Nations and engage with the public on timber harvesting projects.
Tim Kucharuk
Press secretary, Cabinet Communications
867-335-2419
[email protected]
Patti Flather
Communications, Energy Mines and Resources
867-667-3123
[email protected]