Yukon government expanding all-season timber harvest opportunities

Press Release

June 2, 2026

The Government of Yukon is taking steps to expand all-season timber harvesting opportunities across the territory and improve access for Yukon harvesters.

The Department of Energy, Mines and Resources has reviewed existing timber harvest plans to identify areas where additional summer and all-season harvesting may be possible.

There are currently summer harvesting opportunities available in most forest management districts. Three projects that support summer harvesting have recently been developed:

• Bear Creek II near Haines Junction;
• Silver City near Haines Junction; and
• Partridge Creek near Mayo.

As well, an access road has also been built into the Mummie Pup Timber Harvest Plan near Dawson to improve access for summer harvesting.

Additional projects are also moving through assessment processes and are expected to provide future opportunities. These projects include Crooked Creek, Cabin Creek and Macintosh East H.

The Government of Yukon is also 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.

Summer timber harvesting requires careful planning and oversight to reduce the potential for wildfire risk, soil damage and wildlife disturbance. The Government of Yukon is continuing work to review soil standards, develop fire season operating guidelines and identify mitigation measures that could support operations during periods of seasonal wildlife use.

Commercial harvesters and the public can also access the new Forest Sector Overview online resource to view timber harvest planning information, forestry projects and harvest opportunities across the territory.

The Government of Yukon will continue working with First Nations, industry and the Yukon Wood Products Association to develop new timber harvesting projects and support existing operations throughout the territory.

Yukon harvesters have told us they want more flexibility and more certainty around access to timber. We’ve heard that feedback and we are taking practical steps to expand opportunities where it can be done responsibly. There is no single switch we can flip to remove seasonal restrictions overnight but where we can create more flexibility, we are doing that work. We know there is interest in extending harvesting seasons and our focus is on practical, workable changes that help support the forestry sector while continuing to meet environmental and regulatory requirements.

Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources Ted Laking

Quick facts

• There are summer harvesting opportunities in most Yukon forest districts.
• The Forest Sector Overview provides a range of information, including all timber harvest plans approved in the past decade and in development, as well as annual harvest volumes and wood supply plans by district.
• The new timber harvest projects for 2026, which allow for summer harvesting, are: Bear Creek II (Haines Junction); Silver City Community Fuel Abatement (Haines Junction); Partridge Creek (Mayo); and Mummie Pup (Dawson).
• Three summer harvest projects are newly approved. The fourth, Mummie Pup, is an older timber harvest project.

Backgrounder

• The Dempster Timber Harvest Plan (Dawson) was also developed in 2026; this project does not offer summer harvesting.
• There are approximately 20,000 cubic metres of wood in total available in these four plans.
• The four timber harvest plans currently under assessment with the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) are: Cabin Creek (Watson Lake); Macintosh East H (Haines Junction); Crooked Creek (Mayo); and Copper Haul Road Fuel Abatement (Whitehorse).
• Seasonal harvesting restrictions remain in place on several projects, such as Quill Creek, because the constraints are embedded in both the timber harvest plans and the YESAB decision. Seasonal restrictions may be put in place for a variety of reasons, including wildfire risk, wildlife protections, environmental conditions and other factors.
• Over the past two years, we have assessed a total of eight timber harvesting plans. These projects provide approximately 130,000 cubic metres of wood for commercial operators and are primarily winter harvesting opportunities.
• Timber harvest plans help ensure the sustainable use of forests. In the Yukon these plans cover landscape units ranging from hundreds of 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.

Media contact

Tim Kucharuk
Press secretary, Cabinet Communications
867-335-2419
tim.kucharuk@yukon.ca

Patti Flather
Communications, Energy, Mines and Resources
867-667-3123
patti.flather@yukon.ca

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