2. About the berry..
• Native to Western Canada (Saskatoon, Saskatewan)
• Indigenous peoples traditionally used Saskatoons as a major
food source, pounding the berries into a thick paste that was
spread on mats to slowly dry into a form that could be stored
over the winter.
• The saskatoon is also an important food source for wildlife
during the winter season
3. Problems..
• Wild Saskatoon berries are under serious threat in Western Canada due to
loss of habitat caused by housing and industrial development.
• As the plants are lost, so is the historical knowledge and practice of
gathering the berries carried out for generations by First Nations people.
• Protecting the wild Saskatoon berry is important not only for the
continued existence of the plant itself but also, perhaps more
importantly, for the continued existence of the historical knowledge and
practices associated with the gathering of this wild food.
• Saskatoons are subject to attacks from many different insect .
• Damage from diseases to the plant and fruit are a significant limiting
factor in the production of saskatoons. The limited availability of
fungicides for use on saskatoons makes disease control difficult
4. What is being done?
• Saskatoons are a new crop and a market must be cultivated.
• Renovation of the orchard usually will commence as the
orchard reaches maturity (generally within six to ten years).
The purpose of renovation is to promote new shoot
development, remove diseased, dead or otherwise non-
productive trees (to be replaced with new cultivars) and
provide for space and accessibility for harvest.
