Forests in the Central Okanagan are part of the Okanagan Shuswap Forest District, which is one of 29 Districts in the Province. Fifty-seven Ministry of Forests staff located in Vernon, Penticton and Salmon Arm provide stewardship over diverse forest and range ecosystems in the Okanagan, Lower Similkameen and Shuswap drainages.

The area is one of the most ecologically complex areas in the province and covers approximately 2.25 million hectares. The area is approximately 320 km long by 140 km wide and stretches from the U.S. border in the south to Seymour River/Shuswap Lake in the north. The area consists of roughly 1.4 million hectares of forest land, of which 73% is available for harvest.

Vegetation ranges from wet interior hemlock/cedar forests to semi-arid sagebrush. Lodgepole Pine and Douglas-fir are the dominant tree species. The area has seven biogeoclimatic zones and is home to numerous endangered, threatened or vulnerable species.

The forest products industry is facing challenging times; Reduced demand for softwood lumber south of the border, low lumber prices, high Canadian dollar and supply issues stemming from the pine beetle epidemic have led to some job losses at Okanagan operations.