The Department of Natural Resources is a department in the Government of New Brunswick, Canada. It is responsible for management of the Province's forests including timber utilization, trail management, insect and disease protection including spruce budworm and gypsy moth, fire protection, management of the fish and wildlife resources and the issuing of hunting and angling licences, management of mineral and hydrocarbon resources and associated support services including oil and natural gas development and production, geological surveys, management of Crown lands, including natural areas, plus oversee the delivery of the First Nations wood harvesting program.
The department, or a minister responsible for this area, has existed in one form or another since 1793. The Cabinet Minister responsible for the department was originally known as the Surveyor-General and later as Minister of Lands and Mines, Minister of Natural Resources, and also Minister of Natural Resources & Energy.
| # | Minister | Term |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | John Saunders | May 3, 1793 – October 19, 1824 |
| 2. | Thomas Baillie | October 19, 1824 – September 1851 |
| 3. | Robert Duncan Wilmot | September 1851 – November 1, 1854 |
| 4. | John Montgomery | July 29, 1856 – June 9, 1857 |
| 5. | James Brown | June 1, 1857 – July 26, 1861 |
| 6. | John McMillan | July 26, 1861 – April 5, 1865 |
| 7. | Bliss Botsford | April 5, 1865 – April 14, 1866 |
| 8. | Charles Connell | July 10, 1866 – July 17, 1867 |
| 9. | Richard Sutton | July 17, 1867 – February 13, 1869 |
| 10. | William P. Flewelling | February 13, 1869 – October 1870 |
| 11. | William Lindsay | October 1870 – February 22, 1871 |
| 12. | Benjamin R. Stephenson | February 22, 1871 -July 6, 1878 |
| 13. | Michael Adams | July 13, 1878 – February 26, 1883 |
| 14. | James Mitchell | March 3, 1883 – February 3, 1890 |
| 15. | L. J. Tweedie | February 3, 1890 – July 17, 1896 |
| 16. | Albert T. Dunn | July 17, 1896 – March 28, 1904 |
| 17. | L. J. Tweedie (acting) | March 1904 – ? |
| 18. | Francis J. Sweeney | 1904 – 1908? |
| 19. | W.C.H. Grimmer | March 24, 1908 – October 16, 1911 |
| 20. | James K. Flemming | October 16, 1911 – December 6, 1914 |
| 21. | James A. Murray | ? |
| 22. | George J. Clarke | December 17, 1914 – February 1, 1917 |
| 23. | Arthur R. Slipp | February 2, 1917 – April 1, 1917 |
| 24. | Ernest A. Smith | April 4, 1917 – September 14, 1920 |
| 25. | Clifford W. Robinson | October 1, 1920 – 1923 |
| 26. | Judson E. Hetherington | ? |
| 27. | Peter J. Veniot | May 6, 1924 – ? |
| 28. | A. Allison Dysart | July 10, 1925 – September 14, 1925 |
| 29. | Charles D. Richards | September 14, 1925 – May 18, 1931 |
| 30. | L. P. D. Tilley | June 1, 1933 – July 16, 1935 |
| 31. | Frederick W. Pirie | July 16, 1935 – April 18, 1945 |
| 32. | John B. McNair | ? |
| 33. | Richard J. Gill | May 1946 – October 8, 1952 |
| 34. | Norman B. Buchanan | October 8, 1952 – July 12, 1960 |
| 35. | Graham Crocker | July 12, 1960 – May 13, 1965 |
| 36. | Daniel A. Riley | May 13, 1965 – January 26, 1966 |
| 37. | William R. Duffie | March 21, 1966 – November 12, 1970 |
| 38. | Wilfred G. Bishop | November 12, 1970 – July 18, 1972 |
| 39. | A. Edison Stairs | July 18, 1972 – December 3, 1974 |
| 40. | Roland Boudreau | December 3, 1974 – November 21, 1978 |
| 41. | J. W. "Bud" Bird | November 21, 1978 – June 10, 1982 |
| 42. | Edwin G. Allen | June 10, 1982 – October 30, 1982 |
| 43. | Gerald Merrithew | October 30, 1982 – August 3, 1984 |
| 44. | Malcolm MacLeod | February 13, 1985 – October 27, 1987 |
| 45. | Morris V. Green | October 27, 1987 – August 31, 1991 |
| 46. | Alan R. Graham | August 31, 1991 – May 14, 1998 |
| 47. | Doug Tyler | May 14, 1998 – June 21, 1999 |
| 48. | Jeannot Volpé | June 21, 1999 – June 27, 2003 |
| 49. | Keith Ashfield | June 27, 2003 – September 18, 2006 |
| 50. | Donald Arseneault | September 18, 2006 – November 12, 2008 |
| 51. | R. Wallis (Wally) Stiles | November 12, 2008 – October 12, 2010 |
| 52. | Bruce Northrup | October 12, 2010 – present |