Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) affirms 367 million hectares (Mha) of forest across Canada, comprising approximately 34.8% of Canada’s land. This is 15 times the size of all the Great Lakes put together. Canadians expect a lot from our forests, from biodiversity, recreation, carbon storage, and water filtration to building materials, employment opportunities, and cultural identity. Nearly 94% of the forests are on public land (90% provinces/territories, 4% federal, 6%+ private ownership), enabling governments to regulate harvesting practices and land-use planning legislation. Approximately 45% is managed for forestry.  In some parts of Canada, more forest is coming under Indigenous jurisdiction as land claims are settled.

Coniferous trees comprise 68% of our forests, deciduous trees 11%, and the rest is a mix. Conifers are more plentiful, but deciduous trees are more diverse. The Canadian Forest Service provides carbon estimates from land use and managed forests. Emission releases have seen fewer removals over the last two decades, showing a decline in net removals—from a peak of -68 Mt of CO2e in 1991 to -51 Mt of CO2e in 2022.

NRCan reports that since 1990, less than half of 1% of our forests have been deforested. A recent (September) Reuter’s report shows that Canadian primary and old-growth woodlands over the last two decades continue to be cut. Ontario shows 30% of trees harvested from 2016-2020 were at least 100 years old, and British Columbia’s old-growth forests have been reduced by more than 50% over the last two decades. A subset of these woodlands most attractive to logging companies has declined by an estimated 85%. And over the last two decades, 878,000 acres have been set aside for open-pit mines, drilling sites, and pipelines for Alberta’s oil sands.

In August, NRCan announced that 6,623 wildland fires burned more than 15 Mha of Canada’s managed forests in 2023. According to the National Forestry Database, over 8,000 fires occur yearly and burn an average of over 2.1 Mha. Lightning causes about 50% of all fires but accounts for about 85% of the annual area burned. The Canadian Climate Institute notes that hotter, drier summers are increasingly the norm, and minimizing the number and severity of forest fires requires more monitoring and fire suppression to limit fire size. The cost of fighting wildfires in Canada has already increased to over $1 billion annually in recent years and is expected to increase further with the acceleration of climate change.

Canada’s last NDC update (2021) described itself as investing heavily to help sequester and store carbon, achieving co-benefits for biodiversity, and investing more than $3 billion over 10 years to plant two billion trees. The NDC update also mentions funding for Indigenous communities toward the biodiversity crisis, climate change, and job creation.

Regarding policy, in 2021, Canada joined over 100 other nations at COP26 to end and reverse deforestation by 2030. In 2024, Canada introduced Bill C-73, the Nature Accountability Bill, to establish an accountability framework and biodiversity strategies like the 2030 Nature Strategy. Canada’s National Adaptation Strategy is a blueprint to reduce the risk of climate-related disasters and protect nature and biodiversity. Sustainable forest management drives practices to balance diverse values in forest ecosystems, communities, and economies through forest regeneration, growth, and harvesting to produce long-lived wood products. Residues can be used to make biofuels. Typically, forest management plans are 5–10 years in length.

The Climate Scorecard identified various agencies working to protect forests. We mention Nature Conservancy Canada’s emphasis on old-growth forests.

We ask that readers contact them to campaign vigorously for C-73, the Nature Accountability Bill, and Canada’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Contact

Catherine Grenier, Nature Conservancy of Canada, President and Chief Executive Officer    Toll-free: 1-877-231-3552,   Email nature@natureconservancy.ca

This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard Canada Country Manager Diane Szoller.