Forest management and disturbances

Timber harvest

This section compares the total amount of wood harvested with the sustainable wood supply. To ensure that forests can continue to provide timber, harvests must remain within sustainable limits. The sustainable wood supply is defined as the potential volume of timber which can be harvested sustainably as determined by a complex analysis of ecological, economic, and social considerations. The volume of wood harvested should remain at or below the sustainable wood supply, and it is usually well below these limits.

Annual timber harvest compared to the sustainable wood supply

Key results

In 2021:

• Canada's sustainable wood supply was approximately 215 million cubic metres
• the amount of industrial roundwood harvested in 2021 was 147 million cubic metres, which represents approximately 68% of the sustainable wood supply 

Maximum sustainable wood supply and annual harvest of industrial roundwood, Canada, 1990 to 2021

How this indicator was calculated

Note: Sustainable wood supply data presented are for industrial roundwood only. Harvested industrial roundwood is intended to be delivered to a mill (for example, logs and bolts, and pulpwood) and also includes poles and pilings.
Source: Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (2024) National Forestry Database.

The annual harvest of industrial roundwood reached a peak of 208 million cubic metres in 2004, declined to a low of 116 million cubic metres in 2009, then increased to reach approximately 147 million cubic metres in 2021. This pattern is mostly the result of economic factors, such as the collapse in the United States housing market in 2008 and subsequent global economic downturn that led to reduced demands for Canadian lumber and pulp and paper products. The 2021 increase in harvest is mostly attributable to net increases in timber volumes harvested in British Columbia and Quebec. Both the estimated wood supply and the volume of wood harvested fluctuate in response to a wide range of ecological, social and economic factors. Changes in wood supply are largely a result of adjustments in provincial forest management objectives, such as, decreases in order to conserve animal habitat or increases to harvest insect-damaged wood. Comparing the amount of timber harvested to the estimated sustainable wood supply is one way to track forest management.

Canada is committed to sustainable forest management, which is defined as "management that maintains and enhances the long-term health of forest ecosystems for the benefit of all living things while providing environmental, economic, social and cultural opportunities for present and future generations."^{Footnote 2} In practice, sustainable forest management means ensuring that forests provide a broad range of goods and services over the long term. Therefore, forest managers plan for harvest levels that ensure the long-term sustainability of environmental, economic and social objectives for the managed forest.

Forest disturbances

Number of forest fires and area burned

Key results

• In 2022, Canada experienced an estimated 5 639 fires that burned approximately 16 543 square kilometres of forest
• While the number of fires and area burned fluctuate year over year, Canada experienced a peak in 1998 for number of fires and in 1995 for area burned with a low in 2020 for both number of fires and area burned

Number of forest fires by region, Canada, 1990 to 2022

How this indicator was calculated

Note: Data include fires of known and unknown or indeterminable origin. The Territories region includes Yukon and Northwest Territories. Nunavut was not included as they are not a part of the data sharing agreement with Natural Resources Canada. The Prairies region includes Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The Atlantic region includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Totals for 2022 do not include all forest fires taking place in national parks as they have not been reallocated to the appropriate provinces and territories.
Source: Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (2024) National Forestry Database.

Area burned by forest fires by region, Canada, 1990 to 2022

How this indicator was calculated

Note: Data include fires of known and unknown or indeterminable origin. The Territories region includes Yukon and Northwest Territories. Nunavut was not included as they are not a part of the data sharing agreement with Natural Resources Canada. The Prairies region includes Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The Atlantic region includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Totals for 2022 do not include all forest fires taking place in national parks as they have not been reallocated to the appropriate provinces and territories.
Source: Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (2024) National Forestry Database.

Forest fires are a natural part of the forest ecosystem and are important for maintaining the health and diversity of the forest. Fire is the primary means of environmental change in the boreal zone and is as crucial to forest renewal as the sun and rain. Forest fires release valuable nutrients stored in the debris on the forest floor. They open the forest canopy to sunlight, which stimulates new growth.^{Footnote 3} However, they can also result in costly economic and environmental losses and public health and safety concerns by directly threatening communities and infrastructure or reducing visibility and air quality through smoke. The expected hotter and drier conditions as a result of climate change may result in more frequent and severe forest fires in Canada.^{Footnote 1}

The total area burned varies widely from year to year, but averages about 25 000 square kilometres annually. Only 3% of all wildland fires that start each year in Canada grow to more than 2 square kilometres in area. However, these fires account for 97% of the total area burned across the country.^{Footnote 4}  In 2021, about 3 090, or 46% of forest fires across Canada were caused by human activity. This resulted in approximately 5 500 square kilometres of forest burned, representing nearly 14% of the total area burned nationally.^{Footnote 5} 

Area disturbed by insects

Key results

• In 2021, approximately 160 000 square kilometres of Canadian forests were disturbed (including beetle-killed trees) by insects

Area disturbed by insects, Canada, 1990 to 2021

How this indicator was calculated

Note: Includes beetle-killed trees. Trees that suffer moderate to severe defoliation are those on which 30% or more of the current foliage has been removed.
Source: Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (2024) National Forestry Database.

Canada's forests are home to thousands of species of native and introduced insects. Most of the time, these species contribute a vital role to the normal functioning of forest ecosystems as prey for other species or by recycling nutrients back into the forest.^{Footnote 1} Only a small number of insect species kill trees and damage forests. This can occur when insect populations experience outbreaks over vast areas. Disturbance, or defoliation, is the removal of all or most of a plant's leaves by natural disturbance agents (for example, insects) or through the actions of humans (for example, the application of herbicides). These impacts can reduce Canada's timber supply and influence the functioning of forest ecosystems, which can in turn affect carbon stocks, increase fire risk and reduce the recreational and non-timber uses of forests.

Estimated total area of annual deforestration

Key results

• In 2021, an estimated 505 square kilometres of forest were converted to non-forest uses
  • This is due to deforestation from the agriculture, forestry, mining, oil and gas, built-up (for example industrial development and golf courses), and hydroelectric sectors 

Estimated total area of annual deforestation, Canada, 1990 to 2021

How this indicator was calculated

Source: Natural Resources Canada (2024) State of Canada's Forest Annual Report.

Deforestation is the permanent clearing of forests to make way for new, non-forest land uses, such as agriculture or urban expansion. The annual estimated area of deforestation in Canada has declined steadily from about 640 square kilometres in 1990, to about 505 square kilometres in 2021. Two (2) spikes in the overall declining trend occurred in 1993 and 2006. These were due to forest flooding for the development of hydroelectric reservoirs. As of 2021, agricultural expansion continues to be the main driver of deforestation in Canada with 224 square kilometers being converted.

Forest regeneration

This section presents the total area of land that was regenerated by planting and seeding, as well as the number of seedlings planted in Canada between 1990 and 2021.

Key results

In 2021,

• approximately 4 435 square kilometres were planted with around 625 million seedlings
• approximately 85 square kilometres were seeded

Area planted and seeded, Canada, 1990 to 2021

How this indicator was calculated

Note: These data may include area planted and area of direct seeding under the Government of Canada's commitment to plant 2 billion trees.
Source: Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (2024) National Forestry Database.

Successful regeneration ensures that harvested areas return to a forested state so that they can continue to produce timber and maintain ecosystem services, such as regulating water and providing habitat for wild species. In all provinces and territories, tree regeneration is mandatory on Crown lands after harvesting activities.^{Footnote 1}  Both area planted and number of seedlings planted are near 10-year highs. These higher levels are mostly due to higher rates of planting in British Columbia in recent years.

About the indicator

What the indicator measures

This indicator is not a single measure of the state of forests in Canada, but rather presents a series of measures that provide an overall picture of their condition. The specific measures used in this indicator are:

• Timber harvest
  • Maximum sustainable wood supply and annual harvest of industrial roundwood
• Forest disturbances
  • Number of forest fires and area burned
  • Area disturbed by insects
  • Estimated total area of annual deforestation
• Forest regeneration:
  • Area planted and seeded

Why this indicator is important

In addition to their economic value as an important natural resource, Canada's forests constitute important ecosystems, home to about 180 native tree species across the country, as well as a great variety of plants, insects, fungi, birds, mosses, lichens and more. Of the 426 bird species that breed in Canada, about one-third depend on forests to survive. Forest characteristics such as age, composition and structure influence what species are able to thrive in Canada's forests. These forest characteristics are primarily driven by forest disturbances. Disturbances can be of natural origin, such as forest fires ignited by lightning, ice storms, and native insect outbreaks and diseases. They can also be human-induced, such as forest logging, land-use change and invasive pest outbreaks.

Canadian forests are well adapted to natural disturbances, but climate change is altering the frequency, severity and size of disturbances and facilitating the movement of forest pests. The increase in disturbances may transform forest composition. For example, the anticipated increase in fire frequency and severity may benefit some species that could take advantage of the new conditions (for example, pines, white birch and red oaks), while other species could decline (for example, sugar maple, American beech and eastern hemlock). The rate of climate change in Canada also means that some tree species will not migrate quickly enough to maintain viable populations. Cumulatively, these affects will impact forest-dependent communities and make the lives of people in these areas more precarious through increasing frequency and severity of fires leading to greater needs to evacuate communities and a lower sustainable wood supply that can affect jobs in these areas.

Forests are a vital part of the constant movement of carbon from the land and water through the atmosphere and living organisms, both storing and releasing this essential element in a dynamic process of growth, decay, disturbance, and renewal.^{Footnote 6} Land use activities (such as timber harvesting and land conversion) as well as natural disturbances (such as forest fires and insect infestations) result in greenhouse gas emissions. Land use activities can also result in greenhouse gas removals. For example, as forests recover, carbon is removed from the atmosphere and converted into wood by trees. In 2020, natural disturbances (such as wildfires and insect infestations) accounted for emissions of about 8.8 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO₂ eq) and human activities (such as timber harvesting and agricultural activities) accounted for removals of 6.3 Mt CO₂ eq. For more detailed information on this specific issue see the Land-based greenhouse gas emissions and removals indicator from the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators Program.

The forest sector is also an important contributor to Canada’s economy, serving as a key source of prosperity for people and communities across the country. The Canadian forest sector has traditionally manufactured products such as lumber, panels, wood pulp, newsprint and other printing and writing papers. However, new non-traditional products are added to the forest sector’s repertoire each year to meet the needs and demands of our ever-changing world. The forest sector serves as an important source of economic opportunity for people and communities, employing Canadians from every province and territory except Nunavut. The economic contributions from the sector are particularly important in many rural, remote and Indigenous communities, where forest-related work is often the main source of income.^{Footnote 7} In 2022, direct employment in the sector decreased slightly to approximately 212 660 people.^{Footnote 1} 

Related intitiatives

The timber harvest portion of this indicator tracks progress on the 2022 to 2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy, supporting the target: "Between 2023 and 2026, Canada's sustainable wood supply level (guided by sustainable forest management policies to reflect the current unique social, environmental and economic characteristics of managed forests), exceeds the annual timber harvests”.

In addition, the indicator contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It is linked to Goal 15, Life on land and Target 15.2, "By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally."

The indicator also contributes towards reporting on Target 10 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework: “Ensure that areas under agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry are managed sustainably, in particular through the sustainable use of biodiversity, including through a substantial increase of the application of biodiversity friendly practices, such as sustainable intensification, agroecological and other innovative approaches contributing to the resilience and long-term efficiency and productivity of these production systems and to food security, conserving and restoring biodiversity and maintaining nature's contributions to people, including ecosystem functions and services.”

Along with 11 other countries, Canada is a member of the Montréal Process, an international working group of northern and southern hemisphere nations committed to sustainable forest management. Since 1995, the Montréal Process member countries have used a common set of science-based criteria and indicators to measure progress toward the conservation and sustainable management of 90% of the world's boreal and temperate forests.

Data sources and methods

Data sources

The data for the Sustainable forest indicators comes from two main sources; Canadian Council of Forest Ministers National Forestry Database and the State of Canada's Forest Annual Report from Natural Resources Canada.

Methods

Data from the National Forestry Database and the State of Canada's Forest Annual Report are used in this indicator. The only changes to the data are converting units to square kilometres where appropriate. There are no custom views of the data or additional data sets.

In line with the internationally agreed upon definition from the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization, forests in Canada are defined as land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 metres and a canopy cover of more than 10% or trees able to reach these thresholds in their original habitat. This may also include treed areas, land cover where 10% or more of the area is covered in tree species of any size, and non-treed areas, for example, areas that have recently been harvested and that are temporarily unstocked. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.^{Footnote 8} 

Recent changes

This indicator has undergone significant changes in its scope since its last publication in August 2022. The changes made aim to provide a better sense of the state of Canadian forests. To this end, measures have been added alongside the latest timber harvest data, including information related to regeneration and disturbances. 

Caveats and limitations

Area measurements used in this indicator are shown in square kilometers, where they may appear in hectares in other sources.

Resources

References

Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (2020) National Forestry Database, Collaborators. Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (2021) National Forestry Database, Wood Supply. Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (2022) National Forestry Database. Retrieved on June 23, 2022.

Canada's National Forest Inventory (2016) Canada's National Forest Inventory. Retrieved on January 16, 2024.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2023) Global Forest Resources Assessments. Retrieved July 20, 2023.

Government of Prince Edward Island (2019) Public Lands. Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

Natural Resources Canada (2017) Forestry in Canada. Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

Natural Resources Canada (2020) Criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management in Canada, National Status 2005. Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

Natural Resources Canada (2020) Forestry Glossary. Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

Natural Resources Canada (2021) Forests and forestry. Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

Natural Resources Canada (2022) Sustainable forest management. Retrieved on September 8, 2023.

Natural Resources Canada (2023) Why forests need fires, insects and diseases. Retrieved on January 30, 2024.

Natural Resources Canada (2024) Forest fires. Retrieved on March 25, 2024.

Natural Resources Canada (2024) Statistical data. Retrieved on March 8, 2024.

Natural Resources Canada (2024) The State of Canada’s Forests Annual Report. Retrieved on March 25, 2024.

SGS Belgium S.A. (2014) Forest Sustainability in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada (PDF; 2.59 MB). Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

SGS Belgium S.A. (2018) Forest Sustainability in the province of New Brunswick, Canada (PDF; 1.85 MB). Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

SGS Belgium S.A./NV (2018) Forest Sustainability in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada (PDF; 1.53 MB). Retrieved on May 5, 2022.

United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (2023) Global Forest Resources Assessments. Retrieved on July 20, 2023.