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forests of Canada

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File:Canada by percent of Forest Cover.png

The forests of Canada are located across much of the country. Approximately half of Canada is covered by forest, totaling around {{cvt|2.4|sqkm||disp=preunit|million }}.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/datablog/2009/sep/02/total-forest-area-by-country|title=Total forest coverage by country|date=2 September 2009|website=the Guardian|accessdate=23 September 2018}} Over 90% of Canada's forests are owned by the public (Crown land and Provincial forest). About half of the forests are allocated for logging.

Named forests are found within eight distinct regions. These forests may also be part of ecosystems, a number of which extend south into the United States. For example, the Northern hardwood forest is an ecosystem located in large areas of southeastern and south central Canada as well as in Ontario and Quebec. The Great Lakes region includes white pine, hemlock and red maples, yellow birch, and beech trees. The Maritime region is dominated by the red spruce, while the black spruce is prevalent in the eastern Laurentian, with spruce in the western Laurentian. The balsam fir, white cedar tamarack, white birch, and aspen and jack pine are also found in the eastern portion of the country. The tundra is home to the aspen, bur oak, balm of Gilead, cottonwood and balsam poplar. The west coast has the western hemlock, red cedar, Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, and western white pine being dominate. The Rocky Mountain region consistent of alpine fir, Engelmann spruce, lodgepole pine and mountain hemlock.

Ontario alone makes up for 20% of Canada's Forests, which equates to roughly 2% of the forests in the world.{{Cite web |title=State of Ontario's Natural Resources - Forest 2021 |url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/state-ontarios-natural-resources-forest-2021#:~:text=Ontario%20is%2066%25%20forested%20and,and%2020%25%20of%20Canada's%20forests.}} Ontario follows strict laws and regulations to manage its forests in a sustainable way. Ontario Forests are mainly managed by the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (NDMNRF).{{Cite web |title=Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry |url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-northern-development-mines-natural-resources-forestry}} They ensure a fair trade between sustaining the forest, while protecting the biodiversity of the ecosystem and providing legal methods for harvesting to benefit the economy.

Statistics

File:Share-global-forest (OWID 1011).png

Canada possesses 367 million hectares (ha) of forest, which constitutes 9% of the global forest area and 25% of the worldwide boreal forest. As of 2022, 72% of the Crown forest land under management in Canada is certified according to third-party sustainable forest management standards. Approximately 10% of Canada’s forests are designated as protected areas (2022).{{cite web | title=THE STATE OF CANADA'S FORESTS - Annual Report 2023 |publisher =library and archives Canada Canadian Forest Service| url=https://natural-resources.canada.ca/sites/nrcan/files/forest/sof2023/NRCAN_SofForest_Annual_2023_EN_accessible-vf(1).pdf | access-date=2025-01-15}}

The forest sector in Canada contributed $33. 4 billion (1. 2%) to the nation’s nominal GDP in 2022. In the same year, this sector employed 212,660 individuals, with average annual earnings estimated at $51,900 (2022).

Protection

The protection of Canada’s forests is reinforced through robust legislation and regulations at the federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal levels. Sustainable forest management (SFM) represents a collaborative initiative involving all tiers of government, industry stakeholders, and the general public. Numerous key federal statutes underpin the objectives of SFM, including the:

  • Forestry Act
  • Species at Risk Act
  • Migratory Birds Convention Act
  • Fisheries Act
  • Impact Assessment Act
  • Canadian Environmental Protection Act
  • Pest Control Products Act
  • Fertilizers Act

The Species at Risk Act plays a critical role in Canada’s strategy to safeguard biodiversity, having been established to fulfill Canada’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Biodiversity.

Regions

File:Taiga Landscape in Canada.jpg in Quebec]]

The forests of Canada are located within eight regions:{{cite web |url=https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/forests/measuring-reporting/classification/13179 |title=Forest classification |publisher=Natural Resources Canada |date=14 June 2017 |accessdate=24 September 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/forest-regions|title=Forest Regions - The Canadian Encyclopedia|website=www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca}}

  • Acadian Forest Region - This region comprises a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion located in Quebec as well as the Maritime Provinces in Eastern Canada, and extends into the United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/50410.htm|title=New England/Acadian Forests|website=www.cas.vanderbilt.edu}}
  • Boreal Forest Region - This the largest forest region in Canada. It is located in the north and contains about one third of the world's circumpolar boreal forests.
  • Coast Forest Region - Located on the west coast, this region almost entirely comprises coniferous trees including the Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar.
  • Columbia Forest Region - Also mostly comprising coniferous trees, this region is located between the Rocky Mountains and the central plateau in British Columbia.
  • Deciduous Forest Region - This region is located between Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario.{{cite web|url=https://www.sfmcanada.org/en/canada-s-forests|title=Canada's Forests - Sustainability and Management - CCFM|website=www.sfmcanada.org|access-date=2018-09-23|archive-date=2021-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301200452/https://www.sfmcanada.org/en/canada-s-forests|url-status=dead}}
  • Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest - This region is the second largest (the boreal being the largest), and is located from southeastern Manitoba to the Gaspé Peninsula.
  • Montane Forest Region - Located in the west of Canada, this region covers parts of the Kootenays, the central plateau of British Columbia, and a number of valleys close to Alberta's border.
  • Subalpine Forest Region - This region is located in British Columbia and Alberta. It covers the Rocky Mountains from the west coast to Alberta's uplands.

By Province

{{See also|Ecozones of Canada|List of ecoregions in Canada (WWF)}}

The following is a list of forests, ecoregions, ecozones, forested parklands and provincial parks.

=Alberta=

File:SummitLake.JPG]]

=British Columbia=

File:Garibaldi National Park - Garibaldi Mountain.jpg]]

{{See also|List of forest regions and districts of British Columbia}}

=Manitoba=

{{See also|Provincial forests (Manitoba)}}

File:Ben Eoin Provincial Park Hemlock Grove.JPG]]

=Newfoundland=

=Nova Scotia=

=Ontario=

File:PinusResinosa.JPG]]

=Prince Edward Island=

=Quebec=

File:Northwoods 2.jpg]]

=Saskatchewan=

File:QuakingAspenSK.jpg]]

{{See also|List of Saskatchewan provincial forests}}

=Yukon=

Other forest areas

File:Northern Hardwood Forest (1) (21178820598).jpg]]

=Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests=

{{wide image|Niagara Glen Nature Reserve - view of Niagara River.jpg|600px|alt=View of Niagara River from Niagara Glen Nature Reserve|align-cap=center|A view of the Niagara River from Niagara Glen Nature Reserve, surrounded by forest|100%|left}}

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See also

References

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{{Statistics Canada}}

External links

  • {{Commons category-inline|Forests in Canada}}

{{North America topic|Forests of}}

{{Canada topics}}