Why forestry is important to canada

This category is made up of large forests owned by the forest sector and small, private woodlots, often family-owned. Both private and public forests contribute to the forest products sector. In the U. They typically own smaller forests average 66 acres. Other private forests include conservation and natural resource organization owned forest, unincorporated partnerships and associations, and Native American tribal lands.

State and locally owned forests make up the remaining public owned forestland. Trees in the U. The U. The demand for forest products requires that forests are healthy and well-managed. Therefore, demand for forest products can also motivate forest stewardship, when companies recognize the need to maintain forests to support their industry, meet growing demand, and address the need for sustainability in supply chains.

At the same time the U. Both the U. This occurs in both wilderness areas and parks managed by federal, regional and local programs and local land trusts, as well as areas inside of managed, working forests that are set aside, or otherwise specifically managed for conservation outcomes, effectively ensuring biodiversity and other benefits at a continental scale.

Working forests also provide goods and services that are not necessarily generating of revenue, including quality of life, biodiversity, water, clean air, carbon sequestration, etc. Responsible Forest Management, which can also be called Sustainable Forestry, is a critical component of ensuring forests can meet commercial as well as environmental and social needs. Deforestation occurs when forests are permanently converted to other land uses.

This conversion means that the multiple values and environmental services produced by forests are lost. Many countries in the world outside of the U. This is particularly important when those managed forests are harvested under assurances of long-term sustainability. Responsible Forest Management also does not include illegal production, and logging that occurs in places without strong laws.

Real deforestation occurs when forests are converted to other land uses, such that the multitude of values emanating from that forest, from biodiversity and water filtration to the unfulfilled value of future products and recreation, are forever lost from the realm of opportunity.

Outside the U. D eveloping nations have a challenge of balancing the needs of responsible forestry and the needs for agriculture to feed a growing populations and create economic opportunities. Mining, infrastructure and urban expansion are also important drivers in many of these countries.

In sub tropical Asia, conversion of natural forest to non-native tree plantations also threatens forests.

Illegal logging activities is another cause of deforestation in many developing countries. The root causes for illegal logging include poverty, weak governance and corruption.

There are therefore real concerns in the global sourcing of forest products from these areas, which presents risks to companies which use forest products in their supply chain. In terms of legal risks , illegal logging can lead to jail time under The Lacey Act in the U.

There is also reputational risk to companies when consumers determine that deforestation is occurring in their supply chain, which can result from NGO campaigns. Despite the good intentions of deforestation-free commitments, they can sometimes also result in unintended consequences when companies reduce their use of forest products.

By reducing demand for forest products, you reduce demand for working forests , and decrease the ability of forest managers to continue to generate revenue to keep managing their forests, which may put forests at increased risk for conversion to other uses if landowners decide to sell their private forests for another use. The Consumer Goods Forum, which is made up of hundreds of companies, made a public commitment in to achieving zero-net deforestation by They recommend a policy for how members can achieve this, including: Developing sourcing policies that avoid controversial sources known to be contributing to deforestation; Verifying supply from high priority countries where there is risk of deforestation; and disclosing company policies goals and progress to avoid these controversial sources.

They list high priority countries where the risk is great for deforestation to occur. Robust markets help private landowners have incentives to keep forests working and well managed, and without them, private landowners might sell their forests to other uses which could result in the permanent loss of the forest.

As declared and experienced during the COVID pandemic, forest sector services and products are deemed to be essential to Canadians. You will not receive a reply. For enquiries, contact us. Indicator: Forest sector employment Indicator: Forest sector average earnings Indicator: Forest communities.

Report a problem on this page. Please select all that apply: A link, button or video is not working. It has a spelling mistake. Information is missing. About , people work in the forest sector , including approximately 12, Indigenous people Indicator: Forest sector Gross domestic product Indicator: Production of forest products Indicator: Exports of forest products.

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