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Forest inventory
Forest area by classification (hectares)
Forest land	347,069,000
Other land with tree cover	8,498,940
Other wooded land	40,865,660
Total area	396,433,600
Forest area change (hectares, 2014)
Afforestation	Not available
Deforestation	34,200
Forest ownership
Provincial	76.6%
Territorial	12.9%
Private	6.2%
Aboriginal	2.0%
Federal	1.6%
Growing stock (million cubic metres)
Total volume	47,320

Inventory sources and information

Forest area by classification

Source: National Forest Inventory. Standard reports, Table 4.0, Area (1000 ha) of forest and non-forest land in Canada. (May 13, 2016)

Notes: The National Forest Inventory uses the following definitions from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO):

Forest land–land spanning more than 0.5 hectares where the tree canopy covers more than 10% of the total land area and the trees can grow to a height of more than 5 metres. It does not include land that is predominantly urban or used for agricultural purposes. “Forest” may often be treated as synonymous with “forest land” because forest is defined both by the presence of trees and by the absence of non-forest land use.
Other land with tree cover–areas of land where tree canopies cover more than 10% of the total area and the trees, when mature, can grow to a height of at least 5 metres. Includes treed areas on farms, in parks and gardens, and around buildings. Also includes tree plantations established mainly for purposes other than wood production, such as fruit orchards.
Other wooded land–areas of land where: 1) tree canopies cover 5%–10% of the total area and the trees, when mature, can grow to a height above 5 metres; or 2) shrubs, bushes and trees together cover more than 10% of the area. These areas include treed wetlands (swamps) and land with slow-growing and scattered trees. They do not include land that is predominantly agricultural or urban.
The base estimate of forest area for Canada comes from the National Forest Inventory baseline report, available at https://nfi.nfis.org/resources/general/summaries/en/html/CA3_T4_FOR_AREA_en.html
The estimate of current forest area (2015) was calculated by taking the National Forest Inventory baseline estimate at the source above and adjusting it for known increases in forest area (afforestation) and known decreases in forest area (deforestation) that occurred during the time since baseline data were collected. These adjustments are described in Canada’s 2015 country report to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, available at http://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/current-assessment/country-reports/en/

Forest area change

Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada. 2016. National Inventory Report 1990–2014: Greenhouse gas sources and sinks in Canada.

Note: Environment and Climate Change Canada’s National Inventory Report 1990–2014 uses Natural Resources Canada–Canadian Forest Service’s National Forest Carbon Monitoring, Accounting and Report System data and analysis.

Forest ownership

Source: National Forest Inventory. Standard reports, Table 12.0 Area (1000 ha) of forest land by ownership in Canada. (May 13, 2016)

Growing stock

Source: National Forest Inventory. Standard reports, Table 15.0 and 16.0, Total tree volume (million m³) on forest type and age class in Canada, and Total tree volume (million m³) by species group and age class in Canada. (April 8, 2016)

Disturbance
Insects (hectares, 2014)
Area defoliated by insects and containing beetle-killed trees	20,307,538
Fires (2015)
Area burned (hectares)	3,903,276
Number of fires	7,068

Disturbance sources and information

Insects

Source: National Forestry Database. Forest insects – National tables, Table 4.1, Area within which moderate to severe defoliation occurs including area of beetle-killed trees by insects and province/territory, 1975–2015. (June 29, 2016)

Note: Data include those areas where there is tree mortality and moderate to severe defoliation. Defoliation does not always imply mortality. For example, stands with moderate defoliation often recover and may not lose much growth. Also, defoliation is mapped on an insect species basis, and a given area may be afflicted by more than one species at a time. This may result in double or triple counting in areas affected by more than one species, exaggerating the extent of the total area defoliated.

Fires

Source: Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. 2015. Canada Report 2015. (June 23, 2016)

Note: National data include all burned areas within Canada’s forests. Provincial data do not include fires within national parks. In 2015, 84 fires burned 282,131 hectares in national parks across Canada.

Forest management
Harvesting (2014)
Area harvested (hectares)	717,059
Volume harvested (cubic metres)	153,065,000
Regeneration (hectares, 2014)
Area planted	399,076
Area seeded	11,961
Third-party certification (hectares, 2015)
Area certified	166,163,538
Protected forest (IUCN categories)
Ia Strict nature reserve	0.10%
Ib Wilderness area	1.90%
II Ecosystem conservation and protection	4.20%
III Conservation of natural features	0.50%
IV Conservation through active management	0.20%
V Landscape conservation and recreation	0.02%

Forest management sources and information

Harvesting

Sources:

National Forestry Database. Silviculture – National tables, Table 6.1, Silvicultural statistics by province/territory 1990–2015. (June 29, 2016)
National Forestry Database. Forest products – National tables, Table 5.1, Net merchantable volume of roundwood harvested by category, ownership and province/territory, 1990–2015. (June 29, 2016)

Note: The national and provincial/territorial figures for harvesting volume include data for industrial roundwood, fuel wood and firewood.

Regeneration

Sources:

National Forestry Database. Silviculture – National tables, Table 6.6, Area of direct seeding by ownership and province/territory, 1990–2015. (June 29, 2016)
National Forestry Database. Silviculture – National tables, Table 6.7, Area planted by ownership, species and province/territory, 1990–2015. (June 29, 2016)

Note: Area planted and seeded – The total area planted and seeded for Canada includes all federal, provincial and territorial Crown land, and private land.

Third-party certification

Source: Certification Canada, Canadian statistics.

Note: If a forest area has been certified to more than one of the three sustainable forest management standards (Canadian Standards Association [CSA], Sustainable Forestry Initiative [SFI], and Forest Stewardship Council [FSC]), the area is counted only once. Therefore, the total certification for sustainable forest management standards may be less than the sum of the individual totals for these standards. The independently certified forest area is calculated using Forest Management Units (FMUs), which include streams, lakes, rivers and roads.

Protected forest

Source: National Forest Inventory. Standard reports, Table 9.0 Area (1000 ha) of forest land by IUCN category and age class in Canada. (May 13, 2016)

Greenhouse gas inventory
For forest lands affected by land-use change (2014)
CO₂e removals from the atmosphere due to afforestation (megatonnes)	0.6
CO₂e emissions due to deforestation (megatonnes)	10.0
For managed forests (2014)
Area of managed forests (million hectares)	232
CO₂e net removals due to forest biomass and dead organic matter (megatonnes)	159.6
CO₂e net emissions to the atmosphere (megatonnes)	70.6

Greenhouse gas inventory sources and information

Greenhouse gas inventory

Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada. 2016. National Inventory Report 1990–2014: Greenhouse gas sources and sinks in Canada.

Notes:

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s National Inventory Report 1990–2014 uses Natural Resources Canada–Canadian Forest Service’s National Forest Carbon Monitoring, Accounting and Report System data and analysis.
For forest lands affected by land-use change, the deforestation and afforestation figures reflect annual rates. Figures for CO₂equivalent (CO₂e) emissions and removals reflect the current year plus the previous 20 years. Thus, the figures for CO₂e emissions include residual emissions from areas deforested over the past 20 years, and the figures for CO₂e removals include ongoing removals by areas afforested over the past 20 years.
Emissions and removals exactly match the most recent greenhouse gas inventory figures submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Emissions bear a positive sign. Removals bear a negative sign.
The 2013 figure for total emissions due to deforestation reported in the 2015 edition of the State of Canada’s Forests should have been 11.1 megatonnes of CO₂e instead of 3.1 megatonnes, which represented only direct emissions.

Domestic economic impact
Contribution to nominal GDP (current dollars, 2015)
Forestry and logging industry	4,545,466,000
Pulp and paper product manufacturing industry	8,624,847,000
Wood product manufacturing industry	8,977,177,000
Total contribution to nominal GDP	22,147,490,000
Contribution to real GDP (constant 2007 dollars, 2015)
Forestry and logging industry	4,460,000,000
Pulp and paper product manufacturing industry	7,447,000,000
Wood product manufacturing industry	9,401,000,000
Total contribution to real GDP	21,308,000,000
Employment (number, 2015)
Labour Force Survey	259,308
Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours	187,531
Canadian System of National Accounts	201,645
Direct and indirect employment	296,691
Wages and salaries (dollars, 2014)	9,471,790,000
Capital expenditures (dollars, 2015)	2,680,400,000
Repair expenditures (dollars, 2014)	2,691,300,000
Revenue from goods manufactured (dollars, 2014)	60,330,434,000

Economic impact sources and information

Contribution to nominal GDP

Source: Natural Resources Canada–Canadian Forest Service’s calculations based on Statistics Canada’s CANSIM table 379-0031: Gross domestic product (GDP) at basic prices, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

Note: A measure of the economic production that takes place within the geographical boundaries of Canada. Nominal GDP is measured in current dollars and is available only for Canada. Current dollars are used to describe the value of production in any given year.

Labour Force Survey

Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey (special extraction).

Note: Employment–includes jobs held by people employed directly in the following industries: forestry and logging, industries involved in support activities for forestry, pulp and paper product manufacturing, and wood product manufacturing. Data are sourced from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey (LFS). The LFS data are used to capture the level of self-employment in the forest sector.

Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours

Source: Statistics Canada. CANSIM table 281-0024: Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH), employment by type of employee and detailed North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). (March 31, 2016)

Note: Employment–includes jobs held by people employed directly in the following industries: forestry and logging, industries involved in support activities for forestry, pulp and paper product manufacturing, and wood product manufacturing. Data are sourced from Statistics Canada’s the Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours (SEPH). The SEPH data are used for comparing direct employment in forestry with that in other sectors.

Canadian System of National Accounts

Source: Statistics Canada. CANSIM table 383-0031: Labour statistics consistent with the System of National Accounts (SNA), by province and territory, job category and North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). (June 17, 2016)

Note: The System of National Accounts (SNA) is used by Statistics Canada to assemble all of the relevant data on the Canadian economy into a consistent set of metrics.

Direct and indirect employment

Source: Indirect employment is calculated by Natural Resources Canada using Statistics Canada’s National Symmetric Input-Output Tables (15-207-XCB) and Statistics Canada’s National Multipliers (15F0046XDB).

Wages and salaries

Sources:

Statistics Canada. CANSIM table 301-0008: Principal statistics for manufacturing industries, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). (March 30, 2016)
Statistics Canada. CANSIM table 301-0009: Logging industries, principal statistics by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). (March 30, 2016)

Note: The earnings, in cash or in kind, of Canadian residents for work performed before deduction of income taxes and contributions to pension funds, employment insurance and other social insurance schemes.

Capital expenditures

Source: Statistics Canada. CANSIM table 029-0045: Capital and repair expenditures, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Canada, provinces and territories. (July 18, 2016)

Note: Capital expenditures – includes the costs of procuring, constructing and installing or leasing new durable plants, machinery and equipment, whether for the replacement of or addition to existing assets. Also included are all capitalized costs, such as costs for feasibility studies and architectural, legal, installation and engineering fees; the value of capital assets put in place by firms, either by contract or with the firm’s own labour force; and capitalized interest charges on loans for capital projects.

Repair expenditures

Source: Statistics Canada. CANSIM table 029-0045: Capital and repair expenditures, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), Canada, provinces and territories. (July 18, 2016)

Note: Repair expenditures – includes costs to repair and maintain structures, machinery and equipment.

Revenue from goods manufactured

Sources:

Statistics Canada. CANSIM table 301-0008: Principal statistics for manufacturing industries, by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). (March 29, 2016)
Statistics Canada. CANSIM table 301-0009: Logging industries, principal statistics by North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). (March 29, 2016)

Note: Revenue from goods manufactured – includes revenue from the sale of goods manufactured using materials owned by the establishment, as well as from repair work, manufacturing service charges and work contracted to others.

Trade
Value of domestic exports (dollars, 2015)
Balance of trade (total exports, dollars, 2015)	21,539,162,600
Primary wood products	1,204,355,252
Pulp and paper products	17,771,873,955
Wood-fabricated materials	13,737,361,262
Total value of exports	32,713,590,469
Value of imports (dollars, 2015)	11,174,427,869

Trade sources and information

Balance of trade

Source: Statistics Canada. Merchandise trade data (special extraction), monthly data.

Note: Balance of trade – the difference between the value of the goods and services that a country exports domestically and the value of the goods and services that it imports. If a country’s exports exceed its imports, it has a trade surplus. If its imports exceed exports, the country has a trade deficit.

Domestic production and consumption
Production (2015)
Hardwood lumber (cubic metres)	1,754,400
Softwood lumber (cubic metres)	62,974,400
Newsprint (tonnes)	3,500,000
Printing and writing paper (tonnes)	3,041,000
Wood pulp (tonnes)	16,841,000
Structural panels (plywood and oriented strandboard) (cubic metres)	7,966,755
Consumption (2015)
Hardwood lumber (cubic metres)	4,193,437
Softwood lumber (cubic metres)	24,617,991
Newsprint (tonnes)	658,850
Printing and writing paper (tonnes)	1,093
Wood pulp (tonnes)	7,341,670
Structural panels (plywood and oriented strandboard) (cubic metres)	3,271,475

Domestic production and consumption sources and information

Production

Sources:

Statistics Canada. CANSIM table 303-0064: Lumber production, shipments and stocks, by Canada and provinces. (March 7, 2016)
Pulp and Paper Products Council.
APA – The Engineered Wood Association.

Note: Production and consumption figures for newsprint, printing and writing paper, and wood pulp are based on Pulp and Paper Products Council data. The production and consumption data of structural panels (plywood and oriented strand board) are from APA – The Engineered Wood Association.

Consumption

Source: Consumption figures for a range of products, calculated by Natural Resources Canada.

Note: This information is available only at the national level.

Date modified:: 2016-09-21

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