Environment & Sustainability

Keeping Our Forests As Forests Forever

Forests are complex ecosystems and they need to be monitored and taken care of – even more so when we consider their carbon-capture potential and the critical role they will play in defining our greener future.

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Did you know?
Canada has retained more than 90 per cent of its original forest cover.
Canada’s forest products industry is recognized as a global leader in sustainable management of the world’s most renewable resource. And that reputation is more critical now than ever. Canada’s certified professional foresters are committed to keeping our forests as forests forever by ensuring wildlife habitats, biodiversity, and water protection. They are also our first line of defense in the fight against climate change, by ensuring that our forests retain their carbon capture potential through carefully-planned harvesting and reforestation. And our sector at large is doing their part. Since the early 1990s, Canada’s forest sector has reduced its GHG emissions by close to 70%. And we’re challenging ourselves to do even more. From building taller with carbon-storing wood to using wood waste to make bioplastics and biofuels, innovation in our sector has the potential to lower our carbon footprint and make Canada a world-leader in a growing, green, global economy.

Canada leads the world in the third-party forest certification.

Canada is a recognized global leader when it comes to sustainably managing our forests and the ecosystems, wildlife, and communities that depend on them. Not only do our members harvest less than 1 per cent of areas designated for harvesting annually — ensuring we keep our forests as forests forever — but FPAC member companies must have third-party sustainable forest management certification – which includes commitments to reforestation, promoting wildlife habitats, biodiversity, and water protection.

In capturing carbon, Canada’s forests and wood products play a critical role in our fight against climate change.

As younger forests mature, they absorb carbon faster than mature forests. But over time, as our forests mature and decay, they not only gradually lose their carbon-absorbing benefits but actually release stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Through internationally-recognized practices and the carefully-planned harvesting and regeneration of our forests, we ensure they retain their carbon-capturing potential while respecting the wildlife and biodiversity that will help keep our forests as forests forever. 

Canada’s forestry sector has a critical role to play in helping our country reach its 2050 net-zero emissions targets. 

Our forests and the sustainably sourced products they provide are among the most powerful tools in our toolbox when it comes to reaching our country’s climate targets. Not only does the sustainable management of our forests ensure they retain their carbon capture potential but our researchers are constantly working to find new, sustainable uses for wood products — from tall wood buildings to bioplastics, from car parts to bioadhesives, from fabrics to biofuels — to provide clean, green energy alternatives for Canadians.  

Our sector has embraced the low-carbon era using innovation and new technology to unlock our full potential.

Emerging industries turning wood chips, sawdust, and bark into bioplastics, textiles, and biofuels will not only create good green jobs for Canadians but are poised to reimagine the resources and products we use everyday through a greener, cleaner lens.

Environment & Sustainability Resources

Reports
Forest Certification in Canada: The Programs, Similarities & Achievements
See Report
International Comparison of Forest Management: Legal Frameworks + Certification Standards
See Report
Canadian Forest Products: Contributing To Climate Change Solutions
See Report
Suggested Content
March 29, 2022
Forestry Sees Opportunities in Emissions Reduction Plan
We will continue to work closely with the federal government on forestry solutions related to greenhouse gas emissions reductions, wildland fire mitigation plans, and national adaptation strategies.
Read This
February 11, 2022
Canada’s Forest Sector Supports National Effort to Address Wildfire Risks and Enhance Forest Resilience
FPAC is committed to being an active and engaged voice in finding solutions to address the growing risk of wildland fires in Canada.
Read This
December 23, 2021
Seeing the Opportunity in Canada’s Forests: Looking Ahead to 2022
that Canada’s forests, manufacturing facilities, forest products, and Canadian forestry know-how give our country an advantage that is the envy of most countries on the planet. Let’s use it.
Read This
November 4, 2021
Forestry – Canada’s Secret (Climate Change) Weapon
Canada’s forests and the sustainably sourced products they provide are among the most powerful weapons in Canada’s climate change arsenal as we work to reduce emissions and store more carbon in the coming years.
Read This

The Facts

By 2030, our sustainably-managed forests will have pulled the equivalent of 30 megatonnes of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere - or 13% of Canada’s commitment under the Paris Agreement
Since the early 1990s, Canada’s forest sector has reduced its GHG emissions by close to 70%
Canadian forestry companies harvest less than 1% of available timber per year and replant every single tree, between 400 and 600 million seedlings annually
Canada leads the world in the third-party forest certification, sustainably managing 36% of the world’s certified forest — almost three times more than any other country.
Action

Join Our Community Today!

Forests are complex ecosystems and they need to be monitored and taken care of – even more so when we consider their carbon-capture potential and the critical role they will play in defining our greener future. Our sector is ready to rise to that challenge. Join our community today to get updates on what you can do to support a growing, green economy, and a more inclusive, sustainable future for Canada.  

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Over 25,000 Canadians have already joined our movement!