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How much forest does Canada have?

There are 367 million hectares (ha) of forest across Canada. This is 15 times the size of all the Great Lakes put together. Across the country, Canadians have deep connections with forests—valuing, managing and using them in different ways. Therefore, retaining Canada’s forest is vital. Since 1990, less than half of 1% has been deforested.

Canadian perspectives on and relationships with the forest are diverse and evolve over time. From biodiversity, recreation, carbon storage and water filtration, to building materials, employment opportunities and cultural identity, Canadians expect a lot from the forest. And just like the dynamic forest itself, the values we expect from the forest are evolving all the time. Regionally tailored sustainable forest management policies and practices are developed and applied across Canada to balance these diverse values and integrate stakeholder input. They are designed to be adaptive with changing attitudes towards the forest.

  • Over 90% of forests in Canada are on public land; 7% are under private ownership.
  • Approximately 45% of forests on public land are managed for forestry.
  • Almost 10% is legally protected with an additional 3% restricted for other reasons including ecological reserves and traditional land use. 
  • While not entirely free of human activity, 30% of forests in Canada have no formal management plan or designation.
  • Forests in Canada have global significance because of their size, biodiversity and contributions to carbon and water cycling. 

 

Key sustainability indicators

Explore the report to find information on the key sustainability indicators:

  • Forest area: Long-term trends in forest area across Canada. A relatively stable forest area is an important indication that forests are being managed sustainably and are, therefore, a stable provider of resources, biodiversity and diverse environmental services.
  • Deforestation and afforestation: Estimated area of annual deforestation in Canada by industrial sectors. Low deforestation supports high levels of biodiversity and maintains the quality of soil, air and water.
  • Wood volume: Long-term trends in estimated volume of wood in forests. Wood volume estimates provide information on forest productivity, available carbon storage, forest fire fuel predictions, and harvest level forecasts.
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Forest area

Key Information

Canada’s forests cover 367 million ha. Since 1990, less than half of 1% of Canada’s forest has been deforested—converted to non-forest land use. Relative to the size of Canada’s existing forests, very little afforestation has been recorded. Some gradual changes in forest area, including those attributed to climate change, are more challenging to quantify but include expansions in some areas and losses in others. The current estimate of forest area in Canada (367 million ha) is an improved estimate in relation to what was previously reported, and is based on better data and more advanced assessment tools.

  • Like most countries, Canada uses an internationally standardized definition established by the United Nations (UN) Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) to track forest area through time.
  • While forest area in Canada is relatively stable, the tree cover within is more dynamic due to forest fires, insect infestations, harvest activities and re-growth of forest cover.
  • Canada’s National Forest Inventory continues to improve and refine estimates for critical sustainable forest management indicators, including forest area.

There are also other types of treed lands across Canada that do not fully meet the UN’s definition of forest but can contribute to habitat for wildlife, the sequestration and storage of carbon, as well as many other values across the landscapes in which they are found. These include:

  • “other wooded lands,” which are areas with trees where the tree canopy cover is between 5 and 10%, usually accompanied by other vegetation types, like shrubs or bushes; there are 36 million ha of other wooded lands in Canada
  • “other land with tree cover,” which are distinguished from “forest areas” as being in predominantly urban and agricultural areas, such as orchards; there are 7 million ha of other land with tree cover in Canada

Why is this indicator important?

  • Forest area losses are a concern and closely monitored because forests provide habitat for biodiversity and many important ecosystem goods and services.
  • Forest area is a broadly used and regularly measured indicator. In conjunction with forest area, many other indicators are used to gauge the effectiveness of sustainable forest management.

Canada’s estimated forest area, 1990–2022

Graph summary

Canada’s estimated forest area trends between 1990 and 2022.

Graph data

Canada’s estimated forest area, 1990–2022

Year Forest area (million hectares)
1990 368,883
1991 368,829
1992 368,774
1993 368,724
1994 368,647
1995 368,607
1996 368,572
1997 368,535
1998 368,498
1999 368,456
2000 368,411
2001 368,372
2002 368,333
2003 368,281
2004 368,232
2005 368,184
2006 368,140
2007 368,064
2008 368,017
2009 367,971
2010 367,929
2011 367,889
2012 367,847
2013 367,804
2014 367,751
2015 367,694
2016 367,638
2017 367,582
2018 367,530
2019 367,480
2020 367,429
2021 367,379
2022 367,330

Deforestation and afforestation

Key Information

The National Deforestation Monitoring System (NDMS) tracks changes from forest land to other land uses across Canada. Deforestation does not include forest harvesting when forest is being regrown on the site.

The NDMS can show trends by time, region and industry sector type.

Canada’s annual deforestation rate has slightly decreased over the last three decades. In 2021, 51,000 ha of forest were converted to non-forest land uses, as compared to 64,000 ha in 1990.

  • Canada has 9% of the world’s forest but is responsible for only 0.37% of global deforestation that has occurred since 1990.
  • The main drivers of deforestation in Canada continue to be agricultural, mining, as well as oil and gas expansion.
  • The development of hydroelectric reservoirs causes spikes in annual deforestation due to forest flooding, as seen in 1993 and 2006.
  • Deforestation in the forestry category (see figure below) arises from new permanent forestry roads and other persistent clearings such as sizable landings.
  • The low annual area of recorded afforestation is much smaller than the annual area of deforestation, which in turn is much smaller than the total area of Canada’s forests.

Why is this indicator important?

Forest loss affects biodiversity, soil, air and water quality, as well as the availability of wildlife habitat. Forests also store more carbon than other terrestrial ecosystems and can be managed to mitigate climate change by, for example, increasing forest area through afforestation or by avoiding deforestation.

Estimated area of annual deforestation in Canada, by industrial sector, 1990–2021

Graph summary

Comparison of the annual estimated area of deforestation in Canada between 1990 and 2021 by industrial sectors of: 1. Agriculture, 2. Forestry, 3. Mining, oil and gas, 4. Built-up and 5. Hydroelectric.

Graph data

Estimated area of annual deforestation in Canada, by industrial sector, 1990–2021

  Area deforested (hectares)
Year Agriculture Forestry Mining, oil and gas Built-up Hydroelectric
1990 42,107 3,682 7,282 7,472 3,598
1991 38,142 3,600 7,254 7,298 6,402
1992 34,177 3,517 7,855 7,199 5,400
1993 30,217 3,435 7,952 7,126 37,323
1994 26,252 3,352 8,054 7,057 2,374
1995 22,289 3,270 8,163 7,028 1,493
1996 21,941 3,334 8,806 7,518 1,695
1997 21,597 3,398 9,146 7,513 2,014
1998 21,249 3,463 10,584 7,743 4,597
1999 20,893 3,527 11,175 8,354 6,646
2000 20,544 3,591 10,961 8,804 883
2001 20,196 3,655 10,740 9,104 882
2002 19,849 3,720 13,390 8,639 9,746
2003 19,502 3,784 13,577 8,951 3,061
2004 19,154 3,848 14,060 9,396 4,073
2005 17,982 3,452 14,758 8,946 4,035
2006 16,842 3,058 17,394 9,022 29,479
2007 15,703 2,666 17,482 8,657 3,719
2008 14,563 2,272 16,528 8,271 6,810
2009 13,422 1,879 14,037 8,313 5,072
2010 12,283 1,485 14,397 8,029 5,112
2011 14,303 1,407 15,953 8,229 2,920
2012 16,320 1,328 14,919 8,446 3,343
2013 18,341 1,250 15,546 9,137 10,123
2014 20,360 1,171 15,033 9,550 11,946
2015 22,378 1,092 15,345 10,108 8,225
2016 22,378 1,092 15,655 10,073 8,037
2017 22,378 1,092 15,483 9,845 3,747
2018 22,378 1,092 15,439 9,682 1,411
2019 22,378 1,092 15,159 9,662 2,534
2020 22,378 1,092 15,147 9,637 2,340
2021 22,378 1,092 15,147 9,629 2,273

Wood volume

Key Information

There are an estimated 50.2 billion cubic metres of wood volume in Canada. Wood volume is one of the most frequently studied, measured and reported forest indicators because of its importance in assessing available wood supply for the forest sector, managing carbon stocks in forests and determining the productivity of Canada’s forest resources.

Regular improvements to inventory methods and tools as well as updated data sources give us a better understanding of wood volume in Canada, and how it is changing through time.

  • Just over half of the wood volume in Canada is in areas managed for forestry. A portion of this is available for wood supply, and other portions are set aside to achieve management objectives such as protection of water resources and wildlife habitat features.
  • Around 11% of wood volume nationally is in legally protected areas with an additional 4% in areas restricted for other reasons including ecological reserves and traditional land uses.
  • While not entirely free of human activity, over 20% of wood volume in Canada is in areas that have no formal forest management plan or designation.

Why is this indicator important?

  • Wood volume is used along with other information to determine forest productivity, calculate biomass and estimate carbon storage in Canada’s forests.
  • It is important to monitor general trends in wood volume in all forests for predicting fire behaviour and monitoring carbon storage.

Estimated wood volume (million cubic metres) in Canada

Year 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Wood volume 54,555 54,524 54,050 52,292 51,648 51,167 51,095 50,885 50,591 50,494 50,558 50,199

Note: data are not consistent among different reporting years due to improvements in methodology. More information is included in the Sources and information section of this indicator.

Sources and information

See Sources and information in the downloadable report for detailed sources.

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