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Forestry
Facts
How large are the forests of Canada?
Imagine driving at 100 km/hr for 12
hours per day. It would take you more
than four days to cross the continuous
band of forest that stretches from
British Columbia to Newfoundland
Facts
• Forests cover close to half of Canada’s
total area. ( 4 187 820 km2)
• Only Russia and Brazil have more
forests than Canada.
What kinds of trees fill our
forests?
• 63% are composed of coniferous
trees. Cone bearing trees with needle
leaves. Ex: pine or spruce
• 22% are composed of deciduous
trees. They lose their leaves every
year. Ex: white poplar or white birch
• 15% are composed of mixed trees
Characteristics of Forests
1. Commercial (5 – Boreal, Taiga, West Coast,
Montane, Mixed)
2. Non- Commercial
Canada’s Commercial Forest
Canada’s Commercial Forest
Regions
• forests in different parts of Canada
vary greatly.
• 5 regions in which most of Canada’s
commercial forestry is located
– 1. Boreal Forest Region
– 2. Taiga Forest Region
– 3. West Coast Forest Region
– 4. Montane Forest Region
– 5. Mixed Forest Region
Commercial
• Commercial trees are those that can
be harvested profitably.
• These forests exist in the warmer,
wetter areas of Canada where trees
grow large relatively quickly.
• Because these forests are near roads,
railways and waterways, their timber
can be easily shipped in markets in
Canada and abroad
1. Boreal Forest Region
•
found in the Boreal Shield, Boreal Plains, and Boreal Cordillera.
– It is by far the largest region
– Tree growth is slow due to long winters
and low precipitation
– It mainly contains coniferous (softwood)
trees.
– coniferous trees: Black spruce is the most
common. others include: white spruce,
balsam fir, jack pine and cedar
– deciduous trees: white birch and poplar
Boreal means northern in Russian
Boreal Forest
Black Spruce
Cedar
White Spruce
Balsam Fir
Jack Pine
Tamarack
White Birch
Poplar
Boreal Forest
The northern Boreal Forest is dominated by
only two species of trees - Black Spruce and
White Spruce.
2. Taiga Forest Region

found in the Taiga Plains, Taiga Shield, Hudson Plains, and Taiga Cordillera
• It includes stunted trees due to thin soils,
cool temperatures, short growing season,
and areas of permafrost.
• coniferous trees: black spruce, white spruce
jack pine
• deciduous trees: poplar and trembling aspen
• most of this forests are inaccessible and far
from markets, only small parts are logged.
Taiga Forest
3. West Coast Forest Region

It is found in Pacific Maritime
• It is the most productive forest in Canada
• The temperate rainforest grows on the
western slopes of the coastal mountains
• The moderate temperatures, and long
growing seasons cause Douglas fir, sitka
spruce, western red cedar, and western
hemlock to grow larger than any other trees
in the country.
• It has the highest volume of wood, per
hectare, in Canada.
West Coast Forest
Douglas Fir
Sitka Spruce
West Coast Forest
Western Red Cedar
Western Hemlock
4. Montane Forest Region

found in Montane Cordillera
– It has lower precipitation levels and
shorter growing season than the West
Coast Forest region.
– It has smaller coniferous trees such as the
spruce, lodgepole, and ponderosa pine.
– volume of wood, per hectare, second of
that of the West Coast forest.
Montane Cordillera Forest
Ponderosa Pine
Engelmann Spruce
Douglas Fir
5. Mixed Forest Region

found in Mixedwood Plain and Atlantic Maritime
• It has a longer growing season and more precipitation
than boreal forest region.
north (near boreal forest) : fir and spruce
south: coniferous trees such as white pine, hemlock
and red pine
• The conifers harvested for lumber, and pulp and paper
• The warmer temperatures, longer growing season, and
abundant precipitation allow the growth of hardwood trees
such as maple, birch, black walnut and cherry which
are value for flooring and furniture- making.
• very little left since intensively farmed and highly
urbanized
Mixedwood Forest
Non-Commercial Forest
Non-Commercial
• They are forests that are unlikely to
be cut down for industrial use.
• They exist on the northern border of
the forest regions where
temperatures and precipitation levels
are too low to allow a lot of trees to
grow quickly or at all.
Economic Impact of Forests
• forests play an important role in the economic
lives of Canadians
• approximately 1 Canadian job in 16 depends
on forestry.
• the forestry industry produces lumber, pulp and
paper and other forest products worth about
$57 billion per year(2011).
• over half of this amount ($40 billion) is
exported to
other countries.
• the forest industry provides over 230,000
direct jobs for Canadians
Types of Logging
Traditional Logging Operations
there are three ways to harvest the
trees of Canada’s forests.
There are three types:
1.Clear-cutting
2.Shelterwood logging
3.Selective logging
1. Clear-cutting
 This method is used in the majority of logging
operations
 It is the fastest and cheapest method
 loggers remove every tree, and leave an empty
landscape behind
 northern forests of pine, spruce, fir, aspen, and
poplar are cut in this manner
 when a clear-cut area is replanted, the new
forest grows up uniformly in species and size.
This would make is easier to log this forest in the
future when the trees reach maturity.
Clear Cutting
Loggers remove every tree and leave a barren landscape.
When replanted, the new
forest grows uniformly in
species and size
Clear Cutting
2. Shelterwood logging
• This method involves clear-cutting only
part of an old growth forest
• small groups of seed-bearing trees are
left standing so that their seeds
regenerate the logged area.
• this is used where tree species, such as
white pine, regenerate naturally after
major openings in the forests are created.
• the shelterwood method is often used in
forests with trees that have not grown and
aged evenly.
Shelterwood Cutting
Involves clear-cutting only part of an old growth forest
Small groups of seed bearing
trees are left so the area will
regenerate.
Shelterwood method is often
used in forests that have grown
and aged evenly
Shelterwood logging
3. Selective cutting
• This method consists of harvesting only mature
trees of the desired size, type, or quality.
• this method is much less disruptive to the forest
environment than others
• it is used in forests with tree species that need
shade to become established
• it tends to be a costly process because of the
extra care and time taken to cut down the trees.
• it is also costly in the long run because it does not
allow the replanting of a new even forest.
Selective Cutting
Only mature trees of the desired size, type or quality
Selective cutting
WHAT TYPES OF TOOLS DO YOU
THINK ARE USED TO CUT DOWN
TREES
HERE IS TODAY’S FORESTRY
TOOLS
How has logging changed from
this…
To
this…
New Forestry Methods
Where is the money made?
Manufacturing Operations
1. Pulp and paper
2. Lumber
1.Pulp and Paper
• Canada is the world’s second largest
producer of pulp and paper ( after the
United States) and the largest exporter.
• the United States is Canada’s most
important customer, since it buys more
than half of the total.
• Pulp and paper plants are found in every
province except Prince Edward Island.
• The plants are concentrated in Quebec,
Ontario, and British Columbia.
Pulp and Paper Products
Other Provinces
$7286 million
Quebec
$11575 million
British Columbia
$7514 million
Ontario
$10018 million
• making paper
2. Lumber
• British Columbia produces about 50%
of Canada’s lumber.
• since 1970, the number of Canadian
sawmills has decreased. New, more
efficient large mills with better
methods. processing small logs have
replaced the old-fashioned mills which
were designed for sawing large logs.
• Making Lumber
Wood Products
New Brunswick
$751 million
Other Provinces
$780 million
Alberta
$1731 million
British Columbia
Ontario
$3454 million
Quebec
$5306 million
$11 234 million
Threats to the Forest
Threats to the Forests
• why protect our forests?
They are considered and renewable resource
• timber, which is of great economic value to
Canada is constantly threatened by acid rain,
damage from insect pests, and forest fires
• after rainstorms or during spring run-off, trees
hold water in the soil. This prevents flooding
• forests also provide habitats for many species
Environmental Hazards
• 1. Acid precipitation
• 2. Insects
• 3. Forest fires
1. Acid precipitation
• It is a very serious problem for the
forests of Eastern Canada
• trees are dying as a result of acid
precipitation caused by the emissions
from the factories in the industrial areas
of eastern Canada and eastern United
States.
• the maple syrup- producing forests south
of Quebec City have especially suffered
from acid precipitation
Water
Pollution
Air Pollution
2. Insects
• Insect pests and diseases also create a
serious threat to the health of Canada’s
forests.
• the pine bark beetle in British Columbia
causes millions of dollars of damage to
forests every year.
• Forests companies and provincial
governments spend a great deal of time
and money trying to control these
insects and diseases so they don’t
spread.
3. Forest fires
• fire is a normal part of the life cycle of
forest ecosystems
• new healthy trees regenerate quickly in
the burned forests
• about 48% of all forest fires in Canada
are caused by lightening and 52% of
forest fires are caused by people.
Other Forest Fire Facts
• the cones from some species, such as the jack
pine, require the heat from the fire to open. The
seed can then fall to the ground where they begin
to grow.
-in fact, sometimes fires are purposely started in a
“controlled burn” to encourage this process.
• the problem comes when the fires occur in valuable
timber land
• on average, 9500 fires burn 3 million hectares of
Canada’s forest every year
• a fire can create flames over 50 metres high, move
faster than a person can run, and create hurricaneforce winds.
Aerial Spraying
Forest Fires