Our Forest Resources

Forest Facts  Canada’s most abundant renewable resource  Canada owns 10% of the global forest  Continuous band of forest stretches between British Columbia and Newfoundland  Forests cover 42% or square km of Canada’s total area

Forests  Provides lumber, pulp and paper  Also: Produce Oxygen Store carbon Prevent soil erosion Collect snow and purify groundwater Provide habitat for many species of animals

Types of Trees in Canada  Coniferous Trees: cone bearing with needle leaves (pine, spruce, etc.)  Deciduous Trees: lose their leaves every year in fall (poplar, white birch trees)

Economic Standpoint Forests are classified as COMMERCIAL or NON-COMMERCIAL (about 50% each) Commercial Forests: Trees are large enough and close enough to markets to harvest profitably – Warmer, wetter areas of Canada Non-commercial Forests: Poor soils and a short growing season in northern Canada make trees that are generally too small to harvest

Canada’s Commercial Forests  There are 5 regions of Canada’s commercial forests that vary greatly  The diversity provides a wide range of environments to be used in different ways  Also provides the forest industry with the raw materials (primary) from which a wide range of goods (secondary) can be produced

Forest Regions of Canada

Boreal Forest Region HUGE! It is the largest region by far Mainly coniferous trees (black spruce, white spruce, balsam fir, jack pine, cedar) – Some deciduous such as white birch are also common Long winters and low precipitation make tree growth slow Smaller trees = pulp and paper production more important than lumber production

Taiga Forest Region Very thin soils, cool temperatures, short growing season and areas of permafrost define this region Stunted trees as a result Coniferous trees (black and white spruce, jack pine) Deciduous trees (poplar, aspen) Mostly inaccessible and far from markets Picture: stunted black and white spruce interspersed with open bogs and rocky barrens

West Coast Forest Region Most productive forest in Canada Western slopes of the coastal mountains Abundant precipitation, moderate temperatures, long growing season Produces trees to grow larger than any other in the country Large amount of trees spaced tightly together Douglas fir, sitka spruce, western red cedar, western hemlock

Montane Forest Region  Lower precipitation and shorter growing season than the West Coast Region  Smaller coniferous trees are a result (spruce, lodgepole, ponderosa pine)  You still get a large amount of trees spaced tightly together but not quite as dense as the West Coast Region  Therefore, it is still a very viable commercial forest

Mixed Forest Region  Longer growing season and more precipitation than the boreal forest region  Forest blends from coniferous (fir, spruce) to mixed to purely deciduous forest  Warmer temperatures, longer growing season and lots of precipitation  The raw materials provide a large mix of goods  Both hardwood lumber and sugar maple trees  Growth of birch, walnut, cherry trees used in furniture  Large population centres and busy commercial use has left very little left

Computer Lab to fill in blanks   Forest products association of Canada  Hit enter on English side  Click on “Explore Forest Regions of Canada”