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BIODIVERSITY:
Forests
The
volume of timber
harvested annually
provides an indication
of the pressure
being placed
on forest ecosystems.
Forests are much
more than a source
of timber, providing
recreation and
 tourism
opportunities,
a range of non-timber
forest products
and ecosystem
services such
as clean air,
flood control,
clean water and
carbon sequestration.
Over
the past two
centuries there
has been a wholesale
transformation
of the forests
in most OECD
countries. Wild
natural forests
have largely
disappeared,
with Canada one
of the few exceptions
to this trend
in the OECD.
Thus while Canada
retains a relatively
larger proportion
of its primary
forests, these
forests have
taken on a new
global importance
because of the
loss of old-growth
forests elsewhere.
Caution
should be exercised
when making comparisons
between countries
because of major
differences in
geographic area,
the extent of
forest cover
and forest management
practices, including
harvesting methods.
For example,
most logging
in Canada occurs
in old-growth
forests, most
logging in Sweden
occurs in second-growth
forests and most
logging in New
Zealand occurs
on monoculture
plantations.
Canada’s
OECD Ranking
In terms of forest
depletion from
logging, Canada
finishes 28th
out of 29 OECD
nations with
only the United
States logging
a larger volume
of timber. The
Canadian volume
logged in the
late 1990s was
202,050,000 cubic
metres. A cubic
metre of wood
is roughly comparable
to a telephone
pole.
In
terms of logging
per capita, Canada
ranks 27th out
of 29, with only
Finland and Sweden
logging greater
volumes per capita.
Canada logs 6.6
cubic metres
per person annually.
The
Trend
The volume of
logging in Canada
increased 14.6%
from 1980 to
1997. Six OECD
nations (New
Zealand, Austria,
Ireland, Portugal,
Spain and the
United Kingdom)
experienced larger
increases. Six
nations had smaller
increases and
eleven nations
had declines
in the volume
of logging.34
Between
1970 and 1997,
Canada experienced
a larger decline
in the percentage
of forested land
than any other
OECD nation.
Only six other
nations experienced
declines, while
22 countries
enjoyed an increase
in the percentage
of forested land.
The
good news for
Canada is that
annual growth
of wood exceeds
annual harvest
by a margin of
approximately
two to one.
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