Sustainability of Timber Harvest

From 1990 until 2010, timber harvests in Canada were between 86% and 48% of the estimated supply of wood deemed sustainable for harvest. Canada’s wood supply has remained relatively stable since 1990, at an average of 242 million cubic metres. The total harvest volume reached a peak of 208 million cubic metres in 2004, then declined to a low of 117 million cubic metres in 2009, the smallest harvest since 1990. The overall decline since 2004 in harvest is the result of economic factors, such as reduced demand for Canadian lumber because of the slowdown in the United States housing market, and reduced global demand for Canadian pulp and paper products.

Wood supply deemed sustainable for harvest and total harvest, Canada, 1990 to 2010

Note: Wood supply is the estimated volume of timber that could be harvested from an area over a specified period of time while meeting environmental, economic and social objectives.
Source: Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (2012) National Forestry Database.

Canada has 397.3 million hectares of forest, other wooded land, and other land with tree cover^[1] representing 40% of the country’s total area^[2] and 10% of the global forest cover.

Sustainable forest management means ensuring that forests provide a broad range of goods and services over the long term. As such, forest managers plan for harvest levels that will not affect the long-term sustainability of the forest resource. Governments estimate the yearly acceptable level of harvest by estimating the wood supply, which is the maximum volume of wood that can be harvested sustainably. Both the wood supply estimate and the volume of wood harvested can fluctuate in response to a wide range of ecological, social and economic factors. Comparing the amount of timber actually harvested to the estimated sustainable wood supply is one way we can track how well we are managing our forests.

Related information

• The State of Canada’s Forests, Natural Resources Canada Annual Report 2011
• National Forestry Database
• National reporting on progress towards sustainable forest management – Criteria and indicators
• The Atlas of Canada
• Canada’s National Forest Inventory