Overview
The global fight against climate change has become a collective race against the clock.
To keep the global average temperature from rising by more than 1.5°C — the mark noted by nations the world over as the one we need to hit to fulfill the promise we’ve made to future generations — we need to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Canada’s forests — and our sector as a whole — are not only critical to meeting that goal, but to spurring Canada’s drive to growing our green economy.
Environment & Sustainability
Keeping Our Forests As Forests Forever
“There is no future without addressing climate change, and forests are a key component to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement…”
- The Ministerial Katowice Declaration on Forests for the Climate, 2018
In capturing carbon, Canada’s forests play a critical role in our fight against climate change; as younger forests mature, they absorb carbon faster than mature forests. But over time, as our forests mature and decay, they not only gradually lose their carbon-absorbing benefits but, whether it be from drought, insect infestation, fire or disease, they are increasingly likely to release stored carbon back into the atmosphere, turning our trees from climate change assets into liabilities.
By 2030, through the sustainable management of our forests, the decarbonization of our manufacturing and supply chains, and the carbon stored in wood products, our sector is poised to pull the equivalent of 30 megatonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year.
That’s where our sector comes in: through internationally-recognized practices and the carefully-planned harvesting and regeneration of our forests, we ensure they retain their carbon-capturing potential while respecting the wildlife and biodiversity that will help keep our forests as forests forever.
Forest Facts
Canada is a recognized global leader when it comes to managing our forests and the ecosystems, wildlife, and communities that depend on them.
FPAC member companies must have third-party sustainable forest management certification – which includes not only commitments to reforestation, but also promoting wildlife habitats, biodiversity, and water protection.
Canada leads the world in the third-party forest certification. We manage 164 million hectares or 36% of the world’s certified forests, more than twice the area certified in any other country.
Forest companies operating in Canada’s publicly held forests are required to harvest at sustainable rates – that means they harvest less than 1% of areas designated for harvesting per year and replant every single tree (over 440 million seedlings annually) while monitoring these areas to ensure the establishment of healthy forests.
But our commitment to future generations and meeting our country’s 2050 emissions targets doesn’t end there. From building taller with carbon-storing wood to using wood chips to make bioplastics, innovation in our forest sector has the potential to lower our carbon footprint and make Canada a world-leader in a growing, green, global economy.
Growth & Innovation
Canada’s Green Economy Grows In Canada’s Forests
At a time of rapidly shifting trade rules, economic fluctuations, and changing climate patterns, Canadian forestry has spearheaded collaborations with emerging industries, governments and communities to renew and rejuvenate this sector —and our forests — to secure a more productive, economically successful, and environmentally responsible future.
Today almost 60% of Canada’s forest industry runs on bioenergy (and that number is growing). But our commitment to a greener, more prosperous future extends beyond just reimagining our own sector.
Today almost 60% of Canada’s forest industry runs on bioenergy (and that number is growing). But our commitment to a greener, more prosperous future extends beyond just reimagining our own sector.
Since the early 1990s, Canada’s forest sector has reduced its GHG emissions by close to 70%.
As our country moves to meet zero-emission targets by 2050, Canada has the potential to be a bioenergy and biomaterials powerhouse on the world stage. Our sector has embraced the emerging clean tech, low-carbon era using innovation and new technology to create new opportunity and jobs and unlock our full potential.
Building The Bioeconomy
Emerging industries turning wood waste into bioplastics, textiles, and biofuels will not only create good green jobs for Canadians but are poised to reimagine the resources and products we use everyday through a greener, cleaner lens.
- Mass timber construction can be completed 25% faster, can reduce carbon pollution during construction by 25% to 45%, and requires less energy to heat and cool, allowing us to build greener, more resilient communities.
- Wood fibre-based bioplastics can provide more biodegradable options to the number of single-use plastics currently flooding our landfills and oceans.
- Wood chips, sawdust, and bark — materials that might otherwise be considered “wood waste” — are not only being used by the mills as a low-carbon energy source, but are being converted into biofuels that are helping Canada’s remote communities to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
Join Canada's Greenest Workforce Today
Explore exciting career opportunities in forestry across Canada.
Explore Forestry JobsCanada's Green Recovery
At a time when so many Canadian workers have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, our sector has over 140 shovel-ready capital projects worth more than $1.5 billion that will support an inclusive and green economic recovery by:
Sustaining and creating jobs, particularly in rural, northern, and Indigenous communities.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by storing carbon in more wood building projects and expanding the bio-economy.
Increasing the sustainable utilization of forest fibre while simultaneously reducing forest fire risks to forested communities.
Jobs & Economy
The Greenest Workforce
Forests are complex ecosystems and they need to be monitored and taken care of – even more so when we consider their carbon-capture potential and the critical role they will play in defining our greener future.
We take that responsibility seriously. Canada’s Registered Professional Foresters are our first line of defense in the fight against climate change and they play a critical ‘boots on the ground’ role in monitoring and managing our forests. With worsening wildfire and forest pest outbreaks, forest management is the best tool we have to adapt forests and build resiliency, while supporting the green, well-paying jobs that support families, sustain communities, and accelerate Canada’s move towards a growing, green economy.
Part of growing a green economy is growing an inclusive economy, one that not only values sustainability but diversity and opportunity. As part of our commitment to a more sustainable future, our sector is committed to doing just that. Through programs like #TakeYourPlace, Women in Wood, the Greenest Workforce, and Free To Grow in Forestry, we’re committed to an inclusive green recovery that will expand opportunities for young people, women and new Canadians, while supporting northern, Indigenous and rural communities across the country.
We take that responsibility seriously. Canada’s Registered Professional Foresters are our first line of defense in the fight against climate change and they play a critical ‘boots on the ground’ role in monitoring and managing our forests. With worsening wildfire and forest pest outbreaks, forest management is the best tool we have to adapt forests and build resiliency, while supporting the green, well-paying jobs that support families, sustain communities, and accelerate Canada’s move towards a growing, green economy.
Part of growing a green economy is growing an inclusive economy, one that not only values sustainability but diversity and opportunity. As part of our commitment to a more sustainable future, our sector is committed to doing just that. Through programs like #TakeYourPlace, Women in Wood, the Greenest Workforce, and Free To Grow in Forestry, we’re committed to an inclusive green recovery that will expand opportunities for young people, women and new Canadians, while supporting northern, Indigenous and rural communities across the country.
Indigenous Communities
FPAC and its members recognize that Canada’s forests are uniquely important to Indigenous communities, and that they are a vital component of the cultural, spiritual, economic, and social relationships that Indigenous peoples have with the land. Canada’s forest sector employs approximately 11,600 Indigenous workers, which makes it one of the largest Indigenous employers in the country. There are also 1,400 Indigenous-owned businesses in the forest sector including sawmills, silviculture businesses, and biomass energy facilities. FPAC and its members are committed to facilitating greater Indigenous participation in a thriving Canadian forest sector as it brings significant opportunities to existing and emerging Indigenous-owned businesses and initiatives.
Whether it’s the “boots on the ground” role our registered foresters play in the fight against climate change, our development of innovative products and solutions, or our commitment to inclusivity and diversity in our workforce, Canada’s forestry sector is ready to lead the charge on and drive Canada to a greener – and more inclusive – tomorrow.
Action
Join Our Community Today!
Forests are complex ecosystems and they need to be monitored and taken care of – even more so when we consider their carbon-capture potential and the critical role they will play in defining our greener future. Our sector is ready to rise to that challenge. Join our community today to get updates on what you can do to support a growing, green economy, and a more inclusive, sustainable future for Canada.
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2,500+
Over 2,500 Canadians have already joined our movement!
