Why Is This An Issue?

• Animals are disappearing and because of this we are losing many species of plant and animal life.
• Depletion of old forest is leading to global warming because fewer trees mean less carbon dioxide conversion to oxygen.
• Precious resources are being lost as the trees are getting cut down faster then they can grow back.

Specific Regions/People/Cultures Of Canada Effected /Involved

• Canada’s 1.4 billion Acre boreal forests were identified as the largest in the world by scientists from over 50 countries.
• The first forests in Canada to be commercially logged were the pine forest of the great lakes.
• British Columbia is greatly affected by this issue as two/thirds of the province is forestland, which also means that it accounts for a portion of the province’s jobs.

General Issue Information

• In North America the most serious losses are occurring in B.C, Oregon and Washington.
• Canada is one of the few countries in the world that can make a difference in the planet’s health. Forests cover over forty percent of the country.
• Old Growth forests are very old forests that can take centuries to grow back; there are some in British Columbia that are expected to be 1000 years.
• Clear cutting is a method of logging in which all or most of the trees are cut down. This method is greatly argued by environmentalists as it is very harmful for the environment.
• Canada’s forests account for ten percent of the forests worldwide. Also forty percent of Canada is forestland.

Social Information

• Between 1990 and 2001 the annual area logged in Canada rose by 12 percent while the forestry employment grew by 4 percent.
• Trees give us wood in many forms i.e. planks, doors etc. So not only do they provide lumber jobs they also provide jobs for secondary industries i.e. carpentry.
• With all the new technology the forest industry is increasing but due to the new machines jobs in this sector are decreasing.
• The lumber industry employs over 300,000 people in Canada and 300 communities depend on it for their direct source of income.

How the Issue Effects the Economy

• In 2003 the lumber industry generated $74 billion and has been the center of Canada’s economic development.
• Presently forestry exports bring in more money then fossil fuels, minerals, agriculture and fisheries combined.
• The World’s lumber industry is worth billions and is third largest after oil and natural gas.
• Canada is the world’s leading exporter in wood products.

Interesting Stats / Facts / Quotes

• Early 1990’s the world’s forests were disappearing at the rate of 80 acres a minute.
• Every year 40 to 50 million acres were wiped out. According to WWF in 1992 Canada was losing 1 sq. km of wilderness every hour.
• The Canadian Boreal forest holds 185 billion tones of carbon, equivalent to 27 years of the world’s carbon emissions.
• Despite its importance almost 500,000 hectares of Canada’s Boreal forest are cut down annually.

Government Laws / Policies / Initiatives

• With the World Trade Organization, NAFTA and the Kyoto Accord impacting trade partnerships, the lumber industry is changing
• In the early years of the lumber industry the government of B.C welcomed companies to harvest the Douglas Fur.
• In B.C 94% of the total land crown land or land owned by the government.
• The forestry Act of Canada gives the minister of Natural Resources a lot of power regarding the land which can be logged.
• Currently the provincial government controls seventy one percent of the forestland, while the federal government controls twenty three percent.

Why Should You Care?

Depletion of Old Growth forest is a very important issue. Currently the forests are dissapperaing faster then ever before. Although some people argue that lumber is vital for their survival we must not abuse this precious resource. Clear cutting is a method of logging in which all or most of the trees in the area are cut down. This is the method used ninety five percent of the time in Canada. Approximately one million hectares of forest land is logged each year in Canada.

Not only this forests in Canada hold one eighty six billion tonnes of carbon, equivalent to twenty seven years of the world’s carbon emissions. Cutting down trees is leading to global warming as fewer trees mean less carbon dioxide is getting turned into oxygen.

Also, of the 140,000 species of plants and animals in Canada two-thirds live in forests. So, be it losing precious resources, global warming or losing plant and animal species depletion of old growth forest is harmful to us in many ways.