Forests of Canada

The forests of Canada are located across much of the country. Approximately half of Canada is covered by forest, totaling around 2.4 million km² (0.93 million sq mi).^[1] Over 90% of Canada's forests are owned by the public (Crown land and Provincial forest). About half of the forests are allocated for logging.

Named forests are found within eight distinct regions. These forests may also be part of ecosystems, a number of which extend south into the United States. For example, the Northern hardwood forest is an ecosystem located in large areas of southeastern and south central Canada as well as in Ontario and Quebec. This system extends south to west and even into the United States.

Canada had a 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 8.99/10, ranking it 11th globally out of 172 countries.^[2]

Ontario alone, makes up for 20% of Canada's Forests, which makes roughly 2% of the forests in the world.^[3] Ontario follows strict laws and regulations to manage its forests in a sustainable way. Ontario Forests are mainly managed by the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (NDMNRF).^[4] They ensure a fair trade between sustaining the forest, while protecting the biodiversity of the ecosystem and providing legal methods for harvesting to benefit the economy.^[3]

Regions

The forests of Canada are located within eight regions:^[5]^[6]

Acadian Forest Region - This region comprises a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest ecoregion located in Quebec as well as the Maritime Provinces in Eastern Canada, and extends into the United States.^[7]
Boreal Forest Region - This the largest forest region in Canada. It is located in the north and contains about one third of the world's circumpolar boreal forests.
Coast Forest Region - Located on the west coast, this region almost entirely comprises coniferous trees including the Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar.
Columbia Forest Region - Also mostly comprising coniferous trees, this region is located between the Rocky Mountains and the central plateau in British Columbia.
Deciduous Forest Region - This region is located between Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario.^[8]
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest - This region is the second largest (the boreal being the largest), and is located from southeastern Manitoba to the Gaspé Peninsula.^[8]
Montane Forest Region - Located in the west of Canada, this region covers parts of the Kootenays, the central plateau of British Columbia, and a number of valleys close to Alberta's border.^[8]
Subalpine Forest Region - This region is located in British Columbia and Alberta. It covers the Rocky Mountains from the west coast to Alberta's uplands.^[8]

By Province

The following is a list of forests, ecoregions, ecozones, forested parklands and provincial parks.

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

Newfoundland

Newfoundland Highland forests

Nova Scotia

Ben Eoin Provincial Park

Ontario

Prince Edward Island

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Yukon

Yukon Interior dry forests

Other forest areas

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests

Beech-maple forest - This forest is located mostly in eastern United States and extends into southern Canada.^[10]
Carolinian forest
Eastern forest-boreal transition
Eastern Great Lakes lowland forests
John E. Pearce Provincial Park
Long Point, Ontario
Niagara Glen Nature Reserve
Northern hardwood forest
Pinery Provincial Park
Point Pelee National Park
Rock Point Provincial Park
Rondeau Provincial Park
Short Hills Provincial Park
Southwest Elgin Forest Complex
Western Great Lakes forests
Wheatley Provincial Park

A view of the Niagara River from Niagara Glen Nature Reserve, surrounded by forest

References

^ "Total forest coverage by country". the Guardian. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
^ Grantham, H. S.; Duncan, A.; Evans, T. D.; Jones, K. R.; Beyer, H. L.; Schuster, R.; Walston, J.; Ray, J. C.; Robinson, J. G.; Callow, M.; Clements, T.; Costa, H. M.; DeGemmis, A.; Elsen, P. R.; Ervin, J.; Franco, P.; Goldman, E.; Goetz, S.; Hansen, A.; Hofsvang, E.; Jantz, P.; Jupiter, S.; Kang, A.; Langhammer, P.; Laurance, W. F.; Lieberman, S.; Linkie, M.; Malhi, Y.; Maxwell, S.; Mendez, M.; Mittermeier, R.; Murray, N. J.; Possingham, H.; Radachowsky, J.; Saatchi, S.; Samper, C.; Silverman, J.; Shapiro, A.; Strassburg, B.; Stevens, T.; Stokes, E.; Taylor, R.; Tear, T.; Tizard, R.; Venter, O.; Visconti, P.; Wang, S.; Watson, J. E. M. (2020). "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 5978. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7723057. PMID 33293507.
^ ^a ^b "State of Ontario's Natural Resources - Forest 2021".
^ "Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry".
^ "Forest classification". Natural Resources Canada. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
^ "Forest Regions - The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca.
^ "New England/Acadian Forests". www.cas.vanderbilt.edu.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Canada's Forests - Sustainability and Management - CCFM". www.sfmcanada.org. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
^ "Natural Areas". 11 January 2018.
^ "Eco Succession". Archived from the original on 2008-12-26. Retrieved 2018-09-23.

External links

Media related to Forests in Canada at Wikimedia Commons

[1] "Total forest coverage by country". the Guardian. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2018.

[FLII-Supplementary-2] Grantham, H. S.; Duncan, A.; Evans, T. D.; Jones, K. R.; Beyer, H. L.; Schuster, R.; Walston, J.; Ray, J. C.; Robinson, J. G.; Callow, M.; Clements, T.; Costa, H. M.; DeGemmis, A.; Elsen, P. R.; Ervin, J.; Franco, P.; Goldman, E.; Goetz, S.; Hansen, A.; Hofsvang, E.; Jantz, P.; Jupiter, S.; Kang, A.; Langhammer, P.; Laurance, W. F.; Lieberman, S.; Linkie, M.; Malhi, Y.; Maxwell, S.; Mendez, M.; Mittermeier, R.; Murray, N. J.; Possingham, H.; Radachowsky, J.; Saatchi, S.; Samper, C.; Silverman, J.; Shapiro, A.; Strassburg, B.; Stevens, T.; Stokes, E.; Taylor, R.; Tear, T.; Tizard, R.; Venter, O.; Visconti, P.; Wang, S.; Watson, J. E. M. (2020). "Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 5978. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7723057. PMID 33293507.

[:0-3] "State of Ontario's Natural Resources - Forest 2021".

[4] "Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry".

[5] "Forest classification". Natural Resources Canada. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2018.

[6] "Forest Regions - The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca.

[7] "New England/Acadian Forests". www.cas.vanderbilt.edu.

[auto-8] "Canada's Forests - Sustainability and Management - CCFM". www.sfmcanada.org. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2018-09-23.

[9] "Natural Areas". 11 January 2018.

[10] "Eco Succession". Archived from the original on 2008-12-26. Retrieved 2018-09-23.

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v t e Forests of North America
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