BC - Global Leader in Forest Management
An independent study* comparing international forest practice regulations in 38 jurisdictions found that British Columbia has some of the most stringent forest sustainability requirements in the world. For example:
- A fraction of one per cent of British Columbia's forested land is harvested each year. As in the rest of Canada, areas that are logged must be promptly regenerated.
- With the exception of all of Canada, BC has more forest land protected from harvesting than any other jurisdiction.
- Deforestation in developing countries accounts for approximately 18 per cent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions or almost eight billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. Canada has 91 per cent of its original forest cover, more than any other country, and its rate of deforestation has been virtually zero for more than 20 years. In British Columbia, 98 percent of the land base has never been converted from its pre-settlement state for uses such as farmland and urban development, but instead remains as forest, grassland and other natural areas.
- Canada is a world leader in the independent certification of forest management and practices, and has more certified forests than any other country. As of January 2008, Canada had 138 million hectares and BC had 52 million hectares of certified forest area.
At 95 million hectares, BC is larger than any European country except Russia, about four times the size of the United Kingdom and larger than the combined areas of Washington, Oregon and California states. About two-thirds of the province is forested, which means we play an important role in mitigating climate change through sustainable forest practices. Healthy, sustainably managed forests are a necessary prerequisite to ensuring maximum absorption of carbon dioxide, minimal greenhouse gas emissions and the long-term storage of carbon in wood products.
*The study, "Global Environmental Forest Policies: Canada as a Constant Case Comparison of Select Forest Practice Regulations," was conducted by Dr. Benjamin Cashore, a professor at Yale University, at the request of Forestry Innovation Investment and the Forest Products Association of Canada. The 450-page report can be viewed here, or the summary report here (PDF).
Forest Preservation
Protecting a range of biologically and ecologically diverse ecosystems across the land base is an important management strategy that provides valuable areas for scientific studies, recreational and tourism opportunities, and meeting cultural and spiritual needs.
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Forest Certification
Forest certification is a mechanism to ensure that our forests are managed sustainably to maintain and enhance the long-term health of forest ecosystems.
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Deforestation/Reforestation
Deforestation is the permanent removal of forests where the land is converted to other uses such as agriculture or land development and globally accounts for 20 per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions.
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Legal/Illegal Logging
Illegal logging contributes to deforestation, habitat destruction and climate change, given the loss of forest cover and subsequent loss of CO2 absorption.
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Carbon Neutrality
Canada's forest products industry, a global leader in sustainable forest management, aims to reach industry-wide carbon neutrality by 2015 without the purchase of carbon-offset credits.
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