Trees: More Than Just Pretty to Look At

Urban trees are in decline across Canada, which Tree Canada says is cause for concern. Learn how we can adapt to climate change with trees.

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Celebrating Canada’s Forests as Diverse Outdoor Classrooms

Learn about the 2019 National Forest Week theme is Canada’s Forests, “Diverse Outdoor Classrooms,” and the lessons our forests have to teach.

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Managing Canada’s Forests for People, Wildlife, and the Climate

Canada’s forests are home to over 2.5 million people and are a key driver of the Canadian economy. We are a forest nation — learn how to keep it green.

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Ontario — A Place to Grow the Forest Sector

As true stewards of our forests, OFIA’s members are committed to responsibly and sustainably harvesting Ontario’s only renewable natural resource, trees.

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The Canadian Institute of Forestry/Institut forestier du Canada (CIF-IFC) is the oldest forest society in Canada, founded in 1908. As the national voice of forest practitioners, one of the institute’s primary objectives is to foster public awareness of Canadian and international forestry issues through nation-wide campaigns. 

“An important national campaign of the CIF-IFC is National Forest Week (NFW), which will be celebrated this year from September 22 to 28,” says Colin Carroll, President of the CIF-IFC. The institute offers promotional products including posters and postcards free of charge to organizations and individuals celebrating NFW across Canada.

Originally established in 1920 as Forest Fire Prevention Week, it was later renamed in 1967 to what it’s known as today. “NFW encourages Canadians from coast to coast to foster appreciation of forests as important renewable resources and to learn more about Canada’s forest heritage,” says Carroll. 

The 2019 NFW theme is Canada’s Forests: Diverse Outdoor Classrooms, which focuses on the endless learning opportunities that Canada’s vast and diverse forests provide. “This year’s theme recognizes the environmental, economic, and social value of sustainably-managed forests in helping grow resilient and adaptive communities,” explains Carroll. 

There are many ways that Canadians can participate in NFW including: organizing a tree plant, touring a forest sector processing site/mill or industry, exploring a forest near their home, or learning about sustainable forest management.

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Canada’s forests stretch from coast to coast, are home to more than 2.5 million people and 1.6 million Indigenous peoples, and are a key driver of the Canadian economy, contributing up to 200,000 jobs. We are a forest nation.

So, it’s essential that our forests meet the social, ecological, and economic needs of present and future generations. 

To do this, the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®), a non-profit organization committed to responsible forestry, has launched a new national standard for responsible forest management in Canada which targets the most pressing issues threatening Canadian forests today, including:

The woodland caribou crisis: Caribou help signify the health of the forest and support other plants and wildlife, including birds, insects, and small mammals. The FSC® now includes requirements to directly support caribou habitat and avoid harvest in breeding or migration areas.

Indigenous peoples’ rights: Over 1.6 million Indigenous Canadians live in or near forests. The new FSC® standard introduces requirements to proactively recognize and uphold the rights of Indigenous peoples to protect their culture, livelihood, and lands.

Workers’ rights including gender equity: The rights of the people who depend on our forests for their livelihood, including health, safety, and gender equity are important considerations in forest management. FSC® requires that forest managers maintain or enhance the social and economic well-being of forest workers.

Landscape management and conservation: Landscape-level management is needed to maintain, enhance, and restore ecosystem services. The new standard includes requirements to minimize and avoid landscape disturbances, like aligning forestry activities with other industrial activities, and to improve the protection of waterways.

A way forward

This new standard holds the opportunity to show the world how 21^st century forestry can provide meaningful solutions for collaborative, equitable, and sustainable management of our forests.

The post Managing Canada’s Forests for People, Wildlife, and the Climate appeared first on HiveInnovates.

For over 75 years, the Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA), a non-profit dedicated to growing local communities, has provided a unified voice for a diverse membership of forestry companies that operate across Ontario. Its members remain committed to sustainable forest management by balancing social and environmental values with economic development, while fostering relationships with various stakeholders and rightsholders.

As true stewards of our forests, OFIA’s members are committed to the responsible and sustainable harvesting of our province’s only renewable natural resource, trees. In doing so, their actions have helped maintain healthy and productive forest ecosystems and provided recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat protection, all while assisting in climate change mitigation and generating employment opportunities in over 260 northern communities.

Ontario’s Crown forests cover almost two-thirds of the province and nearly half are managed forests. For generations, Ontario’s forest sector has operated responsibly and played a vital role in every region of the province, creating over 155,000 direct and indirect jobs. By sustainably harvesting a mere 0.2% of Ontario’s renewable resource each year, we continue to generate an impressive fiscal return, reflected by a domestic economic impact of $16.6 billion and total wages of $2.3 billion.

Our province’s forest practices are governed by a world-class regulatory framework which provides for all forest values — environmental, social, cultural, and economic — including the protection of at-risk-species and their habitats. The association strives to sustainably manage our forests today to meet the needs of future generations. OFIA’s mission is simple: to grow a stronger, greener Ontario. 

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