Home to an incredible two million lakes, 20 percent of the Earth’s freshwater, the world’s longest coastline, 40 national parks, and countless beautiful views and vistas, Canada is a natural wonderland. With our large land mass and relatively small population, Canada boasts a lot of wildlife and wild, untouched nature. It’s the perfect place to live or visit for those who love adventure travel, camping, outdoor sports and activities, and road trips.

Advocating for responsible adventuring

For many Canadians, answering the call for the outdoors and getting outside is an important part of their lifestyle. Whether it’s a weekend hike or bike ride through a nearby park or a summer camping getaway, spending time in nature is good for the mind, body, and soul.

Next time you pop up your tent in the forest or stop for a picnic on the lakefront, though, it’s important to remember the oldie but goodie: “Take only pictures and leave only footprints.” For Coleman, a favourite brand of outdoor recreation lovers and camping enthusiasts, leaving nature as you found it when enjoying outdoor activities is just as essential as packing your sunscreen and bug spray. In manufacturing camping equipment and equipping Canadians for their outdoor adventures, Coleman makes sure that protecting our wilderness and being responsible to nature is part of its brand message. Coleman advocates for responsible adventures, which is good for the environment, wildlife, and people, too.

Getting properly equipped for your next expedition

Active families, outdoor enthusiasts, and adventure seekers know that enjoying the great outdoors is better with high-quality gear you can count on. Coleman provides all the equipment you need for your next outdoor activity or camping expedition, including coolers, tents, shelters, screenhouses, fuelled & e-lighting, sleeping bags, camp cooking equipment and cookware, camping accessories and much more.

Coleman stands out from other outdoor product companies with its approach to protecting nature and supporting nature and outdoors lovers. Not only does the brand provide adventure seekers with the necessary supplies and equipment to ensure their overall enjoyment and experience of the outdoors, but they also equip their customers with plenty of tips and advice to guarantee an outdoor adventure that’s positive for all involved — from the campers and adventurers to the surrounding wildlife.

The outside is calling, and Coleman is encouraging you to answer it. Spend more time in Canada’s great wilderness – hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, or doing any other activity you love or have been wanting to try. Enjoy our beautiful wilderness while respecting it.

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A famous saying “As Long as The Sun Shines, The Grass Grows and The River Flows,” Chief Dan George of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation north of Vancouver, British Columbia. This famous quote has been distilled in Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island. 

Connection to this land goes beyond walking amongst the land, we are spiritually and materially connected. Most Indigenous peoples are taught from a young age, that if we take from mother earth, we always give something back and we only take what is needed. Now if everyone who walks the earth did the same, I think we would be living a different story today.

As a national organization, we at the Outdoor Council of Canada (OCC) understand that we work, play and live in the most beautiful diverse landscapes across Canada. Being exclusive to the communities that we work in, we also incorporate respect to the lands. Outdoor education to key to our organizational where we encourage the younger generation and all those that are leaders in the outdoor community.

What does protecting the forest actually mean? I look at the sweet science and diversity of our national resources, these elements are continually being extracted from mother earth. Understanding that she is exhausted and that we have a huge fight on our hands, when one natural resource is affected it affects the whole ecosystem. A word I recently heard “Collective Impact’ – my interpretation of this statement, it’s not up to one individual to make a difference. It begins with one person, group, organization, community, province, nation to be collective to make the greatest impacts.  We as humankind are innovators and leaders in creating ways to become more sustainable and resourceful with the daily demands of our society. Do we need to be innovative or does innovation include bringing back the old traditional or simplistic way of living? 

As the original peoples of the land, all the elements of the land were a gift.  We acknowledge and give respect to all living things. What can we do in protecting the forests? How do we reduce impacts in our natural resource demand? As we have an unbalanced ecosystem worldwide, maybe it’s time to engage and be a leader or our domain. As Indigenous peoples fight to protect their homelands and sacred sites, maybe it’s time that we consider all of our land sacred and fight for her together as one.

This quote from an ancestors rings really true today and carries with it the teachings from our parents, grandparents and knowledge keepers. 

It’s hard for me to understand a culture that not only hates and fights his brothers but even attacks Nature and abuses her. Man must love all creations or he will love none of it. Love is something you and I must have.  We must have it because our spirit feeds upon it.  Without love our self-esteem weakens. Without it our courage fails.  Without love we can no longer look out confidently at the world.  Instead we turn inwardly and begin to feed upon our own personalities and little by little we destroy ourselves.

Chief Dan George

Love for our forest is created by spending time within it. That is why we believe the best way to protect honor and celebrate our unique Canadian forests is to bring as many people as possible outside and offer powerful experiences where they can create their own connection and understanding of the relationships between humans and the world.

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Ontario’s 71 million hectares of rich forests cover an area larger than the size of forests in Belgium, France and Germany combined.

Market Opportunities for Forest Biomass in Ontario

Generating over $18 billion in revenue and supporting almost 147,000 direct and indirect jobs in communities across the province, Ontario’s vast resources of sustainable forestry do not only represent a primary source of economic wellbeing for many people, mainly those living in rural and Northern communities, including Indigenous people, but also provide a reliable source of renewable energy, especially since the province put an end to coal use in 2014.

Currently, in Ontario there is approximately 15 million cubic metres of wood supply that is not being used by existing industry. However, given that global demand for wood products, such as pulp, lumber and wood panels are expected to exponentially grow for many reasons, among which are the replacement of single-use plastics with paper options, increasingly widespread use of innovative products, such as 3D printing, new green chemicals and wood-based composites, the high potential in Ontario’s forest biomass could potentially be available for attracting further domestic and international investments in the forest sector without harmful impacts on the sustainability of the forests.

Government Programs for Forest Biomass in Ontario

In addition, the Ontario government also plays a key role in supporting and modernizing the forest biomass industry through implementation of its sustainable forest management practices, including but not limited to, Forest Management Manuals, Independent Forest Audit process, and environmental assessment requirements for forest management and initiatives, like the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program in order to make sure that barriers and high costs of regulatory burden, transportation, equipment and energy related to forest biomass are reduced to  the minimum.

Ontario has also developed a Forest Biomass Action Plan as an outcome of its Forest Sector Strategy, and the plan is designed to enhance economic development in the province, especially through Indigenous community involvement and reconciliation, examine innovative uses (combustion, pyrolysis, hydro-thermal treatments, gasification and thermo-chemical processing, etc.) of biomass products, including under-utilized mill by-products and biofibre, identify pathways to markets for biomass, and support demand and regulatory environment as key factors. Moreover, the Ontario government provides forestry-training programs, such as SkillsAdvance in order to support forest education and achieve greater involvement of young adults, including a growing Indigenous youth population in the forest sector.

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Why is sustainability important to you as a carpenter and renovator?

As a carpenter, a contractor, and someone who has a great appreciation for the environment, sustainability is extremely important to me. I see a lot of waste in my industry. From houses being poorly built to furniture being cheaply made and not built to last, I see a lot of “flavour of the year” attitude. Too many people get caught up in current trends that fade and then want to grab on to the next one, thinking of building material as disposable. We need to start thinking more in terms of longevity and sustainability. We have the knowledge and ability to build healthy homes that last longer, but a lot of people only focus on the finishes of their home. As someone who appreciates the outdoors and has seen a change in the state of the environment in my lifetime, it’s integral that we start thinking more sustainably.

What advice would you give to woodworkers who are looking to be more sustainable?

To any woodworker who wants to be more sustainable, I’d suggest trying to upcycle materials where you can. If you see a tree that has recently died, consider having it milled up and dried by a local sawmill. If you can keep your shopping for wood locally, support your local trades, and follow the natural life cycle of trees around you, you’ll certainly be a part of a greater impact.

What steps can people take to be more environmentally conscious when renovating their homes?

The most environmentally-conscious thing you can do when renovating your home is to work from the outside in. If you build an energy-efficient home that won’t mould and is structurally sound with proper mechanical, then you won’t have to renovate it as much over the years. The idea is to build a home that you can be born in, grow old in, and pass on to the next generation. Another thing we need to do is steer away from design trends and put some thought into a design that you want to live in for a longer period of time. Paint is easy to change, but when you start getting into moving walls, mechanical, and cabinets, then you get into a lot more waste and money.

Why do you believe it is so important to support sustainable Canadian wood and forestry?

We need to think sustainably in everything we do. As our population continues to grow, we require more resources from the earth. When we start to take more than the earth can reproduce, then we have a real problem. Personally, I think we’re already past that point, which is why I think it’s even more essential that we think sustainably in everything we do.

The post Mike Holmes Jr.’s Advice on Sustainable Construction and Renovations appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Canada — the globe’s second-biggest country — has a seemingly endless variety of wild landscapes, and our vast forests and nature are what attract many to visit. Despite having one of the highest numbers of trees per capita worldwide with an estimated 8,953 trees per person, not all Canadians have equal access to those trees and their benefits. With over 80 percent of the population now living in urban areas, municipalities have begun focusing their efforts on increasing the equitable access of urban trees and green spaces for all residents.

The importance of equitable tree access

Studies done in Toronto ^1,2, Montreal, and many cities in the U.S.^3,4 have shown that a map of tree cover is often also a map of race and income, with those living in lower-income or more racialized neighbourhoods tending to have fewer trees and lower access to them. Alternatively, those neighbourhoods with a higher median income contain more trees with easier access to them.

The events of the pandemic have shone a light on many societal inequalities and the uneven distribution of trees and environmental services across municipalities is yet another. Understanding that access to green spaces, urban trees, parks, and trails is a social determinant of public health will allow health care professionals, urban foresters, and municipal city planners to extend the benefits trees provide by supporting socially-just tree policy, planning, and management.

Creating equitable tree access

In 2020, American Forests launched a Tree Equity Score to highlight the resource allocations required for equitable canopy distribution in cities. Further, in 2021, the Trust for Public Land added an equity factor to its annual ParkScore index.

As municipalities across Canada work to create equitable tree access, a common target to achieve is a 30 percent tree canopy coverage. Looking at this percentage closer, it’s important to meet this target at the more granular neighbourhood level, not just municipality-wide, identifying first-hand those neighbourhoods with a lower canopy cover.

Possible solutions to the sometimes limited planting space in these neighbourhoods can include breaking up existing concrete areas to expand soil areas for planting, choosing tree species that may flourish in smaller areas, or possibly creating incentive programs for private property owners if public space is limited. In addition, it’s equally vital to protect and maintain any existing canopy or trees that currently exist ­— especially since good things like trees take a long time to develop and thrive.

At Tree Canada, we’re hopeful for a greener and equitable future and are always encouraged by the municipalities we work with that are taking the necessary steps to increase their canopy cover equitably among all the neighbourhoods in their communities.

We understand that just as ecosystem health is commonly determined by a measure of biodiversity, so too should the health of our communities be determined by the shared prosperity, happiness, and safety of all its residents.

So, on this 10th anniversary of National Tree Day, consider your own communities and how your trees, parks, and green spaces are distributed. Trees, as we’ve come to discover especially this past year, bring us many benefits and they should benefit everyone.

¹ https://www.utoronto.ca/news/toronto-s-low-income-and-racialized-communities-have-fewer-trees-u-t-researchers
² https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479717311775
³ https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-021-00022-0
⁴ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0122051

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What makes Canada’s National Parks special to you?

First and foremost, I think that in a country that is so rich in natural heritage, it is crucial for us Canadians to have an agency like Parks Canada that aims to protect and conserve those special places and ecosystems. I feel extremely privileged to be able to live in the heart of the national park system here in Banff and to lean on my connection with nature so heavily, on a daily basis. So does my family.

Nature has added so much value to our lives. I also see millions of visitors coming to experience that special connection with the land, the scenery, the fauna and so I’ve come to realize how important the wilderness is not just on its own, but as a place of significance to the human race. Retaining, preserving the ecological integrity of our national parks is absolutely crucial to the health of countless species including our own. 

What do you enjoy the most about being outdoors and exploring nature?

There is so much I treasure about being outside and exploring the mountain parks, but perhaps of greatest value to me is the joy that comes with allowing oneself to be curious as well as the realization that we are connected to all of the other inhabitants of the parks. The perspective gained from time spent in the wilderness, the memories made in all those special places, and the health benefits are also very important to me.

What do you find to be most inspirational when you’re photographing?

The beauty of the parks alone is enough to get me to pull out the camera and create, both for myself and also to share my experience with the world. I also never cease to marvel at how dynamic those places are. As an artist, the local mountains, lakes, and forests constantly provide a fresh canvas as those locations keep renewing themselves through the ever-changing weather and light. I also find tremendous inspiration in thinking about all those who have come before me and have seen their lives bettered by a place.

What are some of the issues Canada’s National Parks are facing today? And how can we work to mitigate them?

Living in Banff, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, the issue that is always most front of mind for me is the sheer number of visitors. These are special places where lasting memories are made, where we feel alive and at our best, and so it’s no surprise that they attract people from all over the globe. Unfortunately, heavy visitation has a negative impact on local wildlife, fragile environments, and delicate ecosystems.

If we are to welcome so many visitors, we must make sure that the infrastructure can handle it, that the transportation mechanisms can keep up, that habitats are not encroached upon, and most of all, I believe we must truly emphasize the importance of responsible, sustainable travel for all visitors so that these places can remain havens for humans yet still retain their ecological integrity.

The post Capturing the Beauty of the Canadian Outdoors with Paul Zizka appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Canada’s forests are under constant change. For example, we have seen the devastating impacts of wildfire and insect outbreaks across the country.

Climate change has presented an additional layer of challenges. While protection of untouched wilderness is an appealing notion to some, in reality, there is no such thing in Canada. Forest succession and renewal is a natural process which ensures our forests remain healthy over time.

The impacts of a changing climate have applied a new reality across all forests and ecosystems. To mitigate and adapt to these challenges, we must have tools available to manage these threats. We must collectively encourage, support, and expand the sustainable management of our working forests to ensure their continued protection.

While forests are commonly viewed as part of natural climate solutions, people often forget that forests can be large emitters and sources of carbon dioxide. For example, in 2017, British Columbia’s greenhouse gas emissions from forest fires were 176 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, more than 2.5 times the total emissions for B.C. that year. Through the sustainable harvesting of forest products, that carbon can be locked up in valuable wood products, displace more carbon-intensive materials such as concrete or steel, and generate low-carbon biomass energy. Sustainable forest management is an essential part of the climate solution.

Our forests and wildlife have adapted to a cycle of natural disturbances, such as fire, that has maintained ecological integrity over millennia. Sustainable forest management in Ontario aims to emulate these natural disturbances while protecting individual social, economic, and environmental values. Looking across Canada, Ontario is in a unique and enviable position. Our robust legal framework and long history of successfully managing and renewing forests have resulted in a healthy and abundant natural resource. As demand for sustainable products increases, Ontario is strategically positioned to capitalize on this enormous opportunity.

A study commissioned by the United Nations indicates that global demand for forest products is expected to increase by more than 30% by 2030. Consumers have realized that forest products are critical to a sustainable bioeconomy. This presents an incredible opportunity to Indigenous, non-Indigenous, northern, and rural communities across Ontario who depend on a healthy and prosperous forest industry. All of this can be achieved through the active management of our public forests.

The concept of “protection,” i.e., leaving forests in a preserved state forever, is a misconception. Historically, the philosophy of nature being something that required human protection stems from the concept of saving natural areas for those in urban populations to travel to on the weekends to escape city life. Given the realities of today, this is an outdated perspective. Although there are certain sensitive or special areas that merit special consideration, I believe it is time we collectively rethink what “protection” means and how we can achieve it through active, adaptive, and sustainable forest management.

The post How Forestry is Part of the Environmental Solution appeared first on HiveInnovates.

The effects of climate change can be seen across the country in droughts, insect outbreaks, floods, increased wildfire intensity, and melting glacial ice. In an effort to slow the warming of the earth’s surface, Canada has committed to reducing the country’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent by 2030. Closely related to climate change is the earth’s natural carbon cycle.

The carbon cycle refers to the continuous transfer of carbon from land and water to the atmosphere and living things. Forests are a vital part of this cycle, both storing and releasing carbon in a dynamic process of growth, decay, and renewal.

The challenge for the forest industry is to remove 30 megatonnes of CO2 per year by 2030, representing 13% of Canada’s overall target.

“There exists a perspective that is held by many that forest fires are solely the result of climate change and not the result of forest preservation and fire suppression,” says Bob Fleet, Vice President of Environment and Forestry at Tolko Industries Ltd. “Although the release of carbon is inevitable during a forest fire, it’s important to remember that this process is part of a natural cycle that’s necessary to help rejuvenate our forests over time.”

Canada’s forests are a vital global ecosystem, absorbing tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), and an important renewable resource that contributes to our economy. Carbon is stored in wood fibre products, with storage prolonged through the recovery and recycling of forest products. As Canada faces the challenge of reducing GHGs, maintaining healthy, vibrant forests and furthering the use of wood-derived products will be important in the transition to a greener, low-carbon economy.

Tolko’s role in mitigating climate change

Sustainable forest management practices, leading-edge manufacturing facilities, and the ongoing development of innovative wood products lay the foundation of Tolko’s commitment to mitigating climate change. Tolko helped shape the collective forest industry’s commitment to fighting climate change through the development of the Forest Product Association of Canada’s “30 by 30” Climate Change Challenge in 2016. The challenge for the forest industry is to remove 30 megatonnes of CO2 per year by 2030, representing 13 percent of Canada’s overall target.

Supporting sustainable forest management

Proactive forest management is an important tool to mitigate and combat climate change. Tolko is committed to sustainable forest management that follows strict regulatory systems, environmental standards, and continuous monitoring.

“Sustainable forestry practices maintain the long-term health of forest ecosystems for present and future generations,” says Fleet. “Tolko’s practices, such as the use of new technology in forest inventories, continuous research, prompt reforestation, support of Indigenous partnerships, and harvest planning imitating natural forest ecosystems, all support sustainable management.”

Tolko forests are certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) standard, an independent third-party certification that demonstrates the rigorous level of planning that’s involved to harvest and ensure successful reforestation of the forests it manages. SFI-certified forests and products are powerful tools to achieve shared goals such as fighting climate change, reducing waste, conservation, fostering biodiversity, educating future generations, and sustainable economic development. SFI standards are recognized and accepted by governments and customers around the world. The SFI Forest Management Standard requires a number of practices with direct climate benefits, such as ensuring forests remain as forests, requiring harvested areas to be promptly regenerated, and requiring practices that reduce the likelihood of wildfire or damaging invasive species.

At Tolko, research on the state of the forest and its evolution help shape the company’s understanding and informs its management strategies. In Saskatchewan, for example, ecosystem-based forest management is implemented by mimicking natural forest patterns in harvest plans. Careful planning and harvest play an important role in how forest blocks regenerate. Regeneration strategy not only includes replanting, but also allowing trees such as aspen, pine, and poplar to regenerate naturally. Deciduous forests successfully regenerate naturally through suckering in the Meadow Lake, Slave Lake, and High Prairie regions.

In Alberta, Tolko is using state-of-the-art technology and satellite imagery to capture real-time forest metrics such as tree species, height, and volume. These data help predict future forests, discover climate change impacts, and understand the dynamic forest ecosystems landscape. Healthy forests maintain their ecological and carbon functions, which are essential to providing long-term ecosystem, economic, and social benefits achieved through proper forest management.

Leading the way with modern manufacturing facilities

Over the past five years, Tolko has undertaken several initiatives to reduce its emissions through facility modernization and clean energy systems, such as:

Innovative wood products

Wooden buildings store more carbon than competing products. Tolko’s innovative engineered wood products allow architects, engineers, and builders to maximize their use of wood in new ways. Building more with sustainably managed wood can deliver significant emissions reductions.

Additions to Tolko’s engineered wood portfolio include Athabasca Division’s new rip line to produce laminated strand lumber and Heffley Creek Division’s engineered parallel-laminated veneer product. Both provide a consistent high-strength wood option for the industrial sector.

Tolko’s Soda Creek Division recovers short-length lumber produced in the sawmill from logs that would otherwise be left in the forest. This lumber is converted into a highly sought-after finger jointed stud product. To help mitigate climate change, Tolko is committed to building leading-edge manufacturing facilities, promoting wood products as viable building options, and supporting science-based forest management.

About Tolko

Tolko Industries Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of forest products for customers around the world, including lumber, plywood and veneer, oriented strand board, co-products, biomass power, and a growing number of specialty wood products. It holds third-party certification on the forestlands it sustainably manages in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan and plays an active role in the communities where its employees live and work.

The post Protecting Canada’s Forests: Reducing Our Carbon Footprint appeared first on HiveInnovates.

The Canadian Wildlife Federation’s programs engage young Canadians in conservation.

With roots planted deeply in conservation education programming, the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) has always been a national leader in youth engagement. The mission at the CWF continues to be connecting Canadians to nature throughout every stage and age of their lives, and education remains a primary pillar of that mission.

That commitment to education was reinforced in 2018 when the CWF launched the Canadian Conservation Corps (CCC), a three-stage conservation leadership program designed for youth aged 18 to 30 funded by the Government of Canada through the Canada Service Corps initiative. It was followed by the 2020 launch of the CWF WILD Outside (WO) program, an outdoor adventure and service-learning initiative targeting youth aged 15 to 18. Together, these two programs developed and delivered by the CWF represent a huge commitment by the organization to develop the next generation of conservation stewards in Canada.

If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children – Confucius

“At the CWF, we take a comprehensive approach to youth engagement,” says Mike Bingley, CWF’s Director of Education. “We believe that all stages of development are important: from nature play with young children, and gardening stewardship programs for elementary schools to service learning and employment programs for teenagers and young adults, we’re committed to helping young people make a difference.”

Through a variety of initiatives delivered in collaboration with CWF partners in conservation and the development of self-directed projects, members of both the CCC and WO programs have been actively involved in conservation activities across Canada. Many of these have been focused on forestry initiatives, including trail building, tree wrapping, reforestation and afforestation initiatives, woodland cleanups, and tree identification seminars. For example, Jessie Lozanski, a CCC participant from Ottawa, spent her placement working on invasive species management projects including Scots pine removal and gypsy moth surveying, along with inventorying forests and leading trail cleanups. Lozanski says that her time gave her a new appreciation for CWF conservation efforts.

“I learned that forestry is the act of a mutually beneficial relationship between people and the woods,” she says. “We gain so many services from forests, lumber being the most obvious, but they also clean our watersheds, filter our air, and house a wide array of biodiversity. Forestry, as careful management, helps the woods thrive and is incredibly important for the future of our forests and humanity as well.”

The impact of the CCC and WO programs is being felt in Canada from coast to coast. So far, the 337 participants who have joined the CCC have completed more than 225,000 service hours, while over 839 WO participants have completed another 16,293 hours in their home communities. The projects developed and delivered by these young conservation stewards have focused on a variety of different conservation initiatives, from installing pollinator gardens, turtle nest protectors, and bat houses aiding species recovery to organizing shoreline cleanups, developing classroom curriculum, and spearheading programs designed to reduce plastic pollution in the ocean.

“Programs like the CCC and WO keep us at the vanguard of conservation education in Canada,” says Bingley, who notes that the CWF has reached over half a million people through its education programming over the past five years. “It’s vital to inspire young Canadians to care about nature, about wildlife, and, most importantly, about conservation. Education is the key to making that happen.”

For more information, visit CanadianConservationCorps.ca or WILDOutside.ca.

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shopfsc.ca helps consumers stand for forests.

Nearly 400 million hectares of forest stretch across Canada, which is home to 10 percent of the world’s woodland. Still, our national canopy is threatened and consistently at risk: since the turn of the century, this country’s tree cover has plummeted 11 percent — or by 44 million hectares, according to Global Forest Watch.

The news cycle demonstrates in real-time our close relationship with forests. There is annual, serious wildfire activity in BC searing the landscape of many communities, and the summer of 2021 was no exception. In northwestern Ontario, smoke from forest fires hung as far south as Toronto, dropping air quality and visibility all along the way.

Walls of flame get the attention, but in truth stakeholders that range from activists to corporations have been sounding the alarm bell on deforestation in the name of urban growth, industry, and agriculture for decades. When we hear about this, it’s usually in the spectre of something newsworthy, like RCMP officers recently shutting down old-growth protests in the forests of Fairy Creek on Vancouver Island — a scene set to become the biggest act of civil disobedience in Canada’s history.

At stake is the loss of diverse wildlife, Indigenous communities, and carbon storage that helps avert the climate crisis. Protecting our forests is a role that isn’t exclusive to activist organizations, government agencies, or eco-conscious corporations. It’s a role any consumer can accept, with their wallet and with their choices. In an economy-driven society, that role is second to none.

FSC stands for forests

In Canada and around the world, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) protects animal habitats, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, workers’ rights, and areas of environmental or cultural importance.

To that end, it has set a strict national standard for responsible forest management that any forestry company must meet in order to be FSC-certified. In this process, companies must demonstrate they’re preserving caribou habitat, working collaboratively with local Indigenous Peoples, acting in a socially responsible manner, and prioritizing high conservation values — biological, ecological, social, or cultural values of outstanding significance ­— among other requirements.

In this meticulous process, FSC tracks fibre from certified forests along the entire supply chain all the way to the store — where consumers are then empowered to be part of the sustainability solution by selecting wood, paper, and other forest products bearing the FSC label.

These labels provide consumers with an assurance that the products are made from responsible sources and have been verified to meet FSC’s strict environmental and social standards.

In fact, FSC Canada’s national forest management standard is this country’s sole forest certification system to be supported by top environmental organizations including the World Wildlife Fund Canada, the David Suzuki Foundation, and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Association.

The FSC label can be found on millions of products that range from toilet paper, books, and furniture to shoes and musical instruments. The consumer experience is often a rushed one, so to make sustainable purchasing even easier, Canadians can now find FSC certified products online at shopfsc.ca. It’s home to a growing list of companies proudly showcasing their FSC-certified products, including Pottery Barn, Lululemon, Hunter Boots, Allbirds, and more.

Find FSC certified products online at shopfsc.ca or learn more about FSC and its approach to sustainable forestry at ca.fsc.org.

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