Key Facts on Sustainable Forestry in Canada

Size
About half of Canada’s land mass is covered by forest, that is approximately 417 million hectares. Only ¼ of Canada’s forests are dedicated to forest management (119 million hectares), the remainder, for example, is either protected from harvesting, is of a non-commercial quality, or is commercial but not yet accessed or allocated.

Ownership
94% percent of Canada’s forests are publicly owned, while the remaining 6% is private property belonging to more than 425,000 landowners.

Harvest Levels
Canada harvests less than ½ of 1% of its commercial forest area each year, or ¼ of 1% of its total forest area. Moreover, it grows twice as much timber as it harvests. About ½ of the Canadian forest will NEVER be harvested. That never-to-be-logged Canadian forest is larger than California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana combined.

Fire, Insects & Disease
Did you know that Canada harvests less of its commercial forest each year (0.4%) than is taken by fire, insects and disease (0.5%).

Regeneration
By law all forests harvested on Canada’s public lands must be replaced. . More than half of the area harvested in Canada is left to regenerate naturally. Many tree species can reestablish themselves on a site without planting or seeding. These natural mechanisms include seeding from the adjacent forest, suckering of stumps and roots, and growth of young trees remaining on the harvested area. In summary, regeneration is accomplished by natural regeneration (53%), planting (43%), and aerial seeding (4%).
An Abundant and Growing Forest
The area of trees growing in Canada is growing not shrinking. In fact, during the 5 year period, 1990-1995, the United Nations FAO estimated a net increase of 4% in the area of trees growing in Canada’s commercial forests.
Helping Our Climate
Trees are living plants that ‘breathe’ to help them grow. As they breathe, they remove unwanted carbon dioxide from the air – a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming – and replace it with life sustaining oxygen.
Park System
Canada is the world leader in terms of area dedicated to its national and provincial park system for the use and enjoyment of Canadians and citizens around the world. Its national and provincial parks alone occupy some 56.8 million hectares. Compare that to the area of forests managed primarily for wood production in Canada – 119 million hectares – and one can quickly see that Canada’s forests are maintained for a variety of values and uses.
Original Forest Cover
Almost half of the Earth’s original forest cover is gone, much of it destroyed within the past three decades. In contrast, Canada has maintained over 90% of its forest cover and it has done so while being one of the world’s largest producers of high-quality forest products.
Forest Certification
Certification provides proof that forests are being managed by an independent 3rd party audit. Currently, if including CSA, SFI, FSC and ISO 14001 certifications, Canada has certifications covering some 115 million hectares of forest land- the largest certified forest area in the world! If however, one considers only those certifications to forestry-specific standards such as CSA, SFI, FSC, Canada has over 25 million hectares of forest land certified – of which 1 million is certified to FSC (see next bullet). However, the area of certifications to forestry-specific standards (CSA, SFI, FSC) is scheduled to grow considerably by 2006 given a new commitment by the Board of FPAC. It is also important to remember that the vast majority of wood coming from Canada’s forests are well-managed, certified or not. For more information on the forestry specific standards noted above or on forest management certification status in Canada, visit www.CertificationCanada.org.

FSC Forest Certification
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification is not practical for small 10-100 acre parcels of land which are the primary source of high value hardwood in Canada. Costs to implement and maintain an FSC certification would be higher than the value of product derived. To be brief, FSC on small private lands managed for timber is conceptually unworkable in Canada. This point is made given that many environmental organizations lobby purchasers of Canadian forest products to specify FSC certified wood – this is an unrealistic demand for most small private woodlots in Canada. It should also be noted that even large scale commercial forestry operations in Canada for the most part are not pursuing FSC certifications for a variety of reasons. To date, 1 million of 25 million hectares of certified forest land in Canada is certified to the FSC Principles.

Key Facts on Sustainable Forest Products in Canada

What are the ATHENA™ Sustainable Materials Institute’s Life Cycle Facts in Support of Wood over Competing Products?

Total energy use: The wood building used the least energy. The concrete option required 1.7 times the energy for wood. The steel option required 2.4 times the energy. Wood simply does not require much energy to manufacture.

Greenhouse gases: The wood building had the lowest greenhouse gas emissions. The steel building generated 1.45 times and the concrete building generated 1.81 times the greenhouse gases for wood.

Air pollution: The wood design had the lowest air pollution index. The steel building produced 1.42 times and the concrete building produced 1.67 times the air pollution index.

Solid waste: The wood design had the lowest solid waste. This takes into account both manufacturing and on-site construction waste. Steel produced 1.36 times and the concrete produced 1.96 times the solid waste. This means there is virtually no waste during the manufacturing process and the use of engineered wood products has radically reduced the on-site construction waste.

Ecological Resource Use: The wood design had the lowest ecological resource use index. Steel was 1.16 times and concrete was 1.97 times the index for wood. This factor compares the long-term effects of resource extraction. Although forestry affects a large area, reforestation means the effects are short term. Sustainable forest management practices help ensure that disruption is minimized.

Conclusion: The office building built with wood had lower environmental impact for energy use, greenhouse gases, air and water pollution and ecological resource extraction than the steel or concrete building. A similar case study of residential buildings (comparing wood, steel and concrete construction) produced similar findings in terms of wood’s superior environmental performance.

What are some of the key sustainable wood product messages that the Wood Promotion Network?

N. America’s forests are abundant and growing, based on satellite imagery.

Wood is the best insulator against heat and cold, which makes it the most energy efficient material that can help keep home energy bills in check.

Regardless of market volatility, wood is the most affordable building material you can use. Framing an average 3-bedroom home can cost up to 30% less with wood versus other framing materials.

New innovations in engineered wood products and pre-made panels and trusses help builders and homeowners keep framing costs down.

The production and use of wood is easier on the environment than any other building material. It takes less non-renewable fossil fuels and less energy to produce wood framing materials than alternative framing materials.

Wood is the world’s only 100% renewable building material and is manufactured with the organic power of solar energy.

Wood is the only major building material that is renewable. Canada’s sustainably managed forests ensure that there is an ample supply. New manufacturing technology allows every part of the tree to be used so that nothing is wasted. Advanced engineered wood products make use of fast growing species to produce high strength products without requiring large dimension timbers to meet building needs.

Suggestions on how to care for your log home products:

Exterior wood products:
Materials should be stored under a roof until used. They should be stacked on 2×4’s on top of concrete. If that is not possible, stack on 4×4’s that are placed on top of a tarp, tar paper or plastic.

Cover all sides with a tarp. If a tarp is not available, black plastic can be used instead.

When choosing your exterior finish, keep in mind that the darker the stain, the more protection it will offer against ultraviolet rays. There are many different brands of stain but we prefer the Sikkens products. 
Interior Wood Products:
Materials should be stored under a roof until used.

Lumber for interior use has been kiln dried differently than lumber for exterior use and MUST BE KEPT DRY.

Pine doors that are not installed immediately must be sealed on all sides and stored in a warm, dry place.

If you purchase quarter or half log for interior use, we recommend storing it inside your home for two weeks to let is acclimate. Lumber is kiln dried differently for interior and exterior use.

If you want the natural look for your interior wood, we suggest using a non-yellowing finish. Keep in mind that ultraviolet rays will affect the color.

For the best results when finished, lightly sand the wood in between coast of finish.

It is very important to use a humidifier after you have installed wood products in your home. The best type is one installed on your furnace if forced air is used. If not, a portable humidifier is an acceptable option.

Using these guidelines will minimize any shrinking or swelling of the wood and will result in less maintenance.