Sustainability

Canada is a global leader in sustainable forest management (SFM) and leads the world in third-party forest certification.  Certification is issued only after a thorough review by third-party auditors determines, among other things, that long-term harvests are sustainable, there is no unauthorized or illegal logging, wildlife habitat is preserved, and soil quality is maintained.  Although Canada is home to 9% of the world’s forests, it is also home to 36% of the world’s certified forests, more than twice the area certified in any other country.  Certification provides certainty to customers that they are buying products from forests managed to comprehensive environmental, social, and economic standards.

Over 90% of Canada’s forests are publicly owned and companies operating in Canada’s publicly held forests are required to harvest at sustainable rates and replant every single tree.  Our sustainably managed forests and harvesting practices help mitigate the impacts climate change because trees remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it as carbon.  Trees that are harvested and converted into wood products continue to store carbon for many, many years.  Once disposed of wood products can continue to store carbon for decades, for example, in landfills decomposition is slowed by the lack of oxygen.   Trees harvested from Canadian forests are replanted or regenerated – it’s the law.

Canada’s hardwood industry offers other environmental advantages.   Wood manufacturing uses a fraction of the energy used by competing products and wood products made of wood over competing produce lower greenhouse gas emissions, lower air pollution and less solid waste. Naturally sustainable and non-toxic, wood is a safe green product that leaves us healthier, happier and more productive. Carbon neutral and biodegradable, it is good for us and good for the planet. These benefits extend from residential and corporate spaces to health care, education and community facilities.

For additional information on Canada’s sustainable forestry practices, go to Natural Resources Canada or Canadian Council of Forest Ministers.