Earlier today, Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) released a national conservation report entitled: Conservation Forestry – Careful Use of Canada’s Forest Resources. The report identifies the link between Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) and the progress being made on biodiversity goals, Indigenous-led management, and net-zero carbon targets.
The report provides insights into sustainable forest management in Canada, the world-leading regulatory frameworks in place, the growing impacts of fires on forest health, and the commitment of Canadian forestry workers to supporting the birds, mammals, and fish that call Canada’s forests home. It also recognizes forestry as a critical tool in the global toolbox to support biodiversity and climate change.
This report comes on the heels of a global report by Dalberg, issued during the recent COP27 climate meetings in Egypt, which outlined how governments around the world are turning to the benefits of climate smart forestry and the forest bioeconomy to support climate action as well as sustainable and inclusive economic development.
“As we face worsening fire patterns across the country, climate smart forestry is part of the solution to protect families, communities, and critical infrastructure, and reduce carbon emissions,” said FPAC President and CEO Derek Nighbor.
“The world is waking up to the forest sector’s essential role in meeting international climate change targets,” noted FPAC’s SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer Kate Lindsay. “In Canada, sustainable forest management can be a key component to realizing our domestic and international goals and objectives regarding biodiversity and climate change. As we head into important COP15 discussions this report will help shine a light on the ability of Canada’s forest sector to contribute to our international commitments on biological diversity and climate change,” she added.
The full report can be found here.
To request a French copy of the report, click here.
FPAC provides a voice for Canada’s wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. As an industry with annual revenues exceeding $75B, Canada’s forest products sector is one of the country’s largest employers operating in over 600 communities, providing 225,000 direct jobs, and over 600,000 indirect jobs across the country. FPAC and its members are committed to collaborating with Indigenous leaders, federal and provincial governments, labour partners, community groups, and other rightsholders and stakeholders to secure and advance the sector’s environmental, social, and economic potential for the long-term.
Indigenous-Led Forest Management
Over 70% of Indigenous communities in Canada are located in forested areas. Not surprisingly, these forests have played a central role in meeting the cultural, spiritual and material needs of Indigenous peoples.
Indigenous and treaty rights are protected by Canada’s constitution, and this is increasingly reflected in forest policy and forest management practices. It is widely recognized that Indigenous peoples have an integral role in furthering sustainable forest management objectives through the application of Indigenous knowledge and an intrinsic awareness of community values on the land base.
Recent decades have seen a steadily expanding role for Indigenous peoples in managing Canada’s forests through a wide variety of approaches. Notably, in recent years, Canada has seen an increase in the forest land and resources under Indigenous management, both in terms of fibre volume allocations and area-based tenures. Currently, Indigenous-held fibre allocations account for over 19 million m3, or 9.1% of the total available wood fibre from Canada’s managed forests. This represents an increase of over 11 million m3, or 135%, since 2003. On an area basis, the portion of the managed forest under Indigenous-held tenure totals 17 million hectares, or approximately 7.5% of the total managed forest area.
In addition to these direct, Indigenous-held volume and area-based tenures, new approaches to forest tenure are creating opportunities for greater co-management of the forest through Indigenous-private sector partnerships.
The extent to which Indigenous peoples and communities are directly involved in the management of Canada’s forests is expected to increase in the coming years. The Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI) is a recent example of programs supporting the growth of Indigenous involvement in the forest sector. The IFI provides financial support to Indigenous- led economic development projects, businesses, careers and governance, notably in forest stewardship and participation in the forest bioeconomy.
The Importance of Indigenous Knowledge and Involvement in Forest Management
“Given than most Indigenous communities are located in or near forested lands (over 70 per cent of First Nations) and have a long history of forest management, encouraging increased Indigenous involvement in decision-making and in the forest sector will strengthen Indigenous communities and provide significant contributions to Canada’s forest-based economy and sustainable forest management objectives.”
Canadian Council of Forest Ministers – Indigenous Peoples and Forests