National Research Forests
Natural Resources Canada, through the Canadian Forest Service, maintains two research forests (Acadia and Petawawa) and one research station (Valcartier). These living laboratories have a long legacy of providing scientific data that informs researchers, scientists, and industry about long-term trends to help address forestry issues now and in the future.
Research programs
With their combination of history, experimental sites, and data, the Acadia and Petawawa research forests offer unique opportunities for both long- and short-term research. Current areas of research, and potential collaborative research opportunities, include:
enhanced forest inventories based on remote sensing
enhanced forest productivity through silvicultural treatments
biological evaluation of alternative harvesting treatments
forest health
forest vegetation management alternatives
forest diversity and natural succession
biodiversity
provenance trials using seed from various geographical locations
clonal studies, including somatic embryogenesis
climate change adaptation
sustainable forest management
forestry best management practices
species at risk
spruce budworm research on endemic populations
The knowledge gained from research conducted at Acadia and Petawawa will continue to enhance socio-economic benefits for forest management practices around the world and aid in forest policy decision-making. NRCan is dedicated to addressing current forestry issues, while providing the opportunity, under secure conditions, to investigate anticipated forestry issues that have yet to arise.
Advisory Council Recommendations Economic Development Progress 2017
Who Manages Canadian Forests?
A little less than 90 percent of Canadian Forests are managed on behalf of Canadians by provincial and territorial governments as public land.
Just under 2 percent of Canadian Forests are federally controlled.
There are 2 percent of Canadian Forests managed by Indigenous Peoples.
The remaining 6 percent of Canadian Forests are under private ownership.
There are almost 1/2 million private forest owners in Canada – of which there are approximately 82,000 in the Maritimes ( Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick).
Source: Natural Resource Canada
Canadian Forest Facts
Canada contains 417 million hectares of forest land, amounting to 10 percent of all the forest land in the world.
Of this forest land ,more than 220 million hectares are considered capable of producing timber and other forest products, and some 119 million hectares are currently managed for timber production.
The Provincial governments manage about 71% of the nation’s forests. ‘
The Federal and Territorial governments oversee 23%
Some 6% of Canada’s forest land is on private property – 1/2 million stewards.
Source: Natural Resource Canada
Understanding Forest Regions In Canada
Source: Natural Resources Canada
There are 12 Forest Regions in Canada that each have their own principal tree species.
Region
1. Boreal- Predominantly Forest
2. Boreal – Forest and Barren
3. Boreal- Forest and Grass
4. Subalpine
5. Montane
6. Coast
7. Columbian
8. Deciduous
9. Great Lakes – St. Lawrence
10. Acadian
11. Grasslands
12. Tundra
Species in each region
1. White spruce, black spruce, balsam fir, jack pine, white birch, trembling aspen
2. White spruce, black spruce, tamarack
3. Trembling aspen, willow
4. Engelmann spruce, alpine fir, lodgepole pine
5. Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, trembling aspen
6. Western red cedar, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, Douglas-fir
7. Western red cedar, western hemlock, Douglas-fir
8. Beech, maple, black walnut, hickory, oak
9. Red pine, eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, yellow birch, maple, oak
10. Red spruce, balsam fir, maple, yellow birch
11. Trembling aspen, willow, bur oak
Boreal Regions of Canada
Source: Google Earth
With almost 417 million hectares (ha) , Canada ranks as the country with the third largest forest area in the world.
Much of this forest grows in the Boreal zone. (Natural Resource Canada).
Research Teaching Forests in Canada serve as critical components to rural sustainability. Teaching Forests can enhance the potential of Forest benefits by promoting livelihoods involved with working in the Forest. This is particularly the case when Teaching Forests are affiliated with global Universities and applied researchers specializing in the study of innovation surrounding forests, forest products, and forest benefits to communities.
Understanding Traditional Regions
Partial Global Map of Approximate Locations of Traditional Regions
Source: https://native-land.ca/
A Closer Look at the Traditional Region Wabanaki
Visual representation of the Wabanaki Forest Region. (also referred to by some as the Acadian Forest Region).
Source: The Northeastern Forest People.