It covers research related to forest resource management, including forest biology, biometry, conservation, economics, genetics, human dimensions, management, operations, protection, policy, remote sensing, soils, silviculture, wildlife and wood science.

The journal publishes articles, reviews, notes, and commentaries.

The journal was established in 1971 and published quarterly till 1982.

[1] The editors-in-chief are Lisa Venier, Nelson Thiffault and Jari Vauhkonen.

[2] The Canadian Journal of Forest Research was selected as one of the DBIO 100, the 100 most influential journals in biology and medicine over the last 100 years as voted by the BioMedical & Life Sciences Division of the Special Libraries Association on the occasion of its centennial.