Forestry in Canada

[2] The Canadian forestry industry is composed of three main sectors: solid wood manufacturing, pulp and paper and logging.

[6] Economic concerns related to forestry include greenhouse gas emissions, biotechnology, biological diversity, and infestation by pests such as the mountain pine beetle.

[4] European forestry in Canada is thought to date back to the 11th century, when Leif Erikson first landed off the coast of what is believed to be Newfoundland.

The area that is now Canada experienced significant deforestation during the 18th and 19th centuries, as a booming population of settlers cleared the land; this pattern was also seen elsewhere in North America.

[11] In 2010, Canada enjoyed a significant surplus in their balance of trade, mainly due to being the second-largest exporter of forestry products globally.

[2] Two main insects place the Canadian forestry industry at risk, the mountain pine beetle and the emerald ash borer.

[17] While extensive logging, prescribed burning and pest reduction techniques have been used to attempt to contain the beetle, large stands of dead trees remain, posing a significant threat of wildfire.

[20] The emerald ash borer was introduced into North America from Eastern Asia in the 1990s[21] It is estimated that the beetle has caused $1.422 billion in damages since the introduction to Canada.

Additionally, the CFIA has cut down thousands of trees to create a buffer zone to halt the progression of the emerald ash borer.

[23] In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia modified their tree reseeding guidelines to account for the northward and uphill movement of forests' optimal ranges.