Forestry in Newfoundland & Labrador: 10 Facts

Forestry in Newfoundland & Labrador: 10 Facts

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Forestry in Newfoundland and Labrador Facts cover

Newfoundland and Labrador is home to millions of acres of productive forested lands, a critical economic mainstay for the province since its beginnings. Going back into history, much further back than when Europeans settled what we now know as Atlantic Canada, you'll discover that the region's forests were an essential source of materials for the Indigenous communities to make tools, build boats, and survive in the wilderness.

Today, the province is home to a small but critical forestry sector which puts food on the table for thousands of families. The industry produces more than $400 million in economic activity for the province, exporting goods to other Canadian jurisdictions and south to the United States.

Below, we review several facts on forestry in Newfoundland and Labrador and a brief history of the industry in the province. Also see:

Newfoundland & Labrador Forestry: 10 Facts

more than 400 Indigenous communities rely on the forestry sector across Canada

#1 - The island of Newfoundland is home to 15 million acres of forest, of which more than 9 million acres are considered "productive" [1]

#2  - Most of Newfoundland's forested lands are located in the western and central areas of the island, accounting for 56% of the island's land area [1]

#3 - Labrador is home to 13 million acres of productive forested lands located mainly in the valleys of the Churchill, Alexis, Eagle, and Kaipokok rivers [1]

#4 - Newfoundland and Labdrador's forestry sector produces a vast array of products valued at approximately $400 million annually, making it an economic mainstay and contributor in many regions of the Atlantic province [2]

#5 - Approximately 5,000 people are directly and indirectly employed by the forestry sector in Newfoundland and Labrador [6]

#6 - In 2020, just 7,509 hectares of forested lands were harvested, approximately 1.3 million cub metres of wood [7]

#7 - Newfoundland and Labrador's forestry and logging industry has 34 employers and an additional 31 non-employers/indeterminate [5]

#8 - Newfoundland and Labrador's forestry sector is projected to see 0.8% average annual employment growth from 2022 through 2024 [3]

#9 - Newfoundland and Labrador's boreal forest is approximately 380,000 km2 (94 million acres) in size – larger than Germany [4]

#10 - Newfoundland and Labrador's boreal forest accounts for 7% of Canada's Boreal Forest [4]

Brief History of Forestry in Newfoundland & Labrador

newfoundland and labrador forest

For ages before Europeans arrived in the forest-rich lands of Newfoundland and Labrador, its forests played a critical role in providing Indigenous Peoples with materials to make tools, build houses, construct boats, and even for food and medicinal purposes [1].

Upon arrival from Europe, settlers immediately relied on the forests' resources to sustain their fishing, which was the main economic activity of the time. Fishers and merchants needed wood to build barrels, boats, and flakes. They also used wood for fuel, shelter, and dunnage (to secure cargo in place) [1].

Commercial forestry began in the mid-1800s, during which several sawmills were established as local populations grew. In 1857, there were 14 mills in the Avalon peninsula region (central), Newfoundland's most densely populated region [1].

In the 1870s and 1880s, new forestry-related legislation was passed into Canadian law, designed to encourage an orderly and large-scale sawmill industry which expanded alongside the railway post-1890 [1]. As it developed in the 20th century, the forestry sector was dominated by pulp and paper production [1]. Various mills were opened throughout the 1900s to supply the pulp and paper industry, a trend that today remains in the province's forestry sector.

Over several decades, Newfoundland and Labrador's forestry sector would become vital to the province's economy, supporting thousands of workers and their families today.

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SOURCES:

#1 - https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/economy/forestry.php

#2 - https://www.gov.nl.ca/ffa/programs-and-funding/forestry-programs-and-funding/support/services/

#3 - https://srv144.services.gc.ca/img/edsc-esdc/jobbank/SectoralProfiles/ATL/2022/IndustryBrief-IndustrieEnBref-FOR-2022-EN.pdf

#4 - https://www.borealbirds.org/province-territory-boreal-forest-facts/Newfoundland-Labrador

#5 - https://ised-isde.canada.ca/app/ixb/cis/businesses-entreprises/113?wbdisable=true

#6 - https://worksupportnl.ca/directory/newfoundland-and-labrador-forest-industry-association-nlfia/

#7 - https://natural-resources.canada.ca/sites/nrcan/files/forest/sof2022/SoF_Annual2022_EN_access.pdf