Taking action in support of our vital natural resource sector

Canada’s forestry industry is absolutely critical to Canada’s economy, especially in our rural and Indigenous communities. Over 300,000 Canadians are either directly or indirectly employed by the sector, including 12,000 Indigenous community members¹.

While providing families from coast to coast with reliable, good paying jobs, Canadian forestry also contributes to important goods and services we use in our everyday lives. Whether it's the lumber used in our homes or the paper in our workplaces, we all benefit from forestry every single day.

In addition to the daily forest products we use, the industry also generates a significant amount of wealth by exporting to international buyers. More than two-thirds of Canada’s forest products are exported; the United States is our largest trade partner, accounting for about 68 per cent of Canada’s total forest product exports in 2019². Meanwhile, Canada is working hard at export diversification and has opened up opportunities in Asia, Europe and other regions.

In addition to playing a critical role in our everyday life, Canada’s forestry industry is also a global leader in environmental sustainability. Canada’s forest management is among the most strictly regulated in the world, with about half of our total forested area (168 million hectares) certified to third-party standards of sustainable forest management in 2019³.

Our responsibly produced forest products are 100% sustainable. Through proper reforestation from forestry companies, everything produced from Canadian forestry is wholly renewable. For example, over 440 million seedlings were planted across Canada in 2018⁴.

There is no doubt that the world will continue to demand forest products for the foreseeable future. We owe it to the world to meet that demand as much as possible with our sustainable industry.