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Creating Employment and
Wealth for Canadians

The global population explosion of the past half-century has pushed the demand for lumber and pulpwood to levels unimaginable 70 or 80 years ago. At the same time, technology has provided loggers with greater forest access and more efficient harvesting tools. Axes have been replaced by chain saws, which in turn have often been replaced by mechanical harvesters capable of gathering thousands of trees per day. Logs that were once moved to the mills along waterways are now trucked year round. An estimated 50% of Canada's vast boreal forest is now accessible by highways and logging roads.

Forestry is Canada's largest natural resource industry. Our forest products trade surplus is close to the combined surpluses for agriculture, energy, fisheries and mining. Our nation is the largest exporter of wood products in the world. The forest industry is a major contributor to employment. In 1993 it provided an estimated 311,000 direct jobs in silviculture, logging, wood industries, and paper and allied products, as well as thousands of indirect jobs through its purchase of goods and services. Many Canadian communities rely entirely or heavily upon the boreal forestry industry for their survival. These forest-dependent communities have limited alternate economic and employment opportunities and are vulnerable to the industry's seasonal and cyclical changes.

Although forestry is the main industry, many other economic activities take place in the boreal forest region. These include mining, oil and gas extraction, hunting, trapping, fishing, tourism and recreation and also the service industries which support these activities. As well, the rivers and lakes are a source of water and power for much of the Canadian economy. The boreal forest also provides the basis for subsistence activities in some rural areas. In addition, a significant number of Aboriginal communities rely upon the boreal forest ecosystem to sustain their local economies, social structures and cultural values.