| In Canada, about 45% of the territory is covered with forest,
corresponding to 417.6 million hectares stretching from the Atlantic
to the Pacific coasts, and to the Arctic tree line. More than half
of the forested lands, about 234.5 million hectares are considered
commercial (or productive) forests. Each year, one million hectares
are harvested, representing 0.4% of the Canadian productive forests.
The forested areas managed for timber production are mostly located
in the Boreal Shield, Atlantic Maritime, Montane Cordillera and
Pacific Maritime ecozones.
Forest Products
There are a variety of forest products. Among the most important products are timber, such as sawlogs
and peeler logs, used by sawmills to make lumber and plywood; and pulpwood used for making paper,
paperboard and newsprint. There are also other wood products such as Christmas trees, cribbing, fence
posts, firewood, shakes, shingles, mining timbers, grape stakes and pilings. Forests also provide
consumers with wild food products like nuts, mushrooms, berries, fiddleheads, herbs, medicinal plants
and wild rice.
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