The Canadian Forest Ecosystem Classification can be thought of as a "dictionary" of Canadian forest and woodland ecosystems. It will integrate knowledge of vegetation communities in relation to environmental gradients, such as regional climate and site-specific moisture and nutrient regimes. The Canadian Forest Ecosystem Classification will be effective for a broad range of applications, from exchanging forest management information across provincial and territorial boundaries, to identifying ecosystems with high potential for biodiversity conservation.

Currently, provincial and territorial forest ecosystem classifications identify and describe over 4,000 forest and woodland community types in Canada. However, because each classification is only consistent within its jurisdictional boundaries, direct comparison of the systems is not possible. The objective of the Canadian Forest Ecosystem Classification is to address this situation by correlating the provincial and territorial classifications into a common national system. Furthermore, the adoption of internationally standardized definitions will allow Canadian Forest Ecosystem Classification types to correspond to associations (plant communities) of the International Classification of Ecological Communities in Canada and the United States. In this way, forest and woodland ecosystems across Canada and the United States will be described in common terms and communication of species- and community-level ecological information will be facilitated within Canada and internationally.

The Canadian Forest Ecosystem Classification will define and describe forest and woodland communities using standardized criteria and terminology. It will provide a consistent framework for applying ecological knowledge of Canadian forests and woodlands to monitoring, research, and reporting activities. The Canadian Forest Ecosystem Classification will thus help to establish Canada as a world leader in the application of ecosystem classification to sustainable forest management, including both timber and non-timber values. Such a classification is essential for extrapolating information from local to national and global scales. The Canadian Forest Ecosystem Classification will enhance the interpretive value of spatial information products (e.g., the National Forest Inventory and satellite-derived land cover schemes) by linking ground-derived ecological attributes to them.