Forest Health > 1998 Report > Introduction

Introduction

Canada's forests cover approximately 45% (418 million ha) of its land base. We are stewards of 10% of the world's forests. The forest ecosystems form a good part of the ecological backbone of the country and are a source of recreation, inspiration, and wealth for many Canadians. The nation is the world's largest exporter of forest products, contributing $32 billion to the country's balance of trade and providing 830 000 jobs for Canadians. Forests also provide essential habitat, food, and shelter for wildlife. Our forests are home to 140 000 wildlife species, roughly half of which have never been described by taxonomists. If the health of our forests is compromised, Canada will suffer environmentally, culturally, and economically.

Canada is steward of 10% of the world's forests. The forest ecosystems form a good part of the ecological backbone of the country and are a source of recreation, inspiration, and wealth for many Canadians.

As such, we need to understand the changing nature of our forests and the role people play in this change. By synthesizing results of collective scientific research and monitoring programs across Canada and extrapolating appropriate non-Canadian research, we can begin to acquire this understanding and communicate it to Canadians in a clear and concise manner.

The Forest Health Network of the Canadian Forest Service, in cooperation with partners, has a mandate to report on the health of Canada's forests and determine if, how, and why it is changing. This report, the first of a continuing series, addresses this mandate. Its scope is national, using the ecological classification (ecozones) of Canada as the reporting framework (Ecological Stratification Working Group 1996). This facilitates the reporting of forest health, as most related issues transcend political and institutional boundaries.