Established in 1899, the Canadian Forest Service (CFS), a sector of Natural Resources Canada, is an organization of more than 1,000 dedicated individuals working together to play a continued leadership role in sustainable forest management principles and practices. With 10 percent of the world's forests within its borders, Canada has a moral, as well as a practical responsibility, to play both a national and an international role in promoting the sustainability of the global forests.
Science and technology (S&T;) activities are carried out and policy coordinated with the thought always in mind that 94 percent of Canada's forests are publicly owned. As the premier forest research and national policy coordination agency in Canada, the CFS plays a pivotal role in building consensus on key forest issues, shaping national and international forest agendas and generating and transferring knowledge through world-class forest research.
The CFS builds consensus by forging strategic alliances and partnerships with other governments, industries, universities, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders to foster better communication and cooperation among the forest community in Canada and abroad.
The underlying focus of every initiative undertaken within the CFS mandate is sustainable development. The CFS shapes the forest agenda by:
- shaping the international dialogue on forests, and providing technical expertise in the negotiation and implementation of international agreements that advance Canada's foreign policy and sustainable forest management objectives;
- coordinating national commitments to develop a Canada-wide strategy to promote sustainable forest management practices across the country; and
- developing a S&T; course of action with the research community in Canada to focus research efforts on addressing the new challenges of sustainable development.
The CFS generates and transfers knowledge by:
- conducting world-class research on key forest sector challenges;
- developing the tools and methodologies required to measure Canada's progress in sustainably managing its forests;
- working in partnership with universities and private research organizations;
- assisting Aboriginal communities in building their capacity to sustainably manage forests; and
- transferring the knowledge, tools and techniques developed through our science networks to our clients.
