Overview of Ontario’s ForestsOverview of Ontario’s Forests
Chris Walsh
Manager, Forest Evaluation & Standards
March 31, 2009
Chris Walsh
Manager, Forest Evaluation & Standards
March 31, 2009
OverviewOverview
• Ontario in perspective
• Ontario’s forests
• State of the Forest
• Vision for the Future
Ontario in perspectiveOntario in perspective
Ontario in perspectiveOntario in perspective
Ontario within North America• 5% total area
• 1.5 x size of Texas
Ontario in perspectiveOntario in perspective
Ontario’s forestsOntario’s forests
• 107.6 million ha (266 million acres)
• 71 million ha (66%) forested
• 26.9 million ha of forest ‘managed’
Ontario’s forestsOntario’s forests
• 87% public land- 9.9 million ha parks
and protected areas
Ontario’s forestsOntario’s forests
Forest Management Units• 46 units
• 240,000 to 1,966,650 ha in size
State of the ForestState of the Forest
•Forest Certification
•Endangered Species
•Climate Change
•Aboriginal Involvement
•Wood Supply
•Forest Industry
Forest CertificationForest Certification
• Ontario recognizes 3 Certification Systems• In 2008, 85% of Ontario’s Crown managed
forest certified (26.3 million hectares)
Endangered SpeciesEndangered Species
Endangered SpeciesEndangered Species
• Over 180 species at risk in Ontario and increasing (most in S. Ontario)
• New Endangered Species Act effective June 2008– automatic protection of species at risk
and their habitats– Recovery strategies within specified
timelines – species-specific habitat regulation
provision
Climate ChangeClimate Change
Climate ChangeClimate Change
• OMNR engaged in climate change work for decades
• Work focused in following areas:– Understanding &
mitigating impacts
– Adapting to anticipated change
• Ontario Government action plan
Climate ChangeClimate Change
Climate ChangeClimate Change
Red Lake Blowdown 2008Red Lake Blowdown 2008
Climate ChangeClimate Change
Sioux Lookout Fire 2006Sioux Lookout Fire 2006
Aboriginal InvolvementAboriginal Involvement
• Aboriginal communities face significant economic and social challenges
• Government required to negotiate for more equal participation
Ontario: Harvest Volume
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
40,000
45,000
1990-94 1995-99 2000-04 2005-09 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080 2090Year
'000
's c
ubic
met
res/
year
Historical (Forecast) Crow n Supply : All Historical (Actual) Wood Utilization : All
Predicted Wood Supply : All 1999 OFAAB Benchmark : All
Wood Supply vs Demand (2008)Wood Supply vs Demand (2008)
2008 harvest
Ontario’s Forest IndustryOntario’s Forest Industry
Ontario’s Forest EconomyOntario’s Forest Economy
• 2005 Value of Shipments – $18.8 billion
• 2005 Value of Exports - $8.4 billion
– USA: 97%
• 2005 Direct Employment
– 84,500
Forest Industry Jobs - MillsForest Industry Jobs - Mills
• 146 “Crown wood consuming” facilities (>1,000 m3/annually for past 5
years)
• 76 are major consumers(>25,000 m3/yr for 5 yrs.)
– 29 are closed temporarily/indefinitely
– 13 closed permanently
– 17 on reduced shifts
– 17 still operating normally
Forest Industry JobsForest Industry Jobs
Ontario Total Jobs
60,000
65,000
70,000
75,000
80,000
85,000
90,000
95,000
100,000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Tota
l Jo
bs
Forest Industry Jobs - MillsForest Industry Jobs - Mills
Forest
Dependency by
Community• StatsCan 2006
data
Vision for the FutureVision for the Future
• Healthy forests adapting to and mitigating climate change
• Protection/restoration of species at risk (woodland caribou)
• Community economic & social stability
• Enhanced aboriginal involvement and benefits
• Healthy investment climate
• Bio-economy investment captured
• Competitive Forest Industry
END
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