Awareness

Forests are an important part of this landscape, not only because of the environmental services and values that they provide to stakeholders, but also because of their direct benefits for individuals and communities. Direct use of forest resources (both timber and non-timber) provides for an important portion of the livelihoods of populations, particularly in rural, northern areas, and for First Nations peoples. Management of forest resources for commercial purposes represents an important source of income and employment for Ontario. Our forests are important education, rese arch and recreation areas, and treasured places for spiritual and psychological well-being. 
 
CANADA

Population	31.4 million
Total Area	997 million ha
Land Area	921.5 million ha
Forest Land	471.6 million ha
National Parks	24.5 million ha
Provincial Parks	33.2 million ha

Data Source: The State of Canada's Forests 2002-2003, Natural Resources Canada 

Forest Ownership in Canada

The majority of Canada's forests are owned by the government: 71% by the provinces/territories and 23% by the federal government. Only 6% of our country's 417.6 billion ha of forest land is privately owned. The extent and distribution of privately owned lands varies tremendously between provinces (see below) and explains the disparate impact and importance of these in our landscape.

 

Percentage of private land ownership across Canada:

British Columbia	3%
Alberta	3%
Saskatchewan	6%
Manitoba	3%
Ontario	8%
Quebec	11%
New Brunswick	50%
Nova Scotia	68%
Prince Edward Island	91%
Newfoundland and Labrador	1%
Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut	0%

Data Source: The State of Canada's Forests 2009, Natural Resources Canada

 

Privately owned woodlots 

Privately owned woodlots fall into one of two types; industrial forests, large and often owned by companies; and non-industrial forests (or woodlots), which are smaller and mainly owned by private individuals, often farmers.  Farm woodlands are another important category that is often overlooked or undervalued. In 1995, $419 million in forest products sales, excluding maple, was produced from 3,343 farms (Agricultural Census, 1996). Nationally, the woodlot income generated from Ontario’s farms is second only to Quebec.

  
STATISTICS 
- 89% of Ontario's forestlandsare owned by the government. 
- 11% (7 million ha) is owned by private landowners. 
- 1% of privately owned forests are used for production purposes. 
- In Northern Ontario, 55% of land belongs to the province. 
- In Southern Ontario, 87% of land belongs to private owners. 
- Over 90% of Ontario's 10 million people (25% of Canadians) live in Southern Ontario. 
- 80% of woodlands in Southern Ontario are less than 3 ha in size. (Ontario Nature, 1999) 
- Only 24% of the land base south and east of the Canadian Shield is currently forested (MNR, 2002) 
- Most rural small landowners are using their land for personal use as opposed to using it to generate income. 
- 84% of urban residents see the presence of trees in urban and rural areas as being very important. 
- Urban residents are very concerned about the condition of woodlots or forests across Southern Ontario (43%) and trees in their local community (33%). 
- Trees are seen to have an impact on healt (56%).   
- Trees are also seen to have environmental benefits (60% for climate change; 87% for air quality; 61% for water quality). 
- 80% of urban residents say that governments should be spending more on replacing forests in Southern  Ontario.

Source: Environics, 2001 Survey.