RNNR Committee Report

Supplementary Opinion of the New Democratic Party of Canada

Economic Recovery in Canada’s Forestry Sector

The New Democratic Party of Canada agrees with the report of the committee and supports the recommendations; however we feel the value of forest conservation should be highlighted. As Professor William Lahey said, “…forestry practices shouldn't balance environment, social and economic objectives as if they are of equal value. We need to give priority to ecological and biodiversity health, because this is foundational to everything else we want to accomplish, including having a healthy forest in the long term. If we don't have healthy ecosystems and biodiversity, in the long term we'll have degraded forests.” Or as Ms. Florence Daviet said, “By making room for nature, we can further multiple objectives: meeting our international goals to protect 30% of land and water by 2030, protecting species at risk, reducing emissions from human activities and reducing the risk of forest fires caused by human activities.”

Protected forest stands can provide excellent long-term form of carbon sequestration. Dr. Kathy Lewis said, “It's becoming increasingly important to look to our forests to enhance carbon sequestration as a means of mitigating climate change. Recent research from B.C. has shown that when the economic price of carbon emissions and sinks is combined with timber prices, traditional clear-cuts flip from being the most economical to the least economical harvest practices. As we work towards meeting our Paris Agreement targets, the benefits of promoting the retention of intact forests, as well as wider adoption of partial harvesting practices, must be more fully considered.” Dr. Werner Kurz noted that forests remove about 30 per cent of human caused Greenhouse Gas emissions. Dr. Kurz added, “…the average carbon content of forest ecosystems in Canada is around 220 tonnes of carbon per hectare means that this carbon has accumulated in some cases over thousands of years in the forest soil and over hundreds of years in the plant biomass.”

In addition to fighting climate change through carbon sequestration, intact forests provide other ecosystem services. In addition to providing home for wildlife vital to human society like pollinators, forests help to mitigate flooding and erosion, purify water sources and moderate weather. Other ecosystem services provided by intact forests support cultural and religious activities, food harvesting, and recreation.

In order to have a truly sustainable forestry sector, conservation must be considered an integral part of forest management.