How does Canada’s intensity of use of forest resources compare to that of other countries?
Canada ranks 2nd out of 17 peer countries for the intensity of use of forest resources (actual harvest as a per cent of annual growth) indicator and receives an “A” grade for performance. In recent years, Canada’s actual harvest has been 44 per cent of annual growth, while the OECD average has been 56 per cent. Canada’s ranking on this indicator reflects the large volume of forested land in Canada relative to the other OECD countries.1 More than 70 per cent of Canada’s forested area has never been harvested.2 Switzerland and Belgium, for example, received “D”s, harvesting 78 and 86 per cent of their forests’ annual growth, respectively. But the forested area in these countries is substantially smaller than in Canada. Canada is one of the few peer countries to retain a relatively large proportion of its primary forests.
