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Forest Facts
Some 1.5 billion trees are planted in the U.S. every year, about 5 trees for every American.
Annually, U.S. forestland owners plant about 6 trees for every tree harvested.
About one-third of America's original forest - some 300 million acres - have been converted to other uses, principally agriculture.
There are 26 million more acres of forestland in the Northeast than there were in 1900.
Today, forests blanket about one-third of the U.S. land base and about half the U.S. East.
U.S. annual growth rates have exceeded harvest rates since the 1940's.
Timber harvesting is forbidden on 50% of all National Forest lands in the U.S.
National Forests account for 20% of the nation's forestlands and 19% of its timberlands.
National Forests hold 46% of the nation's softwood timber inventory but only provide 6% of the annual harvest.
Since 1986, the harvest of timber from America's national forests has declined 70%.
In the West, 34% of all forestland and 54% of all timberlands are in national forests.
National forests in the Pacific Coast and Intermountain West regions hold 68% of the nation's softwood timber inventory, but provide less than 28% of annual harvest.
Forest density has increased 40% in the U.S. over the last 50 years.
Flying Finns
Home->Fall 2004
With the small population, a resource that is of marginal value (small wood that takes longer to grow) and far from exports markets, there has not been sustained pressure to develop a large-scale timber industry. Much of the NWT forest remains pristine. Commercial wood harvesting that has taken place has been restricted to small-scale operations. White spruce and trembling aspen have been harvested for timber in the southern portion of the territory since the 1940’s. This industry peaked in 1996-97 when the annual volume harvested was about 5.8 million cubic feet in 2003. Fuel-wood production has remained stable at about one million cubic feet of roundwood annually.
Much of this decline in saw-log harvesting can be attributed to specific economic pressures in British Columbia in the 1990’s, a struggling Canadian lumber industry, recent community development focus on oil and gas exploration and negotiations by First Nations on land claim issues. Commercial timber harvesting is expected to increase slowly and steadily but remain below the 1996 volume for the foreseeable future.
The boreal forest has other values to the people of the Northwest Territories. Dene (First Nations) and Metis people have traditionally relied on the forest to provide them with food, clothing and shelter. Most Aboriginal peoples now live in communities and take part in the modern wage economy but continue to rely on the forest for economic, cultural and spiritual reasons. “There is a spiritual understanding of land. I’ve heard it defined as having respect for the land, however we use it,” explains Extension Forester, Beatrice Lepine. “Being out on the land is healing. I know so many people who say they feel their best and think most clearly when they’re out in the bush.”
These values are reflected in the forest management policies of the Government of the Northwest Territories. “We’ve been slowly shifting to dealing with forest management in a much more holistic way, rather than a southern approach that focuses only on commercial timber development,” explains Susan Corey, Director of Forest Management. “We look at how the people in the communities see the forest being used, what they need for economic stability within the community and how they want to preserve the cultural values of the forest.”
This means people living in forest communities are kept in the loop when making decisions about forest use. For example, when a business applies for approval to harvest timber, the application is referred to representatives of First Nations and community governments. If the community wants to preserve the forest for a traditional use, it might result in a lower level or permitted harvest under the principles of sustainability that focus more on commercial forestry. “We have models that will develop a sustainability limit that can take into consideration wildlife habitat, bio-diversity, cultural and traditional uses of the forest,” says Ms Corey. “The numbers on what’s sustainable might be lower, but that’s just from a commercial point of view. There are other values, both cultural and economic, that are equally or more important.”
The Dene and Metis have relied on the forest to provide fuel for warmth and cooking for hundreds of years. Today, 19% of the homes in the territory use wood-heat, 25% of which have wood as their primary source of heat. The importance of wood-heat is recognized by legislation, which allows each NWT homeowner a free annual harvest of 20 cords (1,865 cubic feet) a year. “That’s unique in Canada,” points out Manager of Forest Resources Tom Lakusta. “We give you a permit to harvest fuel-wood and a renewable resource officer will help guide to you a harvest area.” Trapping, hunting and plant harves ing are other traditional uses of the forest.
Trapping of fur-bearing animals such as marten, wolverine, fox and lynx adds about $1 million to the northern economy. Many people also supplement their food supply by hunting animals such as moose, caribou and bison. In 2002, about 40% of NWT residents spent some time on the land in 2002 hunting or fishing and about 75% of households ate locally harvested meat or fish. People also harvest birch syrup, berries and medicinal plants. Materials such as animal skins, fur, birch-bark, moose-hair and porcupine quills are used to create traditional clothing and arts and crafts for personal use and sale.
The holistic approach to forest management in the NWT is also reflected in forest fire management policy, which recognizes fire as a natural phenomenon that helps regenerate the forest. “The NWT has a very rich fire history that goes back thousands of years,” explains Manager of Fire Operations Frank Lepine. “If you dig in the ground, you’ll find charcoal. It’s estimated that the forest burns itself over entirely every 100 to 300 years.” People who harvest and live on the land in the NWT still live with fire and expect it to occur, and know what kind of animals they can expect to find in a burn areas,” says Mr. Lepine.
Fires in the NWT are fought only if they threaten certain stated values of which human life and property are the most important. An average of 1.5 million acres of the NWT forest burns every year, and about 65% of the fires are fought. While people accept fire as a natural occurrence, at the same time forest fire fighting has been incorporated into traditional culture, providing seasonal work to people through the generations. Many First Nations companies are under contract to provide fire-fighting crews, providing employment for about 200 people on a seasonal basis. In addition, up to 200 emergency workers are hired by government to fight fires each year, making firefighting an important seasonal economic activity in this sparsely populated territory.
Because of their traditional ties to the forest, Aboriginal people have a natural interest in forest management. For the past several decades, the First Nations have been negotiating land claim and self-government agreements that will, in time, give them stewardship over much of the NWT’s forest. To prepare for this transfer of responsibility, the Forest Management Program is collecting forest and vegetation inventories that will be tools for future (as well as present) managers. This scientifically-gathered information, combined with the traditional knowledge First Nations have built up through centuries of living close to the land, will help ensure the forest will continue to provide economic, cultural and spiritual nurturance to future generations.
Northwest Territories
By: Annelies Pool
| Population: | 29,924 |
| Total Area: | 48.3 million ha |
| Land Area: | 47.9 million ha |
| Forest Land: | 27.5 million ha |
The boreal forest is the cradle of life for many of the people in Canada’s Northwest Territories [NWT]. Forest-based activities such as hunting, trapping, camping, firewood harvesting, forest fire fighting and plant harvesting are daily parts of life that contribute to the northern economy and culture. The forest links the northern First Nations people to the traditions of their ancestors and is considered part of their identity as Aboriginal people. These values, rather than purely economic considerations, are the driving force behind forest management in the NWT.
The NWT is the middle of Canada’s three northern territories, and includes areas of sub-arctic boreal forest as well as arctic tundra. The territory extends north from the 60th parallel to the islands of the Arctic Archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. It has a sparse population of about 42,000 spread over a landmass of 458,000 square miles. About half of the population lives in the capital city of Yellowknife while the remainder resides in 32 small communities, ranging in size from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants. The boreal forest covers about 28% (130,000 square miles) of the territory, and surrounds 29 communities, including Yellowknife. This forest is dominated by black spruce, white spruce and aspen but also includes birch, alder, pine and tamarack and is home to many species of animals such as black and grizzly bears, moose, bison and caribou.
 (Top) A Dene [First Nations] woman cuts fish for drying. [Bottom] Wildfires are common across the vast reaches of Northwest Territories |
Much of this decline in saw-log harvesting can be attributed to specific economic pressures in British Columbia in the 1990’s, a struggling Canadian lumber industry, recent community development focus on oil and gas exploration and negotiations by First Nations on land claim issues. Commercial timber harvesting is expected to increase slowly and steadily but remain below the 1996 volume for the foreseeable future.
The boreal forest has other values to the people of the Northwest Territories. Dene (First Nations) and Metis people have traditionally relied on the forest to provide them with food, clothing and shelter. Most Aboriginal peoples now live in communities and take part in the modern wage economy but continue to rely on the forest for economic, cultural and spiritual reasons. “There is a spiritual understanding of land. I’ve heard it defined as having respect for the land, however we use it,” explains Extension Forester, Beatrice Lepine. “Being out on the land is healing. I know so many people who say they feel their best and think most clearly when they’re out in the bush.”
These values are reflected in the forest management policies of the Government of the Northwest Territories. “We’ve been slowly shifting to dealing with forest management in a much more holistic way, rather than a southern approach that focuses only on commercial timber development,” explains Susan Corey, Director of Forest Management. “We look at how the people in the communities see the forest being used, what they need for economic stability within the community and how they want to preserve the cultural values of the forest.”
This means people living in forest communities are kept in the loop when making decisions about forest use. For example, when a business applies for approval to harvest timber, the application is referred to representatives of First Nations and community governments. If the community wants to preserve the forest for a traditional use, it might result in a lower level or permitted harvest under the principles of sustainability that focus more on commercial forestry. “We have models that will develop a sustainability limit that can take into consideration wildlife habitat, bio-diversity, cultural and traditional uses of the forest,” says Ms Corey. “The numbers on what’s sustainable might be lower, but that’s just from a commercial point of view. There are other values, both cultural and economic, that are equally or more important.”
The Dene and Metis have relied on the forest to provide fuel for warmth and cooking for hundreds of years. Today, 19% of the homes in the territory use wood-heat, 25% of which have wood as their primary source of heat. The importance of wood-heat is recognized by legislation, which allows each NWT homeowner a free annual harvest of 20 cords (1,865 cubic feet) a year. “That’s unique in Canada,” points out Manager of Forest Resources Tom Lakusta. “We give you a permit to harvest fuel-wood and a renewable resource officer will help guide to you a harvest area.” Trapping, hunting and plant harves ing are other traditional uses of the forest.
 Wood bison grazes near Fort Providence in the Northwest Territories. Many First Nations families supplement their diets and their incomes with bison, caribou and moose. |
The holistic approach to forest management in the NWT is also reflected in forest fire management policy, which recognizes fire as a natural phenomenon that helps regenerate the forest. “The NWT has a very rich fire history that goes back thousands of years,” explains Manager of Fire Operations Frank Lepine. “If you dig in the ground, you’ll find charcoal. It’s estimated that the forest burns itself over entirely every 100 to 300 years.” People who harvest and live on the land in the NWT still live with fire and expect it to occur, and know what kind of animals they can expect to find in a burn areas,” says Mr. Lepine.
Fires in the NWT are fought only if they threaten certain stated values of which human life and property are the most important. An average of 1.5 million acres of the NWT forest burns every year, and about 65% of the fires are fought. While people accept fire as a natural occurrence, at the same time forest fire fighting has been incorporated into traditional culture, providing seasonal work to people through the generations. Many First Nations companies are under contract to provide fire-fighting crews, providing employment for about 200 people on a seasonal basis. In addition, up to 200 emergency workers are hired by government to fight fires each year, making firefighting an important seasonal economic activity in this sparsely populated territory.
Because of their traditional ties to the forest, Aboriginal people have a natural interest in forest management. For the past several decades, the First Nations have been negotiating land claim and self-government agreements that will, in time, give them stewardship over much of the NWT’s forest. To prepare for this transfer of responsibility, the Forest Management Program is collecting forest and vegetation inventories that will be tools for future (as well as present) managers. This scientifically-gathered information, combined with the traditional knowledge First Nations have built up through centuries of living close to the land, will help ensure the forest will continue to provide economic, cultural and spiritual nurturance to future generations.
"We must always consider the environment and people together, as though they are one, because the
human need to use natural resources is fundamental to our continued presence on earth."
P.O. Box 1290, Bigfork, MT. 59911 • Tel: (406) 837-0966 • Fax: (406) 258-0815 • Email:
human need to use natural resources is fundamental to our continued presence on earth."