Nature Canada Report--Lost in the Woods: Canada’s Hidden Logging Emissions are Equivalent to Those From Oil Sands Operations

THE SNEAKY SIDE OF CANADA’S HIGH-EMISSION LOGGING SECTOR.

What would you say if you found out that emissions from Canada’s logging industry rival those of the oil sands? Our latest Nature Canada report finds that the country’s net logging emissions were higher than emissions from oil sands production in every year from 2005 to 2018.

Carbon emissions from Canada’s logging sector are not clearly reported to the public. Emissions from logging are as high as oil sands operations yet Canada has no plan for reducing them. 

The federal government needs to transparently report the greenhouse gas emissions of the logging sector and put in place policies to reduce logging emissions to align with climate goals and protect old-growth forests. Tell the Government to protect old-growth forests and stop obscuring climate emissions from logging.

Sustainable forestry in Canada is a corporate myth. Emissions from logging are more than 10 percent of Canada’s annual total reported greenhouse gas emissions — or the equivalent of all emissions from Quebec.

Forests, in addition to their importance in maintaining biodiversity, play an irreplaceable role in global carbon regulation, absorbing one-third of human-caused carbon emissions from the atmosphere annually and storing this carbon long-term in their soil and vegetation. This is why forest protection and restoration are key pillars of international efforts to advance natural climate solutions (i.e., actions that preserve and enhance ecosystems’ role in absorbing and storing carbon).

Preserving forests that have not been significantly disturbed by humans, like parts of our boreal forest, is particularly important. These forests, which are rapidly disappearing, hold unique value for the climate and biodiversity. Once gone, they are irreplaceable.

That’s why it’s critical that the federal government transparently report the climate impacts of industrial logging — and put in place policies to reduce logging emissions and protect vital old-growth forests. 

READ THE FULL REPORT BELOW >