Forestry Considerations in Canadian Land-Use Planning

Abstract

Forests occupy two-thirds of the total land area of Canada's 10 provinces, but less than half of this huge area of 1.4 million square miles of forested land produces timber that can be economically utilized at the present time. Within the accessible and productive forest area of 690 thousand square miles, there are extremely wide variations in the capability of the land to grow timber. For eutample, on a regional basis, the best growth rate in the coastal forests of British Columbia may be up to ten times that of the poorest areas being operated commercially in the northern and northeastern parts of Canada. Even within a given climatic region, production on different sites may vary by a factor of five. When considering the possible land-use of forest areas in Canada on a national basis, it is convenient to visualize three broad zones that differ greatly in forest characteristics and land-use problems. They are: (i) The northern zone lying between the commercial forests and the barren lands to the north. It is characterized by relatively small pockets of productive forest land, mostly along rivers, and extensive areas of scrub forest or other non-productive land. (ii) The central forest zone extending in an irregular east-west belt of continuous and largely productive forest. The land-use in this area lying mostly to the north of the agricultural fringe is predominantly for forestry. (iii) The southern zone between the agricultural land and commercial forest. Here, the land-use is a variable pattern of agriculture and forestry. This discussion deals briefly with the northern zone, in more detail with the central zone which is of prime importance to forestry, and will pay particular attention to the southern zone where the problems of alternative land-uses are most acute. The northern zone is largely undeveloped for any purpose at present, and the primary problem is to find some use for it. Its future potential for forestry and other forms of land management is low because of its inaccessibility and the limited areas of productive land. Unless the demand for forest products increases enormously a sustained forest industry in this northern zone is unlikely. While it is technically possible to bring some of the forested land to a more productive state, it would be better, from an

Wildland Inventory and Mapping

“…Spurr (1964) noted that "if the forester restricts his objectives solely to timber production his profession will become merely one of a group of professions concerned with the management of wildlands", and he concludes that if foresters are not prepared to accept their responsibilities in land management of all sorts, they may only pass the torch to others who may be less qualified to carry out the task. Bickerstaff (1963) stated that information on the capabilities of wildlands for forestry is sketchy at present because forest surveys have been concerned primarily with the inventory of the forest crop rather than with its land base. Foresters and forestry agencies are working on ways and means of assessing the land itself, and he notes that the Federal Department of Forestry is keenly interested in the problem and feels that a co-ordinated effort by foresters, forest soil specialists, agricultural soil surveyors, geologists, and geographers may be required for its solution on a national basis.…”