Unit 3 - Canada and the World's Forest Land Issues
Land Use
According to the United Nations, a forest is defined as:
Unlike many countries throughout the world, Canada is not only big in size but rich in resources. 40% of Canada is covered in forests; that’s 10 ha of forest land per person—more than 17 times the world average!
- Land spanning more than 0.5 ha
- Tree canopy covering more than 10% of the total land area
- Trees growing to a height of more than 5 metres
Unlike many countries throughout the world, Canada is not only big in size but rich in resources. 40% of Canada is covered in forests; that’s 10 ha of forest land per person—more than 17 times the world average!
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Courtesy of Earth Forum, Huston Museum of Natural Science
Courtesy of Earth Forum, Huston Museum of Natural Science
In general, countries with higher populations and less land have a greater impact on forests. Canada has about 10% of the world’s forests, many of which are found in remote sparsely populated areas and are not under the same pressures to be
cleared for agriculture or urban development as forests in other countries.
The world can be separated into distinct ecoregions. Ecoregions are geographical regions that have specific ecological characteristics. The three main forest ecoregions are boreal, temperate, and tropical.
The world can be separated into distinct ecoregions. Ecoregions are geographical regions that have specific ecological characteristics. The three main forest ecoregions are boreal, temperate, and tropical.
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Image Source: Unsplash
- Also called by Russian term Taiga
- Makes up about one-third of the world's forests
- Found in latitudes ranging from 50° to 70°N
- Mostly found in Alaska, Canada, Russia, and Scandinavia
- Supply about 45% of global softwood production
Land use: timber production, other industrial and developmental activities, such as mining and road building. In general deforestation is declining due to improvements in management practices.
Image Source: Pixabay
- Makes up about 25% of the world’s forests
- Mostly found between latitudes 50–55°N. Can mix with the boreal forests at the northern edge and tropical forests on the southern edge.
- Found in east and west North America, western Europe, northeast China, Japan, eastern Korea, southeast Australia, New Zealand, on the west coast of Chile, on the east coast of Argentina, and in Southern Africa
Land use: Historically, exploited for timber and charcoal, and cleared for agriculture and development. Has been restored to about half its original size before the agricultural and industrial revolution. Temperate rainforests in some countries are still declining in size, while others are becoming larger.
Image Source: Pixabay
- Covers about 31% of the world's surface
- Found between the Tropic of Cancer at 23.5° N and the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5°S
Land use: Current forest loss is mainly due to expanding agriculture, and is a global concern.
Types of Tropical Forest
- Tropical rainforest
- Is always green because of large-year round rainfall–at least 2000 mm
- Mostly in South America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia
- Semi-evergreen forests
- At least 2000 mm of rainfall per year
- Long dry season and intense wet season
- Amazon basin and Congo basin
- Tropical dry forests
- Deciduous trees that are green during rainy season and lose leaves during dry season
- Farther away from equator than rainforests
- Tropical savannas
- Have long dry seasons
- Grasslands with scattered trees
- Frequent fires prevent the establishment of a tree-dominate dry forest
- Mostly found in Africa
- Montane tropical forests and tropical cloud forests
- At elevations above 3000 meters
- Precipitation in the form of mist and fog from clouds
Land use varies from country to country depending on historical and current forestry management practices and laws. In addition to the direct effects of timber production, other industrial and developmental activities, such as mining and road building, also impact forests around the world.