Past Trends

In order to look at present and future trends in the consumptive and non-consumptive use of forests, it is important to look at the past use. The history of Canada’s forest management is shown in the graph below; each time period also indicates a specific concept that emerged. The concept, for each era, grew from such things as: a different or increasing population, growing demands on the forest, changing needs of society, technological changes and changes in society’s values.

It is important to look at the evolution of the management of Canada’s forests; from this information, governments can look at ways to improve current systems of forest management.

 

Forest Management Paradigms – with permission from the Canadian Institute of Forestry/Institut forestier du Canada

 


The different forest management paradigms or models, are explained in more detail below.

Click each collapsible row to view more information.


Image Source: Reshot
  • Pre-1600 to 1800 was known as the Subsistence period.
  • Approximately 300 000 to 500 000 Indigenous peoples used the forests for their livelihood.
  • With the arrival of the European settlers (1700 to 1800), the forest was cleared for agriculture and lumber production.

Image Source: Pixabay
  • 1800 to 1900 was known as the Exploitation period.
  • In the early 1800’s the forest was cleared for timber; there was no thought of regeneration or replenishing the forest.
  • The positive of this harvesting is that it was done on a small scale.
Image Source: Canadian Museum of History
  • 1900 to 1960 was known as the Sustained Yield Management period.
  • The pulp and paper industry grew; this required a large, secure timber supply.
  • Both eastern Canada and British Columbia were establishing pulp and paper mills.
  • The provinces would allocate the wood supply from large areas of Crown forest.
  • There was a requirement that companies practice Sustained Yield Management.
  • This requirement included forest inventories, growth calculations and long-term planning.

Image Source: Pixabay
  • 1960 to 1975 was known as the Multiple-Use Management period.
  • Canadians wanted to use the forests for outdoor recreation.
  • The public’s needs had to be considered, so the Canadian government implemented changes to forest management to accommodate these needs.


Image Source: Pixabay
  • The early 1970's started the period called Integrated Forest Resource Management.
  • During this time, other forest values were considered in the forest management planning process.
  • The forest values that were considered included factors such as wildlife, fisheries, recreational use, old growth, and impacts on the forest landscape.