Canada’s Sustainably Managed Forests Key to its Net-Zero Carbon Economy by 2050

According to the Forest Products Association of Canada, as Canada transitions to a net-zero carbon economy by 2050, Canada’s sustainably managed forests and the carbon-storing wood products they produce are providing key support to accomplishing that goal. Canada’s forest sector has already reduced its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by close to 70 percent since the early 1990’s.

Today, it is committed to removing 30 megatons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the equivalent of taking nine million cars off the road, every year by 2030. This represents more than 10 percent of Canada’s climate change mitigation target, demonstrating that Canada’s forests are a critical tool in the country’s climate change toolbox.

Derek Nighbor, president and CEO of Forest Products Association of Canada said, “Canada’s forest sector is doing its part to support a net-zero carbon future. Our sector is focused on four activities: reducing the forest sector’s emissions, ensuring the potential of our forests to store carbon, growing our green economy, and providing environmentally-friendly alternatives to the products Canadians use every day.”

Nighbor went onto say, “Our sustainable forest management practices mean healthier forests, lower carbon emissions, stable jobs across the country, and a cleaner, greener economy — all from a sector that has deep roots in Canada and world-leading scientific backing.”