Canada's old‑growth forests at risk despite 'sustainable' claims
Forests in Canada make up as much as 9% of the world’s total forest cover. Their presence is crucial in the fight against global warming. However, entire swathes of forests are disappearing from Canada, while the country's authorities claim they are conducting "the most sustainable" logging policy. Reuters has uncovered a scandal related to certifying wood products sold as eco-friendly.
Over the past two decades, Canada has recorded some of the largest logging of forests with critical ecological importance.
Everything made from trees in Canada must bear the seal of one of two non-profit organizations whose task is to safeguard old-growth forests, which are forests over 100 years old and with a diameter of over 50 cm.
These organizations are FSC and SFI, which issue certificates to companies involved in logging and examining consumer product supply chains. The SFI or FSC seal theoretically means a product was produced "responsibly." In practice, however, this is not always the case.
They are cutting down forests completely, including 100-year-old ones
In Ontario alone, from 2016 to 2020, over 30% of the trees cut down were 100 years old and older. British Columbia, presented as a showcase of Canada's wilderness, has lost half of its old-growth forest area in the span of two decades.
In theory, a plan to protect Canadian forests has been in place since 2020. But in practice, logging has never been banned in endangered areas. Moreover, each province receives specific remuneration for logging in their areas. Over the past 10 years, profits from the sale of Canadian wood have reached nearly $10 billion CAD, reports Reuters.
In Alberta, trees are giving way to open-pit mines.
It will be generations before it ever grows trees again - says Barry Robinson, an environmental lawyer in Alberta, to Reuters.
Logging in Quebec poses a mortal threat to the local Indigenous population. The boreal forest area of this province is home to 30 Indigenous groups.
Old-growth and primeval forests are being completely cut down in Canada and are an invaluable resource for our Earth. As scientists emphasize, they can absorb much more harmful carbon dioxide than trees replanted in previously logged areas.
