Forest Facts Overview
- There is a diversity of forest types around the world. They vary according to their geographic location and climactic conditions, and support a vast array of tree and wildlife species.
Get the facts on different types of forests
- Forests are an integral part of life on earth. Over 1.6 billion people worldwide depend directly on forests for their livelihoods and forests provide essential social and ecological services such as cleaning the air and water.
Find out why forests are so important to our world
- The net annual rate of deforestation worldwide is equal to an area the size of Panama! Every year, forests are harvested or cleared for a variety of reasons, leaving very little original forest cover and adversely affecting many natural processes.
Review the threats facing the world’s forests
- Approximately 20% of all carbon dioxide emissions are the result of tropical deforestation and forest degradation. Climate change also affects forests by changing ecosystem cycles, which can lead to pest infestations and land degradation.
Get to know the many links between forests and climate change
- Forests play an essential role in the hydrological cycle by storing water and helping soil retain water. This not only helps reduce floods and droughts, but helps keep water clean!
Discover how forests and water are interconnected
- Forests are an important refuge for numerous species of plants, animals, insects and microorganisms. Two thirds of all species in Canada are either found in or are dependent upon forest habitats.
Learn the crucial role that forests play in maintaining biodiversity
- We are all dependent upon the vital social and ecological services forests provide. Yet we also expect forests to produce wood and other products for our consumption. Accordingly, there are a variety of approaches used to conserve and manage forest resources while aiming to balance these two seemingly opposing demands.
Get the full picture on forest conservation and management
- Canada has the third largest forest area in the world, representing 30% and 20% of the world’s boreal forest and temperate rainforests, respectively. These are important contributors to Canada’s culture and economy, but are being unsustainably cut down; 50% of Canada’s temperate rainforests have already been logged and 400,000 hectares of boreal forest are cleared each year.
Get the facts on forests in Canada
- Canada’s Aboriginal people have a longstanding spiritual and cultural connection with forests. Aboriginal people are also very much involved in the forestry industry, but not always with positive results.
Read more about Aboriginal people’s relationship with forests
- In many developing countries, women bear the vast majority of the burden of collecting firewood and other forest resources to support their families, but they are largely absent from decision-making about how forest resources should be used.
Find out more about the connections between women and forests
- 80% of Canada’s population lives in cities, which makes urban forests (i.e. trees within a city) very relevant to Canadians. Trees provide clean air, temperature regulation, and aesthetic value to cities.
Learn more about the services provided by urban forests
- From Buddhism to Judaism to ancient Chinese mythology, trees are important symbols of life, knowledge and spiritual enlightenment. Forests also serve as an inspiration for many authors.
Discover just a few of the many examples of links between forests and culture
