Canadian Forests by the Numbers

Blog 264-365

Let's follow the money to find what is happening with the Canadian's forest.

Forest inventory                                  2013
Forest area by classification                (hectares)
Forest land                                  347,575,750
Other land with tree cover              8,498,940
Other wooded land                            40,865,660
Total area                                          396,940,350

Forest ownership
Provincial                       76.6%
Territorial                               12.9%
Private                                 6.2%
Aboriginal                         2.0%
Federal                                  1.6%

Disturbance
Insects (hectares, 2012)
Area defoliated by insects and containing beetle-killed trees 8,582,720
Fires (2013)
Area burned (hectares)                                                        4,203,867
Number of fires   2013                                                            6,246

Forest management
Harvesting (2012)
Area harvested (hectares)                                                594,003

Volume harvested (cubic metres)                                 151,978,000

Regeneration (hectares, 2012)
Area planted                                                                           347,127
Area seeded                                                                            10,576
Third-party certification (hectares, 2013)
Area certified                                                                    152,937,728

Protected forest (IUCN categories)
Ia Strict nature reserve                                                               0.10%
Ib Wilderness area                                                                   1.90%
II Ecosystem conservation and protection                             4.20%
III Conservation of natural features                                         0.50%
IV Conservation through active management                         0.20%
V Landscape conservation and recreation                            0.02%

Domestic economic impact
Contribution to nominal GDP (current dollars, 2013)
Forestry and logging industry                                           4,100,000,000
Pulp and paper product manufacturing industry           8,000,000,000
Wood product manufacturing industry                           8,800,000,000
Total contribution to nominal GDP                                  20,900,000,000

Trade
Balance of trade (total exports, dollars, 2013)                    19,205,972,823
Value of domestic exports (dollars, 2013)
Primary wood products                                                       1,300,128,228
Pulp and paper products                                                     15,729,889,975
Wood-fabricated materials                                             11,388,478,205
Total value of exports                                                     28,418,496,408

Value of imports (dollars, 2013)                                      9,377,990,632

Links
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/statsprofile

Old Forests protect Bee Population

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 263-365

We must realize how important it is to live in harmony with nature and to not take too much from nature. 
Taking a short-term, resource extractive economic perspective is not in the best interest of the future of humanity, for humans depend upon a healthy environment for food, air, nature and happiness.

The existence of the old forests is essential for the existence of bee population.
Without bees we loose the pollinators and the food supply would decrease.

Bees

There are six naturally occurring species of bees: Forest, Meadows, Modest, Tropical, Wintry and Marshy.

European honey-bee populations face threats to their survival. North American and European populations were severely depleted byvarroa-mite infestations during the early 1990s, and US beekeepers were further affected by colony collapse disorder in 2006 and 2007. Improved cultural practices and chemical treatments against varroa mites saved most commercial operations; new bee breeds are beginning to reduce beekeeper dependence on acaricides.

New Research

Paul Stamets reveals new ground breaking research at the 2014 Bioneers annual conference. Paul illuminates how fungi, particularly mushrooms, offer uniquely powerful, practical solutions we can implement now, to boost the biosphere’s immune system and equip us with benign breakthrough mycotechnologies to accelerate the transition to a restored world.

Paul systematically delves into old growth forests, how chemical compounds in the fungi are beneficial to bees and concludes  his philosophy about his role in the system as a whole.

King Stropharia

This mushroom is an ideal player in the recycling of complex wood debris and garden wastes, and thrives in complex environments. Vigorously attacking wood (sawdust, chips, twigs, branches), the King Stropharia also grows in wood-free substrates, particularly soils supplemented with chopped straw. I have seen this mushroom flourish in gardens devoid of wood debris, benefiting the growth of neighboring plants. Acclimated to northern latitudes, this mushroom fruits when air temperatures range between 60-90° F (15-32° C) which usually translates to ground temperatures of 55-65° F (13-18° C).

For 6 weeks one summer our bees attacked a King Stropharia bed, exposing the mycelium to the air, and suckled the sugar-rich cytoplasm from the wounds. A continuous convoy of bees could be traced, from morning to evening, from our beehives to the mushroom patch, until the bed of King Stropharia literally collapsed. When a report of this phenomenon was published in Harrowsmith Magazine (Ingle, 1988), bee keepers across North America  had been long mystified by bees' attraction to sawdust piles. Now it is clear the bees were seeking the underlying sweet mushroom mycelium.

King Stropharia is an excellent edible mushroom when young. 

However, its edibility quickly declines as the mushrooms mature. Fly larvae proliferate inside the developing mushrooms. In raising silver salmon,

There are the medicines to be derived from fungi, probably more than we can yet imagine. Fungi for insect pest control. Fungi can absorb and often digest toxins from their environments — toxins as diverse as heavy metals, PCBs, oil spills, and radioactivity. Fungal partnerships can revolutionize our farming methods

Spain:

Scientists have found that forestry and classical forest management are harming the community of saproxylic fungi (fungi capable of decomposing dead wood and turning it into organic and inorganic matter) and that in the forests being exploited, various fungi species are disappearing and in some cases even whole families are affected.

Forests and Global Warming

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 262-365

On a global scale, 31% of the land area is covered by forests. Some of these areas are highly under threat by unsustainable forestry and environmental pollution.

Between 2000 and 2010, forests showed annual losses of 5.2 million hectares despite active efforts in all regions to slow deforestation rates and accelerate forest plantations. Most of the losses are concentrated in tropical regions, which provide a range of ecosystem services, including supporting a rich biodiversity.

 Deforestation and forest degradation constitute the second leading cause of global warming, accounting for nearly 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Despite the effort to protect them, forests are being cut down and degraded.

Experience has proven that climate-smart forest investments are more successful when indigenous peoples groups and local communities, which base their livelihoods on the forests, are involved in designing and implementing individual programs. 

The World Heritage Committee about Tasmania’s forests


The World Heritage Committee  made a unanimous decision on june 2014 to maintain the World Heritage status of Tasmania’s forests. The Australian Government was an international embarrassment with it’s attempt to have 74,000 hectares of forest removed from the list, that had only been given World Heritage status at 2013 annual meeting.

The Abbott government wants iconic forests removed from the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, so they can be logged – a plan opposed by timber companies, their industry body, Tasmania’s Premier and her government.

Portugal spoke at length to support the protection of the forests, and indicating the way in which a de-listing would undermine the integrity of World Heritage. “Accepting this de-listing today would be setting an unacceptable precedent impossible to deny in similar circumstances in the future. If this committee cares for conservation according to responsible engagement of state parties to the convention when they submit their nominations, we cannot accept these requests to de-list” said the spokesperson for the Portuguese delegation.

Asian Forests

Asian forests grew by one million hectares every year between 2000 and 2005. Asia’s increase in forests was the result of a planned effort to plant trees in that region. Most of the trees were planted in China.

Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest,Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil

The Upper Paraná originally measured 182,000 square miles, but with only 7.4 percent of pristine area remaining, it’s now one of the most endangered rainforests on earth. More than 90 percent of amphibians and 50 percent of plants found there are unique to the area, and according to the World Wildlife Fund, it’s an outstanding ecoregion that represents a complete range of the planet’s freshwater and saltwater habitats. But it’s also home to more than 25 million people, making it one of the most accessible—and threatened—intact forests.

Links

http://permaculturenews.org/2014/11/27/paul-stamets-how-mushrooms-can-save-bees-our-food-supply-bioneers/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAw_Zzge49c