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The Boreal Forest at Risk: A Progress Report

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Introduction

In 1999, the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry's Subcommittee on the Boreal Forest published Competing Realities: The Boreal Forest at Risk. The Subcommittee Report contained 35 recommendations intended to ensure that Canada adopt "a natural forest landscape-based approach to managing a boreal forest that is coming increasingly under siege".

At the time, Subcommittee Chair Senator Nicholas Taylor said: "The Subcommittee believes that we can and must develop strategies that can ensure the survival of our threatened boreal forest while still enhancing traditional forest use and preserving economic and industrial benefits." Senator Taylor stressed the urgency of the challenges ahead. "Because there are no quick fixes and many of the actions we must take may have a substantial transition period, the window of opportunity for preserving all of the values offered by the boreal forest is closing rapidly. We must put our words into action very soon indeed."

Four years later, the Canadian Boreal Initiative (CBI) commissioned research to determine whether or not the warning issued by the subcommittee has been heededⁱ. This research focused on those recommendations judged to provide the clearest indicators of progress towards the long-term conservation of the boreal forest region, namely:

• Comprehensive land-use planning;
• Establishment of parks and protected areas;
• Sustainable industrial development;
• Wildlife and habitat conservation;
• Aboriginal rights and title; and
• Improved data collection and monitoring on the state of the boreal ecosystem.

Since more than 90% of Canada's boreal forest is publicly owned, the research concentrated on those recommendations related specifically to public land. While this report does not address private lands issues directly, the CBI recognizes that progress has been made by both the federal government and several provinces in areas relating to private woodlots in the boreal - most notably by changing tax laws and creating incentives to promote long-term management and planning.

In addition, it should be noted that this review focused primarily on federal action in response to the Senate recommendations. While examples of provincial action are included, this does not constitute a full study of provincial and territorial activity that may have occurred in relation to the Senate committee recommendations.

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