Background
What's at stake
In June of 2021, Canada enacted the Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, joining over 120 other countries in committing themselves to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Canada's ability to meet this commitment relies on the Boreal forest which stretches across the entire country and constitutes 25% of the world's remaining forests.
The Boreal Forest stores twice as much carbon per acre as the Amazon forest, and is a critical component in the global fight against climate change.
The Boreal Forest is also an important source of lumber for the Canadian logging industry which generates billions in revenue and employs thousands of Canadians. The industry uses clear cutting and full tree removal to harvest trees. Traditionally, these logging methods have been considered carbon neutral, under the assumption that the clear cut trees eventually regenerate.
A closer look
A few recent studies, including one conducted by the Wildlands League in 2019 and another by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Nature Canada and the Environmental Defence in 2020, found that the clear cut narrative of “it all grows back” is not strictly true.
These studies have shown that some areas within clear cut sites do not grow back over time, even after three decades. These are areas of logging infrastructure, including roads, landings, staging areas and tree waste stations, and are known as logging scars.
The ability to identify and better measure these logging scars will be increasingly important as Canada aims to accurately account for its net emissions. Overcounting carbon sequestration would mean under estimating net carbon emissions – which could in turn increase the disastrous effects of climate change.