Canada is the world's second-largest country and is made up of 10 provinces and three northern territories. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean east to the Atlantic Ocean and north to the Arctic Ocean, and its 979.1 million hectares of land includes 402.1 million hectares that are forest or other wooded land.

Under Canada's Constitution, the federal government and the provincial/territorial governments have specific roles in the care and governance of public forest areas, as well as sharing responsibility for matters such as environmental regulation and science and technology. Each province and territory has strict rules governing forest practices on its public land, with regulations and laws that were recently cited by an independent academic study as being among the most stringent on earth. These are backed by comprehensive compliance and enforcement regimes.

Federal/Provincial Roles

Canada's provinces and territories, which own 77 per cent of Canada's forest areas, have legislative authority over the enhancement, conservation and management of their forest resources. They develop and enforce policies, legislation and regulations, allocate timber licences, collect forest management fees and gather data. While their laws may differ, the outcome is the same - sustainable management of forests that considers all values, including wildlife, fisheries, soils, biodiversity, community watersheds and scenery.