About 93% of Canada's forest is publicly owned, with about 80% of the harvest coming from public lands. Under Canada's Constitution, the federal government, the provinces and the territories have specific roles in the care and governance of public forests. Public forest ownership is one of the key reasons Canada consistently ranks among the world's best forest managers.

The 10 provinces and three territories develop and enforce policies, legislation and regulations, allocate timber licences, collect forest management fees and gather data. While the laws may differ in each province or territory, the outcome is the same - the sustainable management of forests.

The federal government is responsible for issues related to the national economy, trade and international investments, federal lands and parks and Aboriginal peoples. Most federally owned forest land is not subject to harvesting activities.

Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments recognize the importance of protecting lands for wildlife and for conservation purposes. Approximately eight per cent (28 million hectares) is legally protected from resource development.

Forest companies share in the responsibility for forest management. Companies with long-term forest licences pay harvesting fees to provincial or territorial governments, and produce plans to carry out sustainable management in return for their access to timber resources.

Certification is a tool that governments in Canada strongly support as a demonstration of sustainable forest management. There are three certification systems in use in Canada. Governments do not endorse any one in particular. Canada now leads the world in third party certification with approximately 120 million hectares of forest certified under one of these three.

Forest certification also reinforces Canada's forest practices. The systems used in Canada all go beyond timber production by certifying the conservation of biological diversity, the maintenance of wildlife habitat, soils and water resources, and the sustainability of timber harvesting - all of which promote sustainable forest management.

Canada has an extensive science community dedicated to understanding the complexity of forest ecosystems. The key to unlocking the secrets of the boreal forest and its riches, while protecting its environmental integrity, lies in a knowledge-centred, innovation-based approach. Forest practitioners have expanded the parameters of forest science research to embrace a wider range of environmental, social and economic considerations. Forest managers are also working to integrate natural and social sciences, and the traditional scientific knowledge held by Aboriginal and other boreal communities.