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Indicator 2.2 - Additions and deletions of forest area by cause core indicator 
Determining whether Canadian forest management is sustainable requires more than simply knowing how much wood is available and how much is being harvested and replanted each year. It is also important to know how the resource fluctuates over time and why, especially when the causes of these fluctuations may produce more or less permanent additions or deletions to Canada's forest base. Over the course of its history, Canada has experienced significant forest land conversions, driven primarily by the expansion of agriculture and urbanization. The construction of permanent roads has also contributed to the area of forest land conversion in Canada. Converting forest land to agricultural and urban uses, focused in southern Canada, is likely the main cause of the endangerment and extinction of several forest-associated species. Forestry operations and other types of anthropogenic disturbances, such as oil and gas extraction and mining can also create deforested areas, albeit at a smaller scale, and may also have impacts on biodiversity. Since forests provide ecological services, such as clean water and erosion control, permanent deletions and additions will also affect soil and water conservation. In addition, since forest ecosystems act as carbon sinks and sources, it is critical to track changes in forest additions and deletions to help gauge Canada's ability to meet its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. As part of the Government of Canada's Action Plan on Climate Change 2000, the Feasibility Assessment of Afforestation for Carbon Sequestration (FAACS) initiative estimated historical afforestation levels in Canada from 1990 to 2001. In partnership with provincial governments, industry, and nongovernmental organizations, the Canadian Forest Service's (CFS) regional forestry centers compiled information on the location, extent, and characteristics of afforestation projects that were established on private lands. The primary sources of data-land cover data sets, historical records from planting programs, and local knowledge-have been entered into the CFS National Afforestation Inventory. Over the study period, the area afforested annually in Canada declined gradually, from a high of over 10 000 ha in 1990 to about 6000 ha in 2001 (Figure 2.2a). 
Figure 2.2a Estimated annual area of afforestation (1990-2001) Updated Data: PDF | Excel The Government of Canada's Forest 2020 Plantation Demonstration and Assessment (PDA) initiative is one recent project studying this potential for carbon sequestration through afforestation. This two-year, $20 million initiative includes a demonstration component to showcase the contributions of fast-growing tree plantations to help Canada meet its climate change commitments. From 2003 to 2005, the Forest 2020 PDA will establish 6000 ha of demonstration plantations on suitable rural lands. Information on deforestation rates in Canada is scant. The most recent attempt to determine the total amount of the area deforested annually by cause was completed by Robinson et al. (1999). Their study provided low and high estimates of the annual area of deforestation between 1990 and 1998 (Table 2.2a). Even their low estimate of annual deforestation is clearly not offset by current afforestation efforts, suggesting that tens of thousands of hectares of forest may be converted to nonforest each year. Table 2.2a Estimated annual area of deforestation by sector (modified from Robinson et al. 1999).
Attempts are now being made to improve the estimates of deforestation and afforestation rates. Significant progress has been made since 2000 to develop methods and systems to report on additions and deletions of forest areas by cause as part of the development of Canada's national forest carbon monitoring, accounting, and reporting system. Researchers are currently testing a deforestation mapping method that uses satellite imagery and aerial photographs in several different jurisdictions and ecological zones. These activities will be integrated with the National Forest Inventory and other monitoring programs to significantly improve future reporting on forest additions and deletions in Canada. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC 2001) provides definitions for some of the terms typically used when discussing forest land additions and deletions that must be understood when framing these issues: deforestation is the direct human-induced conversion of forest land to nonforest land; reforestation does not include regeneration after harvest, but refers to the reestablishment of a forest in an area that used to be a forest but that did not have forest as of 1989; and afforestation is the establishment of a forest in an area where there has not been a forest for at least 50 years. For the purposes of this indicator, afforestation refers to both afforestation and reforestation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||