Biological Diversity Ecosystem Condition and Productivity Soil and Water Role in Global Ecological Cycles Economic and Social Benefits Society's Responsibility
Indicator 2.1 Total growing stock of both merchantable and nonmerchantable tree species on forest land Indicator 2.2 Additions and deletions of forest area by cause Indicator 2.3 Area of forest disturbed by fire, insects, disease, and timber harvest Indicator 2.4 Area of forest with impaired function due to ozone and acid rain Indicator 2.5 Proportion of timber harvest area successfully regenerated
Indicator 2.5 - Proportion of timber harvest area successfully regenerated
core indicator


Prompt regeneration of harvested areas is necessary to maintain ecosystem productivity and ensure a sustainable flow of wood products. Since the 1990s, most jurisdictions have passed legislation or signed agreements that require logging companies to establish and manage regeneration on sites they harvest, and the results have been very positive.

Foresters can use different management options to ensure an adequate level of regeneration on the lands they harvest. These options include selection cutting in forest types that are suited to uneven-aged management, clearcutting and scarifying to promote natural regeneration, or adopting a modified harvesting method that will protect advanced regeneration. Planting or seeding may also be used to regenerate clearcut areas.

In 1990, the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers mandated the National Forestry Database Program (NFDP) to establish a database describing forest management activities in Canada. As part of this process, the NFDP developed a system, called REGEN, to report on forest regeneration activities and conditions on harvested lands. The data found in REGEN were provided by the provincial and territorial agencies responsible for the management of forest resources in their jurisdictions.

This indicator reports on the extent of successful regeneration on over 18 million ha of crown forest lands harvested under even-aged management between 1975 and 2001, the years for which data are available through REGEN (Figure 2.5a).

Overall, natural regeneration plays a much larger role in Canadian forestry than planting or seeding, accounting for 85% of the estimated 16.2 million ha of crown forest land that had been successfully regenerated between 1975 and 2001.

Regeneration status is based on three factors: stocking of commercial species, crop tree density, and the competition from noncrop vegetation. Unevenaged stands-where a tree canopy is maintained through repeated harvests-are not included in the land base described in this indicator. Furthermore, data are not available to quantify the extent to which the land base includes former uneven-aged stands that were harvested and converted to even-aged management.

In Figure 2.5a, the column labeled 1975 represents the area harvested in 1975. The column for 1976 represents the area harvested up to and including that year (1975 plus 1976), and so on. Nonstocked refers to areas that have not regenerated with enough trees of timber commercial species in the year their status is recorded or projected. These areas are not barren, having regenerated with a variety of woody and herbaceous plants, but do not contain sufficient trees of commercial species to be considered successfully regenerated for commercial purposes. It is important to understand that there will be a natural lag period during which regenerating land will be considered nonstocked even though it may be regenerating adequately.

Although the annual increase in nonstocked area is small, the total that has accumulated since 1975 is substantial. By 1993, it amounted to almost 2.4 million ha. However, the most recent data available indicate that the area of nonstocked land is gradually shrinking. By 2001, it had fallen to just under 2.1 million ha (Figure 2.5a). This is particularly striking because the total area of land harvested in Canada increased by more than 6 million ha from 1993 to 2001, demonstrating that recent regeneration efforts have been highly successful.

Figure 2.5a

Figure 2.5a Forest regeneration on crown forest land in Canada. (Source: CCFM 2006)

Native tree species are used predominantly in planting and seeding programs to regenerate harvested forest land. Some jurisdictions, such as Alberta, explicitly exclude the use of alien species for regeneration, while other jurisdictions have elected to use selected alien species in certain circumstances. The area of harvested land planted with alien species across Canada accounts for less than 1% in most years. Of the more than 960 000 ha harvested in Canada in 2001, approximately 13% originated from private land. Unfortunately, there are no comprehensive data available on regeneration results on private land for most of Canada, except in Nova Scotia, where data are available for both industrial and nonindustrial private land. This is understandable since the net harvest area on private land in Nova Scotia in 2001 accounted for 82% of the total net harvest area in the province for that year.

Regeneration following harvest under even-aged management is not as successful on private land as on crown land in Nova Scotia. In 2001, 14% of harvested lands remained nonstocked on private land, compared with 3% on crown land. However, regeneration success on industrial private land is much greater than on nonindustrial private land (Figures 2.5b and c). The low success in regenerating stands on nonindustrial private land is being addressed through Nova Scotia's Forest Sustainability Regulations and the nonstocked areas should diminish as the regulations are implemented.

Figure 2.5b

Figure 2.5b Forest regeneration on industrial private land in Nova Scotia. (Source: CCFM 2006)

Figure 2.5c

Figure 2.5c Forest regeneration on nonindustrial private land in Nova Scotia. (Source: CCFM 2006)

To do so, the Forest Sustainability Regulations specify that Registered Wood Buyers who acquire more than 5000 m3 of roundwood from private woodlands in any one calendar year must have a Wood Acquisition Plan. This plan details how registered buyers will meet their obligation under the Forest Sustainability Regulations. Most registered buyers choose to carry out silviculture activities on privately owned land, but may opt to pay money directly to the province's Sustainable Forestry Fund that is used to fund regeneration activities on private land.

Nova Scotia is also distinct in its significant use of alien tree species to regenerate harvested areas. The area of harvested land planted with alien tree species in Nova Scotia was over 30% in 1994-the largest proportion of any jurisdiction in Canada- but was approximately 17% in 2001. Norway spruce is the alien species most often planted in Quebec and the Maritime provinces, often selected because of its relatively fast growth and drought resistance.