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Effect of Climate Change on Canada’s Forests
and Rural Communities
Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture &
Forestry
Avrim Lazar
President & CEO
Forest Products Association of Canada
February, 2002
FPAC Overview
• FPAC is the voice of Canada's wood, pulp, &
paper producers nationally and internationally
• FPAC member companies operate in 350
rural communities and 1200 communities
overall
• 1 million Canadians depend upon the forest
industry for their livelihood
FPAC Overview
• FPAC member companies together have
responsibility for 75% of Canada's working
forests
• Third-party certification of our companies'
forest practices are a condition of
membership in the association, a world first
Key FPAC Comments
1. Climate change is a real issue that needs
to be addressed
2. Concerned about impacts on forests and
the communities that depend upon them
3. Policy emphasis to date has been on
mitigation while focus on impact and
adaptation has been minimal
FPAC & Climate Change
• FPAC members are managers of carbon
– Core of our business
– From planting trees to suppressing fires to carbon stored in
our solid wood products
• High industry and rural community exposure
to impacts of climate change
FPAC Members Track Record
• Have acted early on a serious global problem
– 1 tonne product generates 38% less CO2 than in 1990
– Total ghg emissions reduced by 26% while at the same time
we have grown our production by over 20%
• Mitigation activities have focused on:
– Energy efficiency & conservation
– Fuel switching to less carbon intensive and/or greenhouse
gas neutral fuels (biomass)
– Extensive recycling of post-consumer paper
Pulp and Paper Emissions vs. Kyoto Target
(Percentage of 1990 Emissions)
-6
-26
Actual to 2001; maintain 2001 level to 2010;
Source: EC National GHG Inventory; Statistics Canada; CIEEDAC; FPAC
Forest Carbon Management
• Forests offer opportunities to mitigate climate change
– CO2 sequestration of healthy growing forests
– Ecological services (water and soil conservation)
– Climate stabilization
• Forest Products
– Storage in forest products pool
• Sustainable forest management
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Forest regeneration
Intensive silviculture
Fire prevention
Insect and disease management
Soil conservation
Potential Impacts on Forests
• Insect and disease infestation
– No natural defence in native ecosystems
– Expansion of pest range
• Biodiversity impacts
– Changing ecosystems, eco-regions
– Introduction of exotic and invasive species
• Increased forest fire disturbance
– Frequency, intensity and duration
• Shifting tree species distribution
– Forest ecosystems turn to Grasslands
– Impact on tree improvement programs
– Difficult regeneration of drought-intolerant species
Potential Impact on Communities
• Dramatic climate events
– Natural disasters impacting our communities
• Change or loss of traditional activities
– Hunting, fishing, tourism
• Restructuring of rural economies
– Job impacts
– Tax implications for governments
Potential Impact on Industry
• Decreased fibre supply
– Growth and yield changes
– Loss of fibre to natural disturbance
– No return on past tree improvement investments
• Increased operational costs
– Forest protection costs
• Insects, disease, fire
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Harvesting and transportation period
Regeneration difficulties
Inventory management
Water supply
Technology re-tooling
Adaptation Strategies
• Understand nature, extent and rate of
climate change impacts on forest resource
• Increase adaptive management activities in
forestry and manufacturing operations
• Maximize mitigation opportunities in both
forests & manufacturing
Recommendations
• Collaborative research into climate change
impacts and mitigation measures
– Studies to determine response of ecosystems to climate
change (eg. forest stands and species distribution)
• Forest ecosystem monitoring (early warning)
– Natural disturbances
– Forest productivity
– Exotic species
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National forest inventory system
– Understand baseline
– Track changes
• Afforestation
– Forest 2020