Sustainable forestry

Re: U.S. taste for plush TP flushing our forests: report, Feb. 26

The report produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) used words like “devastating” to describe how American toilet paper use is affecting Canada’s boreal forest. Nothing could be further from the truth. Canada plants over 615 million trees annually ( 1,000 trees every minute) and has professional foresters and scientists who manage our forests to ensure wildlife habitat, biodiversity and water protection. This is why Canada does not have problems with deforestation and illegal logging seen in other countries. It is concerning that NRDC suggests alternative wood fibre sources that are more carbon intensive or sourced from countries with much lower forest management, labour and human rights standards.

Here are some important facts about Canada’s forests:

❚ Every single tree harvested in Canada is replanted, by law.

❚ Canada has retained over 90 per cent of its original forest cover and has almost zero deforestation.

❚ T he Canadian government’s State of the Forests Report (2018) confirms that the forested area under active management in Canada continues to be a carbon sink of 20 million tonnes.

❚ The boreal is thousands of years old, but trees in the boreal live for only 100 years. By harvesting before they succumb to pests, fires, or simply falling over, we realize economic and environmental benefits by replanting. Younger forests absorb more carbon than older ones.

❚ Canada has the most thirdparty certified forests in the world, meaning consumers can rest assured that products from our forests are produced from environmentally responsible and sustainable practices. Derek Nighbor, president and CEO, Forest Products Association of Canada