Stop worrying about trees: Canada has 36 million acres more than we thought

Jul 06, 2022

OTTAWA — While environmentalists discourage farms from clearing their land, they should take heart in knowing that Canada has just discovered it has 36 million more acres of trees than we thought.

The Department of Natural Resources counted 858 million acres of trees. But when it recalculated tree cover, thanks in part to improved satellite imagery, the department found an additional 36 million acres. So, Canada has 894 million acres of trees.

Canada has the third-largest tree cover of all nations on earth. Only Russia and Brazil have more. Canada has 9 per cent of the world’s forests and about 90 per cent of Canada’s trees are on crown land.

In its annual report, Natural Resources Canada said less than 0.5 percent of timber lands have been lost to logging and farming. In 2019, Canadian agriculture de-forested 55,000 acres, the report said. “The forest area of Canada is relatively stable, with less than 0.5% deforested since 1990.”

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Video: Syngenta Ag Stories - Reanna Hagel, Channel Marketing Manager

Growing up on a cow-calf operation and small feedlot near Lumby, BC, Reanna learned agriculture the hands-on way with her sister on the family farm. Today, as Channel Marketing Manager for Syngenta Canada, what Reanna loves most about her work is simple: the customer is always at the centre. Whether that's a grower or a channel partner, she understands them on a personal level - because she's the daughter of one. But for Reanna, supporting ag doesn't stop at her job. She volunteers with local 4-H clubs, lends a hand to her farming neighbours, and is raising her own kids to understand and respect the land. Her advice to the next generation? "It's an amazing time to be in the industry - it's going to look completely different in 20 years. To be part of the evolution is very exciting."