When we protect forests, we counter the effects of climate change, save wildlife and ensure our future
Together, we can conserve an additional one million hectares of nature across Canada by 2030.
Forests are more than landscapes. They're lifelines.
Forests across Canada are powerfully and intimately connected with life on Earth. They produce the oxygen we breathe, clean the water we drink and trap the carbon that is warming our planet. Forests shelter wildlife and species at risk, giving them everything they need to thrive.
Our country is home to some of the world's most intact forest habitats. But these areas are under increasing threat from unnaturally large, hot, and frequent wildfires, invasive species and rapid development.
Forests across Canada are at risk, putting the health of our entire planet at stake.
Conserved and sustainably managed forests protect our families and communities by reducing the extent and risk of catastrophic wildfires, soil erosion and flooding. They provide cultural continuity for Indigenous communities, and they enrich our lives through recreation and economic opportunities. Spending time in forests bolsters our physical and mental health. Forests give us space to connect — with nature, with each other and with ourselves.
Forest loss in Canada has consequences for the entire planet. When we lose forests, the world loses protection against rising temperatures and climate disasters, and Canadians lose the health, economic and social benefits that forests provide.
On average, Canada is losing the equivalent of nearly one football field of forest every minute. At this rate, we could lose over 20 million hectares by 2030 — an area four times the size of Nova Scotia.
Forests are home to over 75 per cent of the world's biodiversity on land.
Nature is working hard to protect us from the impacts of climate change. Forests and soils alone remove one-third of human-made greenhouse gas emissions every single year.
Donate today to breathe life into Canada's forests.
There is hope. Together, we have an incredible chance to safeguard both forests and the well-being of our planet. Join the effort to conserve an additional one million hectares of nature by 2030.
Your donation will protect our forests, our planet and our way of life. Please give today.
Your donations at work in Canada’s forest regions
Your gift or pledge will advance work to protect and care for lands in each of the eight forest regions across Canada, including projects like:
Chignecto Isthmus (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
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Wabanaki (Acadian) forest This forest region is composed of mixed hardwoods and softwoods, boasting a rich diversity of more than 30 tree species, including yellow birch, red spruce, American beech and sugar maple. It supports iconic species that require diverse forests, such as flying squirrel and barred owl. Less than one per cent of original old-growth Wabanaki (Acadian) forest remains today, making it one of the rarest forest types in North America. |
Boreal Wildlands, ON (Photo by Adam Bialo)
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Boreal forest The boreal forest covers nearly 60 per cent of Canada. Nearly three-quarters of Canada’s total forest area is boreal forest. Almost a third of the boreal forest region is covered in wetlands and lakes, providing habitat for 26 million waterfowl. Most of these wetlands are deep and ancient peatlands, the largest terrestrial store of carbon in the world. |
Backus Woods, ON (Photo by Marc-Andre Bonami)
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Carolinian forest This is the smallest forest region in Canada, at just one per cent of the country’s landmass. Yet Ontario’s Carolinian forests support the largest number of native tree species of any region and an estimated 25 per cent of our country’s species at risk, including Acadian flycatcher and cucumber tree. Many of these species are at the northern limit of their range. |
Kenauk, QC (Photo by Kenauk Nature)
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Great Lakes – St. Lawrence forest This is the second-largest forest region in Canada, stretching from southern Manitoba, east across Ontario and all the way to the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec. It serves as a transition zone between the Carolinian forests in the south and the boreal forest in the north. |
Rivers Inlet, Central Coast, BC (Photo by NCC)
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Coastal forest BC’s coastal temperate rainforests are globally rare. They occur on less than 0.2 per cent of the Earth’s surface. Famous for its hulking cedars, Douglas-firs and other conifers, this forest region is a place of exceptional biological richness and above-ground carbon storage. |
Elk Flathead Natural Area, BC (Photo by Andrés González)
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Columbia forest This forest region occurs in the lower elevations of BC’s southeastern, central plateau and Rocky Mountain areas. Prominent tree species include western red-cedar, western hemlock and Douglas-fir. It supports more than 35 species at risk, including grizzly bear, wolverine, bull trout and western screech owl. |
Crowsnest Pass, AB (Photo by Sean Feagan/NCC staff)
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Montane forest This warm, dry forest region covers much of central British Columbia and western Alberta. It is characterized by Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine and trembling aspen. Much of the montane forest region has been altered through land-use change and the suppression of naturally occurring fire, a historically important component to the composition of the forests and grasslands in this region. |
Darkwoods, West Kootenay, BC (Photo by NCC)
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Subalpine forest This forest region spans from coastal British Columbia, across the Rocky Mountains to the uplands of Alberta. The region’s cool, brief growing season and long winters lead to trees that are shorter and less dense than those found at lower elevations. Avalanches play a role in shaping this landscape. Predominant tree species include Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir and lodgepole pine. |
