The Canadian Forest Service (CFS; french: Service canadien des forêts) is a sector of the

Canadian government The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in-C ...

department of

Natural Resources Canada Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; french: Ressources naturelles Canada; french: RNCan, label=none)Natural Resources Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Natural Resources (). is the depa ...

. Part of the federal government since 1899, the CFS is a science-based policy organization responsible for promoting the

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

of Canada's

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and competitiveness of the forest sector to benefit present and future Canadians. Some of the research areas that the CFS is involved in include; forest fire, climate change,

silviculture Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, and quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production. The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests and wo ...

, soils, insects and disease, remote sensing and

forest management Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, protection, and forest regulation. This includes management for ...

. Since 1991 the sector has produced an annual report, ''The State of the Forest in Canada'

which describes the status of the nation's forests and the forest industry.

Establishments

The CFS operates mainly from six establishments across the country, which include five research centres, two research forests and a headquarters office in Ottawa. * Pacific Forestry Centre in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

. * Northern Forestry Centr

in

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anchor ...

. * Great Lakes Forestry Centre in

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie ( ) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is at the St. Mary's River on the Canada–US border. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay. The Ojibwe, the indigenous Anishinaabe inhabitants of ...

. * Laurentian Forestry Centre in

Sainte-Foy, Quebec ) , image_skyline = Complexe Jules Dallaire.jpg , image_caption = Boulevard Laurier in Sainte-Foy , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield ...

. * Atlantic Forestry Centre in

Fredericton, New Brunswick Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

and

Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,333 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador ...

Research Forests

* Petawawa Research Forest (100 km²) located in

Laurentian Hills, Ontario Laurentian Hills is a municipality in Eastern Ontario, Canada, on the Ottawa River in Renfrew County. It surrounds (by land) Deep River on the Ontario side of the river. The town is home to the Nuclear Power Demonstration nuclear power plant. Th ...

. * Acadia Research Forest (90 km²) located just east of

History of the department

* 1873: Federal responsibility for forestry resources/federal public lands given to the Department of Interior's Dominion Lands Branch. * 1899:

Elihu Stewart Elihu may refer to: People *Elihu Burritt (1811–1879), American philanthropist, linguist, and social activist * Elihú Chávez (1988), Mexican Environmental Engineer with Renewable Energies Master Degree (ITESM 2019). Safety professional and LG ...

appointed first Chief Inspector of Timber and Forestry. * 1901: Elihu Stewart becomes Superintendent of Forestry of Forestry Branch. * 1906:

Dominion Forest Reserves Act The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

passed. * 1909: Parliament establishes Commission of Conservation with responsibility over natural resources. Forest laboratories and stations created to study timber and

wood preservation Wood easily degrades without sufficient preservation. Apart from structural wood preservation measures, there are a number of different chemical preservatives and processes (also known as "timber treatment", "lumber treatment" or "pressure treat ...

. * 1930: Federal government transfers jurisdiction to western provinces. Federal forestry programs concentrate on scientific research in silviculture,

forest protection Forest protection is a branch of forestry which is concerned with the preservation or improvement of a forest and prevention and control of damage to forest by natural or man made causes like forest fires, plant pests, and adverse climatic condi ...

and products and collecting information on forest resources. * 1936: Department of the Interior ceases to exist - its components merge with Departments of Mines, Indian Affairs, and Immigration to become Department of Mines and Resources. Former "Forestry Service" (Interior) becomes Dominion Forest Service. * 1940-1945: Dominion Forest Service expands research activities to include forest insect epidemics and tree diseases, and creates air surveys division. * 1947: Forest Branch becomes separate unit and research activities combine with surveys and mapping to become Mines, Forests and Scientific Services Branch. * 1949: Canada Forestry Act grants legal authority to enter into forest resource agreements with provinces. * 1950: The Department of Mines and Resources dissolves and functions are transferred to Department of Resources and Development. New Forestry Branch charged with forestry issues - forestry research, forest management, and forest products. * 1953: Department of Resources and Development becomes

Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

* 1960: First autonomous Department of Forestry is established under the Department of Forestry Act encompassing Forestry Branch and Forest Biology Division from Department of Agriculture's Research Branch. Regional offices located in St. John's,

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

, Sainte-Foy, Sault Ste. Marie,

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, and Victoria. Institutes created to support scientific studies into chemicals, forest fires, forest economics, and forest management. * 1966: Federal forestry responsibility combines with rural development to become

Department of Forestry and Rural Development Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

- Forestry Branch is one of two main branches * 1968: Forestry Branch merges with Department of Fisheries to form the

Department of Fisheries and Forestry Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

- forestry programs delivered by Canadian Forestry Service. * 1970: Department of Fisheries and Forestry are central to new Department of Environment. All federal responsibility for the environment, including air, land, water, wildlife, fisheries and forestry were transferred to the new Department. Canadian Forestry Service forms part of the Lands, Forests and Wildlife Service. Within two years departmental restructuring and the Canadian Forestry Service is part of the

Environment Management Service Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

. Following year sees creation of five regional establishments for Atlantic provinces, Québec, Ontario, Western and Northern, Pacific and Yukon regions. * 1982: Environmental Management Services splits to form the Environmental Conservation Service and the Canadian Forestry Service * 1984: Canadian Forestry Service transfers to Department of Agriculture * 1985: Canadian Forestry Service transfers back to Environment * 1988: Forestry Canada becomes a department designate * 1989: Forestry Canada fully established as department * 1993: Department of Forestry and Department of Energy, Mines and Resources merge to form Department of Natural Resources.

External links

Canadian Forest Service Official website

Forest Fire in Canada - maintained by the CFS

Elihu Stuart - Trailblazer

Canada's Forests
From Natural Resources Canada
National Forestry Database
Detailed Canadian Forest Management data since 1990 {{authority control Natural Resources Canada Federal departments and agencies of Canada Forestry agencies in Canada 1899 establishments in Canada

Establishments

Research Forests

History of the department

See also

External links