So, about Canadas trees

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Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00

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So, about Canada’s trees r1 It’s no secret that Canada needs to protect its forests in order to meet climate targets. The trouble is, many of our old forests are disappearing. ... BECOME A MEMBER
It’s no secret that Canada needs to protect its forests if the country wants to meet its commitment to go carbon neutral by 2050 — a pledge reiterated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the ongoing COP26 conference in Glasgow.

The trouble is, many of Canada’s ancient forests are disappearing. And it appears we’re undercounting the amount of pollution caused by logging.

Let me catch you up on two important things that happened over the past week.

First, a new report was released by conservation groups noting that Canada is underestimating emissions from its logging sector to the tune of 80 megatonnes a year — or the annual output of 17.4 million passenger vehicles.

By excluding emissions from logging roads while including emissions reductions from undisturbed forests, Canada is masking what the forestry industry is actually doing to the atmosphere, the report’s authors note.

The research came as the B.C. government identified 2.6 million hectares of the province’s most at-risk old-growth forests. While observers say it’s great the province is finally specifying which forests are most threatened, they argue the province is falling short by not implementing what’s truly needed: permanent protections.

What’s more, B.C. is giving affected First Nations just 30 days to come to an agreement on two-year logging deferrals in those newly identified at-risk forests. And while the province set aside $12.69 million in capacity funding for First Nations, critics say the plan places an unfair burden on Indigenous communities to solve a longstanding forestry crisis without adequate support.

From the boreal to B.C.’s coastal canopies, forests have an amazing capacity to store carbon — when they are left intact. The clock is ticking on action at the federal and provincial levels.

Take care and store carbon,

Arik Ligeti
Audience engagement editor
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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It’s been a busy week of podcasts for our pod of journalists! First, our Ontario reporting duo of Emma McIntosh and Fatima Syed hopped on the QP Briefing podcast to talk about the stories on their radar, from the Ring of Fire to the impacts of the PC government’s changes to environmental policies.

Fatima also appeared as a guest on The Big Story to offer a reality check on all the promises being made by world leaders at COP26.

And our trusty executive editor, Carol Linnitt, stopped by the Hunt to Eat show to talk about the lens through which she sees the best conservation reporting happening: “reflecting complexity, rather than trying to resolve it.”

This week in The Narwhal

Trudeau promised to cap emissions, but Canada’s oil and gas companies have different plans
By Ainslie Cruickshank
A new analysis shows the climate plans of eight Canadian oil and gas producers are ‘wholly out of line’ with Canada’s climate goals

READ MORE
How the Blueberry ruling in B.C. is a gamechanger for the Site C dam, extractive industries and Indigenous Rights
By Matt Simmons
READ MORE Three Indigenous delegates talk COP26 and what’s missing in Canada’s climate efforts
By Stephanie Wood
READ MORE The Ford government’s mini-budget offers little on the environment
By Fatima Syed and Emma McIntosh
READ MORE

What we’re reading

When you bend the numbers to calculate logging emissions. Tell your accountant to r63

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