Criteria and indicators

• Canada’s national C&I reporting
• Biological diversity
• Ecosystem condition and productivity
• Global ecological cycles
• Economic and social benefits
• Society's responsibility

Society's responsibility

Extensive forestry operations take place on Canada’s public lands, and many rural communities depend on the forest for their well-being. It’s therefore essential that forest practices reflect society’s economic, social and cultural values.

Forest community well-being and resilience

Sustainable forest management is particularly important to rural forest-dependent communities, as they are more likely than larger urban centres to suffer the potential costs of unsustainable practices, market fluctuations and environmental change.

Many of these rural communities are Aboriginal communities that depend on the surrounding forests for their economic and social well-being.

• Forest-dependent communities in Canada

Fair and effective decision making

In Canada, much effort is devoted to produce science-based information and identify social values of the forest in the on-going development and improvement of sustainable forest management strategies and practices.

Decision makers attempt to include the essential aspects of management practices in laws and regulations that are continuously updated to reflect the best available scientific knowledge.

• Status of new or updated forest management guidelines and standards related to ecological issues

Informed decision making

Part of Canada’s responsibility to ensure the sustainable management of its forests is to demonstrate its commitment to improve the population's understanding of ecosystems and the relationship between the environment and the economy.