documentary
Fighting Climate Change Through Canadian Forestry
Our fight against climate change has become a collective race against the clock. To keep the global average temperature from rising by more than 1.5°C — the mark noted by nations the world over as the one we need to hit to fulfill the promise we’ve made to future generations — we need to significantly reduce our carbon and greenhouse gas emissions.
Our forests have a critical role to play in this fight. With over 40% of our country blanketed by the Boreal, Canada is home to not only the ultimate carbon sink but one of the world’s most renewable and sustainable resources.
But how we manage our forests — and what we choose to create from this renewable resource — matters.
Capturing Carbon tells the story of how sustainable forestry will help address the most pressing concern of our generation and help shape the greener future we deserve; from the forest floor in BC, where foresters are fighting the effects of climate change to the front line fight in our cities where building tall with wood can create more climate-conscious communities, sustainable Canadian forestry can put our country on the path toward meeting our net-zero emissions targets.
shorts
Learn more about how Canada’s sustainable forest management practices can help mitigate climate change.
Wildfire Resiliency
Registered Professional Foresters Jack Darney and Jenna Swanson explain how sustainable forest management can help mitigate the impacts of climate change in our forests and the challenges created by more frequent, larger-scale wildfires. Learn how they’re working with nature to ensure we have a more resilient, sustainable forest for the long-term.
Future-Proof Communities
How can we future-proof our communities? Architect Carol Phillips shares how mass-timber projects like The Arbour at George Brown College are helping to build the low-carbon, “future proof” communities of tomorrow.
Building For The Future
“We have to continue to build, so let’s do it the right way.” As architect Carol Phillips explains, there is a movement toward mass timber construction underway. To build more sustainable communities, we need to change our fundamental construction practices to use renewable resources that store carbon long-term.
Sustainable Construction
“When we’re building with wood, what we’re doing is we’re leveraging our forests’ natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide and to store it in the form of these beautiful buildings.” See how Element5 is manufacturing the sustainable mass timber construction materials of tomorrow.
Misconceptions
There are many misconceptions about Canada’s forest sector, none greater than the visuals we often associate with harvesting. But as Registered Professional Forester, Jack Darney explains, what people don’t see is what that land might have looked like before. Our foresters are prioritizing areas impacted by wildfire, disease and climate change, working with nature to jumpstart regeneration and help build resiliency in our forests.
Regrowth & Renewal
Canadian foresters are finding new ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change while maximizing the carbon-storage potential of our forests, prioritizing regeneration and species diversity in sites impacted by wildfire and disease.
The Three Pillars of Forestry
As Registered Professional Forester Jenna Swanson explains, there are three pillars of sustainable forestry: the economics, the social license and the environmental responsibility. And all three need to work in concert to unlock the full potential of the world’s most renewable resource.
Building Relationships
“At its heart, sustainable forest management is about relationships”. In this short, Paul Robitaille, the Senior Director for Indigenous & Youth Relations at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, talks about how the unique relationships our foresters forge with the land are central to creating a plan that works with nature to support the sustainable practices that will help keep our forests as forests forever.
Working With the Forest
As Paul Robitaille, the Senior Director for Indigenous & Youth Relations at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative explains, forestry today is about asking “what would nature do?” Learn more about how Canada’s foresters are working with nature to maximize our forests’ carbon-storing potential by conserving the biodiversity that will help keep our forests as forests forever.
Stewards of the Land
In BC, the foresters of Williams Lake First Nation are listening to their people and the natural environment as they work to minimize the damage to their communities from wildfires. As stewards of the land, they’re using sustainable forest management practices to mitigate the impacts of climate change and help keep their communities safer from wildfires.
show your support
Join thousands of Canadians coming together to support Canada’s world-leading sustainable forestry sector and learn more about what we’re doing to support a net-zero carbon future.