SState of Ontario's Forests - Indicator Report Criterion 4 Monitoring Forest Contributions to Global Ecological Cycles Element 1 Monitoring Forest Carbon Balance Indicator 3 Monitoring Deforestation Indicator Condition State Trend Data Forests sequester and store significant amounts of carbon that are released into the atmosphere when forested lands are converted to other land uses. This deforestation reduces the global capacity to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Accounting for carbon emissions due to deforestation is mandatory by Article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol. Therefore deforestation is included as an indicator to monitor forest contributions to global ecological cycles. A total area of 52,423 ha is estimated to have been deforested in Ontario from 2001-2007. The rate of deforestation in northern Ontario decreased over the 2001-2008 period. Just under 17% (8,856 ha) of province-wide deforestation occurred in southern Ontario, particularly in areas of high urban development. Estimated deforestation in Ontario from 2001-2008. Page 1 of 7
Background The conversion of forests to other land uses causes a release of carbon into the atmosphere; restoring land to forest use allows atmospheric carbon to be stored in trees, other vegetation and forest soils. Based on Article 3.3 of the Kyoto Protocol, which requires reporting of carbon emissions from deforestation, area of land deforested was identified as an indicator for monitoring carbon cycles in Ontario s forests. The Kyoto Protocol defines deforestation as the conversion of forested land to non-forested land as a direct result of human activity (NRC 2009). This includes clearing land for agriculture, urban development, transportation infrastructure (roads, railway lines) and industrial activities like mining, electric power generation etc. Forest harvesting is not considered deforestation; the forest is re-established after harvest. Forested land used for forest access roads is considered to be transportation infrastructure and therefore accounted as deforestation. Discussion The state was rated as poor. The total estimated area of deforestation in Ontario for the period from 2001-2007 is 52,423 ha. Average annual deforestation has increased from approximately 6,800 ha from 1990-2000 to approximately 7,500 ha for the period 2001-2007. The estimate of deforestation due to increases in forest road infrastructure in northern Ontario was just over 83% (43,567 ha) of province-wide deforestation. From 2001 to 2007, a total area of 8,856 ha was deforested in southern Ontario. Deforestation rates were highest around Ottawa, along the north shore of Lake Ontario and around Barrie (Fig. 4.1.3a). Southern Ontario s average annual deforestation has risen from about 790 ha per year (1990-2000) to approximately 1,265 ha per year in the current reporting period. Page 2 of 7
The proportion of the productive forest area of northern Ontario (OMNR 2006) deforested was 0.02% per annum during this reporting period, while in southern Ontario there has been a 0.06% per annum loss of productive forest area due to deforestation (OMNR 2006). The trends were rated as deteriorating. The amount of annual deforestation in northern Ontario increased from 1990 to 2002 from approximately 5,500 to just over 7,000 ha (Figure 4.1.3b). Since 2002 annual deforestation has trended downward, reaching approximately 4,900 ha in 2008. Compared to the time period 1990-2000, annual average deforestation in the province increased from 6,831 ha to 7,489 ha. Some difference is attributable to a revised methodology (see below). There is a recent improving trend in northern Ontario since 2002, however this estimate is based on active forest management and does not include deforestation effects of mining, electrical power generation development or urban expansion. There are no data for assessing within-period trends for southern Ontario, but the annual deforestation rate has increased from 790 ha per year in the time period 1990-2000 to 1,265 ha per year for 2001-2007. The data were rated as partial. Southern Ontario estimates were based on a sample of the whole area for periods that did not precisely match the reporting period; therefore data were extrapolated. In some ecodistricts, the sample sizes and number of deforestation events observed were very small. In northern Ontario only deforestation due to roads was included; no deforestation data were available for the effects of mines, pits, quarries, electrical generation facilities or expanding urban areas. Forest harvest areas and roads are reported by the forest industry and data appear in some instances to be incomplete or are not reported in a timely manner. Page 3 of 7
There is some variance in the deforestation estimates based on road construction because of institutional changes. In 2004 there was a change in the reporting system for forest roads, which may have caused some under-reporting. In 2005 there was a provincial subsidy offered for forest roads (Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry 2010), which may have influenced the amount of road building in subsequent years. Data Figure 4.1.3a: Average rate of deforestation in southern Ontario from 2001-2007. Estimates are based on average deforestation within sampled areas, mapped by ecodistrict. Page 4 of 7
8000 7000 6000 Area Deforested (ha) 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 Year Figure 4.1.3b: Area deforested annually in Northern Ontario due to forest road construction (thin line) and estimates of area deforested based on harvested areas (thick line, based on the ratio of harvested area to constructed road length for 2005-2007). Methods In southern Ontario, estimates of deforestation were derived from detecting differences in land cover in two sets of satellite and aerial photography images. The first image was dated between 1999 and 2002 and the second image between 2006 and 2007. This forest change interpretation was done by the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) for national forestry reporting and carbon accounting (Leckie, et al. 2006, 2009). CFS has generously allowed our use of the data for this provincial State of the Forest Report. Forest change data were collected for sample areas based on a systematic sampling grid. Deforestation events were defined to have a minimum size of one hectare on sites where mature trees could grow to a height of at least five metres. Page 5 of 7
To estimate total deforestation within southern Ontario, average annual deforestation rates were calculated for the areas sampled within each ecodistrict. Deforestation rates were then extrapolated to the total land area of the ecodistrict and the time period of reference. Deforestation events for northern Ontario were based on forest harvesting activities and roads constructed as a result of these. Harvested areas were not considered deforested because they are expected to grow back naturally or through active regeneration. From 2004-2008, data were available for both the area harvested and area of roads constructed. These data were used to estimate a ratio of forest loss due to road construction and area harvested. It was found that on average 3.3% of the harvested area may be considered deforested due to road construction. This number was used to estimate deforestation within northern Ontario based on annual harvest area data available for the period 1990-2003. These estimates therefore differ from those published in the State of the Forest Report 2006. Deforestation due to mining, urbanization, and agriculture among other agents are not included. Deforestation is under-reported for northern Ontario but probably not to a significant extent considering the ratios of forest lands to lands used for these other activities. Southern and northern Ontario estimates were added together to determine the total area deforested. The indicator will be updated every ten years. Other Reading Environment Canada 2010. National Inventory Report 1990 2008: Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada. Cat. No.: En81-4/2008E-PDF Greenhouse Gas Division, Environment Canada, Ottawa. URL: http://www.ec.gc.ca/publications/default.asp?lang=en&xml=492d914c-2eab-47ab-a045- C62B2CDACC29 Colombo, S.J., W.C. Parker, N. Lukai, Q. Dang and C. Teibo. 2005. The effects of forest management on carbon storage in Ontario s forests. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Applied Research and Development Branch, Sault Ste Marie, ON. Climate Change Research Report CCRR-03. 126 pp. URL: http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/repository/mon/13000/256532.pdf Page 6 of 7
Literature Cited NRC. 2009. Forest Carbon Accounting Definitions. Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON. URL: http://carbon.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/definitions_e.html. Accessed July 2010. OMNR. 2006. Forest Resources of Ontario 2006. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Sault Ste Marie, ON. URL: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/business/forests/publication/mnr_e005106p.html. Accessed December 2010. Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry. Provincial Roads Funding Program. URL: http://www.mndmf.gov.on.ca/forestry/prfp_e.asp. Accessed December 2010. Leckie, D., D. Paradine, W. Burt, D. Hardman and S. Tinis. 2006. Deforestation Area Estimation for Canada: Methods Summary. Report DRS-Q-001, Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Victoria, BC. Leckie, D.G., A. Dyk, D. Paradine, D. Tammadge, and S. Tinis. 2009. Deforestation Interpretation Guide (Version NIR 2011). Report DRS-M-016, Pacific Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Victoria, BC. Authors Dr. Bruce Pond Flora Hofmann Page 7 of 7