Table 18.2. Total above-ground biomass (million tonnes) on forest land by species group, age class and boreal zone in Canada.
Boreal zone Species group Age (years) Total
1-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 101-120 121-140 141-160 161-180 181-200 201+ Other1
Non-boreal Spruce 12.98 72.20 180.40 231.35 216.40 132.28 173.90 155.83 90.57 72.22 413.98 0.00 1 752.11
Fir 12.21 88.17 173.11 152.46 127.67 73.48 74.93 104.99 103.23 92.59 668.97 0.00 1 671.81
Hemlock 6.10 42.43 85.29 82.56 85.80 44.32 48.62 29.11 37.61 23.55 1 183.93 0.00 1 669.33
Pine 15.44 94.48 92.04 168.08 328.13 224.98 219.98 135.91 60.26 35.75 77.81 0.00 1 452.87
Douglas-fir 2.61 20.85 78.38 108.34 139.32 179.73 190.86 142.42 49.17 40.62 205.17 0.00 1 157.46
Maple 10.47 43.90 265.79 339.41 338.67 83.00 12.59 4.60 3.38 0.00 0.45 <0.01 1 102.27
Cedar & other conifers 2.36 12.99 34.61 30.75 37.19 26.10 12.39 13.09 13.39 19.97 581.90 0.00 784.74
Poplar 22.52 103.14 153.91 180.52 156.59 77.93 42.40 23.43 2.22 5.03 7.96 0.00 775.67
Birch 8.46 58.16 126.12 141.88 175.21 57.47 10.88 5.85 0.17 0.24 0.48 0.00 584.92
Other hardwoods 1.28 12.36 41.24 48.42 32.64 9.62 1.85 0.41 0.01 1.02 3.77 0.00 152.62
Larch 1.14 4.17 10.16 12.87 22.71 17.05 12.87 6.44 3.57 1.91 12.37 0.00 105.25
Unspecified hardwoods 19.56 12.70 13.80 2.72 6.68 0.28 0.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 <0.01 55.84
Unspecified conifers 18.14 21.13 8.06 3.23 0.77 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.02 51.34
Unclassified 1.41 2.06 0.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 26.53 30.08
Subtotal 134.68 588.74 1 263.00 1 502.57 1 667.80 926.22 801.37 622.09 363.58 292.89 3 156.80 26.55 11 346.30
Boreal Spruce 42.83 342.93 889.37 1 591.01 1 839.80 3 428.80 2 553.49 1 061.04 211.89 46.88 218.85 0.51 12 227.39
Poplar 83.04 211.82 394.86 952.29 862.48 381.47 181.07 59.51 8.82 3.17 3.65 0.01 3 142.19
Pine 64.96 242.06 255.03 395.25 274.65 269.90 208.10 105.07 43.06 9.58 31.65 0.03 1 899.35
Fir 12.84 91.89 122.34 126.41 187.37 83.91 93.73 53.71 41.76 15.85 67.65 0.03 897.48
Birch 16.23 70.06 126.60 147.50 96.34 135.03 11.72 2.89 0.40 0.52 0.64 0.02 607.96
Larch 8.53 18.38 48.04 64.93 59.00 48.43 29.67 14.18 2.42 0.70 1.28 0.11 295.66
Unspecified conifers 52.85 61.52 10.74 1.38 0.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 126.67
Unclassified 2.66 1.47 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 68.61 72.73
Maple 0.06 1.59 12.78 19.76 10.57 0.18 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 44.94
Unspecified hardwoods 23.15 9.37 0.25 0.01 0.00 0.00 <0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 32.80
Cedar & other conifers 0.06 0.25 1.05 2.87 5.05 6.61 3.60 1.73 0.51 0.00 0.00 0.00 21.73
Other hardwoods 0.43 0.92 2.96 7.63 4.22 2.75 0.76 0.60 0.07 0.07 0.00 0.03 20.44
Subtotal 307.62 1 052.27 1 864.02 3 309.04 3 339.65 4 357.07 3 082.15 1 298.74 308.93 76.76 323.73 69.36 19 389.33
Canada Spruce 55.81 415.13 1 069.77 1 822.36 2 056.20 3 561.07 2 727.39 1 216.87 302.46 119.10 632.83 0.51 13 979.50
Poplar 105.55 314.97 548.77 1 132.81 1 019.08 459.40 223.47 82.94 11.04 8.20 11.61 0.01 3 917.86
Pine 80.40 336.55 347.07 563.32 602.78 494.88 428.08 240.99 103.32 45.33 109.47 0.03 3 352.22
Fir 25.05 180.06 295.45 278.87 315.04 157.38 168.66 158.69 145.00 108.44 736.62 0.03 2 569.29
Hemlock 6.10 42.43 85.29 82.56 85.80 44.32 48.62 29.11 37.61 23.55 1 183.93 0.00 1 669.33
Birch 24.69 128.23 252.72 289.38 271.55 192.50 22.60 8.74 0.57 0.76 1.12 0.02 1 192.87
Douglas-fir 2.61 20.85 78.38 108.34 139.32 179.73 190.86 142.42 49.17 40.62 205.17 0.00 1 157.46
Maple 10.53 45.49 278.57 359.17 349.24 83.18 12.59 4.60 3.38 0.00 0.45 <0.01 1 147.20
Cedar & other conifers 2.41 13.24 35.66 33.62 42.24 32.71 16.00 14.82 13.89 19.97 581.90 0.00 806.46
Larch 9.67 22.54 58.20 77.80 81.71 65.48 42.54 20.62 5.99 2.60 13.65 0.11 400.91
Unspecified conifers 70.99 82.65 18.80 4.61 0.93 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 178.01
Other hardwoods 1.72 13.28 44.20 56.05 36.87 12.36 2.61 1.02 0.09 1.08 3.77 0.03 173.06
Unclassified 4.07 3.53 0.08 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 95.14 102.81
Unspecified hardwoods 42.71 22.08 14.05 2.73 6.68 0.28 0.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 <0.01 88.64
Total 442.30 1 641.02 3 127.01 4 811.60 5 007.45 5 283.29 3 883.52 1 920.83 672.51 369.65 3 480.53 95.92 30 735.63
Source: Canada's National Forest Inventory, combined remeasured (2007-2017) and projected (2006-2017 with NFI projection system) data (Version 2, November 2022) (http://nfi.nfis.org)
Note: The Non-boreal zone in the Arctic ecozones (Arctic Cordillera, Northern Arctic, Southern Arctic) are not inventoried. The total land and water area amounts to approximately 252,202.08 thousand ha.
1 Missing or unknown age class.