Table 17.4. Total above-ground biomass (million tonnes) on forest land by forest type, age class and managed forest region in Canada.
Managed forests Forest type 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
0 Non-treed 0.00 <0.01 <0.01 0.00 - - - - - - - 0.26 0.26
Treed Mixedwood 0.06 1.23 4.00 8.04 20.19 0.11 0.31 0.02 - - 0.01 - 33.98
Treed Coniferous 0.05 1.23 4.97 9.39 8.71 4.16 5.70 1.42 1.64 0.39 16.02 - 53.68
Treed Broadleaf 0.14 3.74 4.27 8.03 1.98 38.82 <0.01 - - - 0.00 - 56.99
Subtotal 0.25 6.19 13.24 25.47 30.88 43.09 6.01 1.45 1.64 0.39 16.04 0.26 144.91
11 Non-treed 0.95 1.20 1.87 12.75 7.27 12.00 2.38 0.12 0.15 0.10 0.06 40.50 79.35
Treed Broadleaf 66.36 140.32 295.62 641.88 588.55 257.83 122.92 46.14 7.79 2.79 5.65 - 2 175.86
Treed Mixedwood 85.23 218.84 361.81 534.10 538.66 251.82 175.05 78.77 24.37 11.53 10.17 - 2 290.34
Treed Coniferous 121.73 436.83 799.94 1 261.17 1 430.25 1 031.61 1 227.37 703.06 417.05 222.47 2 222.87 - 9 874.36
Subtotal 274.28 797.19 1 459.24 2 449.90 2 564.72 1 553.26 1 527.72 828.09 449.37 236.90 2 238.74 40.50 14 419.92
12 Non-treed 0.06 0.01 0.17 0.06 0.13 <0.01 - - - - - 9.26 9.69
Treed Mixedwood 5.33 16.05 30.95 60.14 35.60 21.71 11.27 7.75 0.52 0.02 0.59 - 189.93
Treed Broadleaf 5.97 16.27 39.00 82.28 41.08 11.08 3.99 3.55 0.42 0.31 0.51 - 204.46
Treed Coniferous 10.72 92.44 97.66 173.62 174.78 107.24 67.30 43.14 17.46 8.67 79.51 - 872.55
Subtotal 22.08 124.78 167.78 316.11 251.58 140.02 82.56 54.44 18.41 9.00 80.61 9.26 1 276.62
13 Non-treed 0.10 0.49 4.66 2.79 7.71 5.71 0.20 0.12 - - - 23.95 45.72
Treed Broadleaf 6.94 20.07 22.55 32.98 116.36 33.98 1.47 0.35 - 0.96 - - 235.67
Treed Mixedwood 8.62 21.40 28.68 86.42 151.70 202.26 59.97 6.47 0.33 1.47 0.41 - 567.71
Treed Coniferous 23.25 159.32 338.65 395.10 661.83 2 142.28 1 245.22 662.55 25.51 5.59 36.28 - 5 695.57
Subtotal 38.91 201.27 394.54 517.29 937.59 2 384.24 1 306.85 669.50 25.84 8.02 36.68 23.95 6 544.68
20 Non-treed 0.06 0.01 <0.01 - 0.10 0.06 0.01 - - - - 4.32 4.56
Treed Broadleaf 4.97 32.77 87.58 127.09 104.98 30.74 7.88 1.73 0.19 0.83 0.58 - 399.35
Treed Mixedwood 6.08 32.24 74.12 107.96 102.39 60.10 24.00 12.75 2.62 0.70 5.24 - 428.21
Treed Coniferous 10.74 79.59 157.30 324.86 335.17 474.43 383.21 190.17 113.65 59.73 719.14 - 2 847.99
Subtotal 21.84 144.62 319.00 559.92 542.64 565.33 415.10 204.65 116.46 61.27 724.97 4.32 3 680.11
31 Non-treed - - - - - - - - - - - 0.10 0.10
Treed Mixedwood 0.17 1.63 0.90 6.01 1.31 2.88 0.37 0.05 0.05 - - - 13.36
Treed Broadleaf 1.83 2.84 4.99 11.28 5.06 2.77 0.62 - - - - - 29.38
Treed Coniferous 0.27 8.98 6.36 11.68 8.46 5.74 3.83 15.51 2.83 0.11 2.12 - 65.88
Subtotal 2.28 13.44 12.25 28.96 14.83 11.39 4.82 15.55 2.88 0.11 2.12 0.10 108.72
32 Non-treed <0.01 0.00 <0.01 0.00 0.00 - - - - - - 0.16 0.16
Treed Mixedwood 0.32 2.34 4.62 7.87 8.46 2.77 1.64 2.02 - - 0.36 - 30.39
Treed Broadleaf 2.69 8.35 10.79 8.10 4.46 5.15 0.72 0.66 - 0.83 - - 41.75
Treed Coniferous 0.31 5.84 5.12 7.88 12.23 7.93 5.45 6.63 1.15 2.69 9.43 - 64.67
Subtotal 3.32 16.53 20.53 23.86 25.15 15.86 7.80 9.32 1.15 3.52 9.80 0.16 136.97
33 Non-treed 0.04 <0.01 0.01 0.01 0.00 0.01 0.00 0.02 - - - 3.23 3.33
Treed Mixedwood 2.71 8.66 14.62 22.25 12.84 8.70 3.12 2.96 1.06 0.10 1.77 - 78.79
Treed Broadleaf 4.44 8.96 23.19 27.12 18.68 15.45 11.82 4.64 0.08 0.88 0.22 - 115.47
Treed Coniferous 7.06 39.90 46.98 76.79 88.17 70.57 94.57 63.14 40.75 39.43 284.13 - 851.49
Subtotal 14.25 57.51 84.81 126.18 119.68 94.72 109.51 70.76 41.89 40.41 286.12 3.23 1 049.08
40 Non-treed - 0.31 <0.01 0.46 0.22 - 0.69 - - - - 0.25 1.94
Treed Broadleaf 0.37 2.19 1.87 4.83 20.66 8.34 0.16 0.88 - - - - 39.31
Treed Mixedwood 0.47 4.49 2.69 3.81 5.52 28.71 4.97 3.45 0.13 - - - 54.23
Treed Coniferous 0.52 4.72 13.22 20.43 28.35 189.00 68.91 22.16 5.22 3.64 43.68 - 399.85
Subtotal 1.36 11.72 17.78 29.53 54.74 226.06 74.73 26.49 5.35 3.64 43.68 0.25 495.32
50 Non-treed 0.07 0.26 0.24 0.04 0.05 0.00 - - - - - 10.06 10.71
Treed Mixedwood 20.26 67.62 183.09 199.25 102.71 38.66 9.73 6.64 0.82 0.26 1.57 - 630.61
Treed Coniferous 14.99 83.23 150.23 162.39 94.53 62.56 53.52 17.33 10.05 7.09 53.67 - 709.61
Treed Broadleaf 25.67 106.90 268.28 297.00 210.87 67.87 19.47 4.90 0.46 3.16 0.58 - 1 005.15
Subtotal 60.99 258.02 601.84 658.68 408.16 169.09 82.72 28.88 11.32 10.51 55.82 10.06 2 356.09
100 Non-treed 0.03 0.08 0.04 0.01 0.02 0.39 0.01 - - - - 0.85 1.43
Treed Broadleaf 1.39 2.74 7.34 8.01 8.49 4.89 1.49 0.62 0.19 0.14 0.32 - 35.64
Treed Mixedwood 1.06 4.48 7.39 11.15 13.37 5.45 3.25 1.28 0.15 0.10 0.33 - 48.01
Treed Coniferous 1.46 13.96 20.22 28.17 43.47 33.69 37.23 21.50 3.31 1.09 12.05 - 216.16
Subtotal 3.94 21.27 34.99 47.34 65.36 44.42 41.98 23.41 3.65 1.33 12.69 0.85 301.24
Canada Non-treed 1.30 2.37 6.99 16.12 15.49 18.18 3.29 0.26 0.15 0.10 0.06 92.94 157.25
Treed Broadleaf 120.78 345.14 765.50 1 248.61 1 121.16 476.92 170.53 63.48 9.14 9.90 7.86 - 4 339.03
Treed Mixedwood 130.32 378.96 712.85 1 047.01 992.75 623.17 293.68 122.16 30.05 14.18 20.45 - 4 365.57
Treed Coniferous 191.11 926.05 1 640.64 2 471.49 2 885.94 4 129.22 3 192.31 1 746.62 638.62 350.90 3 478.90 - 21 651.80
Subtotal 443.50 1 652.53 3 125.99 4 783.22 5 015.34 5 247.48 3 659.80 1 932.52 677.97 375.09 3 507.27 92.94 30 513.66
Source: Canada's National Forest Inventory, combined remeasured (2007-2017) and projected (2006-2017 with NFI projection system) data< (Version 3, November 2023) (http://nfi.nfis.org)
Note: The Arctic ecozones (Arctic Cordillera, Northern Arctic, Southern Arctic), and the Taiga Plains and Hudson Plains ecozones located in Nunavut, are not inventoried. These non-inventoried areas total 262,189.89 thousand ha.
1 Missing or unknown age class.
Managed forest
Code Description
0 Not available
11 Long term volume or area based Crown timber dispositions
12 Short term volume or area based Crown timber dispositions
13 No current Crown timber dispostions
20 Legal protection status (IUCN class IA, IB, II, III, IV, V, VI equivalent)
31 Reserved by the Federal government for military or other purposes
32 Reserved by the Federal government under the Indian Act
33 Reserved or designated restricted use by provincial or territorial government
40 Aboriginal lands
50 Privately-owned lands
100 Water