Table 17.1. Total above-ground biomass (million tonnes) on forest land by forest type, age class and terrestrial ecozone in Canada.
Terrestrial ecozone 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
Taiga Plains Non-treed <0.01 <0.01 0.00 0.01 <0.01 - - - - - - 0.15 0.17
Treed Mixedwood 2.03 12.30 19.25 43.49 41.70 220.21 37.41 14.88 4.58 3.12 1.27 - 400.25
Treed Broadleaf 4.11 11.84 29.52 105.84 182.71 51.72 43.28 22.48 3.85 0.07 - - 455.43
Treed Coniferous 3.60 20.57 57.28 101.10 119.74 1 526.83 91.35 62.86 30.34 5.32 5.00 - 2 024.01
Subtotal 9.75 44.72 106.05 250.45 344.15 1 798.76 172.04 100.23 38.77 8.52 6.27 0.15 2 879.87
Taiga Shield Non-treed - - 2.21 0.18 <0.01 - - - - - - 11.78 14.17
Treed Broadleaf 1.75 2.74 2.71 1.75 1.62 39.66 0.09 - - - - - 50.31
Treed Mixedwood 1.97 3.93 3.86 5.22 7.62 7.51 52.58 0.89 - - - - 83.58
Treed Coniferous 8.51 45.34 112.68 90.20 239.17 342.68 640.08 624.96 1.72 2.48 36.04 - 2 143.85
Subtotal 12.23 52.01 121.47 97.34 248.41 389.85 692.74 625.86 1.72 2.48 36.04 11.78 2 291.91
Boreal Shield Non-treed 0.90 0.81 1.53 10.65 4.02 4.44 0.38 0.08 0.15 0.10 0.06 46.48 69.59
Treed Broadleaf 45.57 128.15 323.15 398.13 390.38 80.27 15.15 4.52 2.13 0.93 - - 1 388.40
Treed Mixedwood 79.93 224.19 389.74 525.85 537.13 107.56 40.85 11.33 3.78 1.36 1.15 - 1 922.86
Treed Coniferous 108.44 493.31 787.36 1 069.53 1 265.98 821.22 798.65 115.14 28.56 3.20 1.60 - 5 493.00
Subtotal 234.84 846.46 1 501.79 2 004.16 2 197.52 1 013.49 855.02 131.07 34.63 5.59 2.81 46.48 8 873.86
Atlantic Maritime Non-treed 0.02 0.01 0.02 0.02 <0.01 - - - - - - 5.08 5.15
Treed Broadleaf 12.74 38.98 84.47 115.73 86.65 29.61 0.92 1.22 0.19 - 0.04 - 370.53
Treed Mixedwood 23.85 66.75 130.49 176.74 92.57 31.46 2.09 0.44 - 0.11 - - 524.51
Treed Coniferous 24.49 91.04 126.62 163.40 111.05 45.77 8.82 1.73 0.05 - - - 572.97
Subtotal 61.09 196.78 341.60 455.89 290.27 106.84 11.82 3.39 0.23 0.11 0.04 5.08 1 473.15
Mixedwood Plains Non-treed - - - - - - - - - - - 1.27 1.27
Treed Coniferous 1.70 6.80 15.22 9.11 2.94 0.48 0.19 0.49 - - - - 36.94
Treed Mixedwood 1.48 7.63 31.53 21.19 10.73 3.76 0.91 0.33 - - - - 77.56
Treed Broadleaf 1.93 10.92 66.22 67.82 50.89 9.91 3.13 0.76 0.21 - - - 211.79
Subtotal 5.11 25.35 112.97 98.11 64.56 14.15 4.24 1.58 0.21 - - 1.27 327.56
Boreal Plains Non-treed 0.32 0.43 0.28 0.14 0.43 1.64 0.19 0.06 - - - 9.64 13.14
Treed Mixedwood 17.22 44.13 74.39 186.21 159.72 112.24 70.98 22.36 6.58 0.71 0.18 - 694.72
Treed Broadleaf 43.03 101.24 207.14 499.12 311.52 161.53 61.47 11.59 1.12 0.07 - - 1 397.84
Treed Coniferous 24.07 87.22 175.49 556.88 391.03 346.83 226.92 111.78 44.83 9.31 12.15 - 1 986.50
Subtotal 84.64 233.02 457.31 1 242.35 862.71 622.24 359.56 145.77 52.53 10.09 12.34 9.64 4 092.20
Prairies Treed Mixedwood 0.08 0.23 0.43 0.48 0.20 0.59 0.06 - - - - - 2.08
Non-treed 0.05 0.03 <0.01 - - - - - - - - 2.05 2.14
Treed Coniferous 0.04 0.23 1.06 0.13 0.49 1.24 0.11 0.28 - - - - 3.58
Treed Broadleaf 10.35 36.40 12.76 3.26 1.82 0.28 - 0.01 - - - - 64.88
Subtotal 10.52 36.89 14.26 3.88 2.52 2.11 0.17 0.29 - - - 2.05 72.68
Taiga Cordillera Non-treed - - 0.09 1.05 1.22 - - - - - - 0.00 2.36
Treed Broadleaf 0.13 0.31 0.33 0.05 7.32 0.01 - - - - - - 8.16
Treed Mixedwood 0.10 0.54 1.07 1.07 0.78 0.74 10.69 0.15 1.11 - - - 16.25
Treed Coniferous 0.04 2.49 12.32 20.32 15.86 14.96 392.11 12.13 3.77 0.29 - - 474.28
Subtotal 0.28 3.35 13.82 22.50 25.18 15.71 402.80 12.27 4.88 0.29 - 0.00 501.06
Boreal Cordillera Non-treed <0.01 1.06 2.87 4.04 9.90 12.10 2.63 0.12 - - - 0.13 32.85
Treed Broadleaf 0.64 2.07 10.03 16.91 17.37 21.23 14.42 5.47 0.69 0.93 0.52 - 90.28
Treed Mixedwood 0.70 3.05 16.47 32.63 29.56 33.60 24.62 26.64 6.43 4.08 6.61 - 184.39
Treed Coniferous 1.46 6.84 47.58 87.35 124.93 320.56 251.19 163.71 125.45 25.17 183.68 - 1 337.91
Subtotal 2.81 13.03 76.95 140.93 181.75 387.49 292.87 195.93 132.56 30.18 190.81 0.13 1 645.43
Pacific Maritime Non-treed - - - - - - - - - - - 1.63 1.63
Treed Mixedwood 0.22 5.29 13.67 20.23 12.59 9.41 2.52 3.62 0.82 <0.01 5.96 - 74.34
Treed Broadleaf 0.16 2.62 16.36 15.40 17.20 18.28 5.40 3.43 0.04 4.60 5.53 - 89.02
Treed Coniferous 10.26 73.11 176.07 168.22 124.27 94.61 86.96 53.10 62.39 54.60 2 031.74 - 2 935.32
Subtotal 10.64 81.02 206.11 203.85 154.06 122.30 94.89 60.14 63.25 59.20 2 043.22 1.63 3 100.32
Montane Cordillera Non-treed 0.01 0.01 - <0.01 0.03 0.01 <0.01 <0.01 - 0.00 - 12.36 12.43
Treed Broadleaf 0.03 8.09 9.51 21.47 52.73 26.46 25.10 13.48 0.93 3.30 2.09 - 163.20
Treed Mixedwood 3.20 10.76 30.05 28.59 83.30 68.84 50.60 40.93 6.47 4.58 5.25 - 332.57
Treed Coniferous 9.26 86.52 108.24 176.49 460.58 534.70 626.87 576.97 338.31 248.99 1 294.76 - 4 461.67
Subtotal 12.50 105.38 147.80 226.54 596.64 630.01 702.58 631.39 345.70 256.87 1 302.10 12.36 4 969.86
Hudson Plains Non-treed - - 0.00 0.01 <0.01 0.00 - - - - - 2.35 2.37
Treed Broadleaf 0.25 0.18 0.23 0.80 1.09 0.20 0.03 - - - - - 2.78
Treed Mixedwood 0.07 0.81 1.86 2.21 1.66 23.96 0.43 0.10 - - - - 31.10
Treed Coniferous 0.70 19.33 31.95 33.46 27.77 42.80 88.53 15.92 0.59 <0.01 - - 261.06
Subtotal 1.02 20.32 34.04 36.49 30.53 66.95 88.99 16.02 0.59 <0.01 - 2.35 297.31
Canada Non-treed 1.32 2.36 7.01 16.10 15.61 18.18 3.20 0.26 0.15 0.10 0.06 92.92 157.28
Treed Broadleaf 120.70 343.54 762.45 1 246.28 1 121.31 439.16 169.01 62.95 9.15 9.90 8.17 - 4 292.62
Treed Mixedwood 130.85 379.61 712.82 1 043.91 977.56 619.89 293.74 121.66 29.77 13.98 20.43 - 4 344.21
Treed Coniferous 192.57 932.81 1 651.88 2 476.19 2 883.80 4 092.66 3 211.77 1 739.06 636.00 349.36 3 564.97 - 21 731.09
Subtotal 445.43 1 658.32 3 134.16 4 782.49 4 998.28 5 169.90 3 677.72 1 923.93 675.08 373.34 3 593.63 92.92 30 525.20
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.