Table 9C.1. Annual change in area (1000 ha) of forest land by IUCN1 category, age class and terrestrial ecozone in Canada.
Terrestrial ecozone IUCN category Age (years) Total
1-20 21-40 41-60 61-80 81-100 101-120 121-140 141-160 161-180 181-200 201+ Other2
Taiga Plains NA 27.05 69.59 6.07 -73.10 -1 906.25 1 615.92 38.16 22.53 13.26 1.72 2.03 13.92 -169.11
IB - -0.28 -6.73 -5.20 12.63 52.51 0.44 -0.16 -0.87 - -0.00 - 52.34
II 0.01 3.35 -9.26 9.51 -42.94 114.21 0.48 0.65 0.05 0.85 <0.01 - 76.90
III - - - -0.18 -8.25 - - - - - - - -8.43
V - - - - -0.12 - - - - - - - -0.12
VI 0.01 0.14 3.12 2.85 2.28 17.71 0.10 0.04 - - - - 26.25
OTHER - 0.15 1.72 -0.00 -11.67 50.63 - - - - - - 40.82
Subtotal 27.06 72.95 -5.08 -66.11 -1 954.33 1 850.97 39.18 23.06 12.45 2.57 2.03 13.92 18.66
Taiga Shield NA 23.67 88.40 138.55 -308.30 -369.08 -987.33 629.98 646.05 1.44 3.35 45.77 -89.59 -177.09
IB 0.17 2.27 3.64 1.86 -1.16 -36.79 73.09 - - - - 14.01 57.09
II - 3.49 5.60 5.89 23.75 9.97 82.26 23.52 0.18 0.26 0.46 25.53 180.90
III - - - - -2.73 -1.95 -0.12 - - - - - -4.80
V - - - - -0.06 -3.28 - - - - - - -3.34
Subtotal 23.84 94.16 147.80 -300.56 -349.29 -1 019.38 785.21 669.58 1.62 3.61 46.23 -50.05 52.76
Boreal Shield NA -199.16 531.26 407.62 -216.27 -707.37 -402.92 521.48 -20.20 3.95 -0.85 1.72 -153.69 -234.41
IA -1.54 -1.99 1.32 -1.64 -1.21 -5.68 1.31 0.01 - - - -0.03 -9.44
IB 7.64 24.86 33.73 -11.95 -18.59 11.68 2.18 0.41 0.11 -0.12 - 1.20 51.16
II -9.85 38.96 38.17 38.52 21.63 52.61 32.80 -12.93 -4.16 0.10 -0.72 4.74 199.86
III -3.47 -0.58 -10.30 -15.38 -32.30 -66.23 -0.59 - - - - <0.01 -128.86
IV 0.74 3.78 10.77 17.81 24.36 0.96 8.91 0.52 - - - 3.25 71.09
VI 0.06 -0.44 -0.54 -1.56 -1.21 -3.62 -0.12 - - - - <0.01 -7.44
OTHER 1.98 8.47 12.78 26.45 2.37 5.09 0.68 0.04 - - - 0.04 57.89
Subtotal -203.61 604.32 493.55 -164.02 -712.32 -408.11 566.64 -32.14 -0.10 -0.87 1.00 -144.49 -0.15
Atlantic Maritime NA -114.61 63.83 -145.39 86.03 70.47 50.28 4.45 1.75 0.04 0.02 0.00 -12.49 4.40
IA -0.62 0.79 -0.15 1.50 0.64 0.01 0.03 - - - - 0.00 2.19
IB 0.08 0.53 0.31 7.01 4.32 0.55 - - - - - 0.12 12.92
II -2.95 6.80 -1.36 6.72 8.89 1.82 1.24 0.20 - - - <0.01 21.36
III -0.34 0.72 0.50 0.22 -0.00 -0.04 - - - - - - 1.06
IV -1.80 -2.40 -0.28 -1.72 -2.27 -0.13 - -0.06 - - - 0.24 -8.43
VI 0.01 0.04 0.59 0.92 0.04 0.01 - - - - - 0.01 1.61
OTHER 0.02 0.33 0.22 0.06 0.03 - - - - - - 0.05 0.71
Subtotal -120.21 70.64 -145.56 100.74 82.12 52.49 5.72 1.90 0.04 0.02 0.00 -12.07 35.82
Mixedwood Plains NA -14.50 -31.68 -1.96 27.20 21.90 6.00 1.14 0.56 0.11 - - 7.42 16.20
IA <0.01 -0.03 -0.29 0.45 0.45 - - - - - - 0.04 0.61
II -0.08 -0.09 0.81 0.27 0.03 0.17 0.18 0.02 - - - - 1.32
IV 0.00 0.81 0.13 1.38 0.17 -0.14 0.18 - - - - 0.01 2.56
VI 0.03 - -0.04 - -0.02 - - - - - - - -0.03
OTHER 0.09 0.02 0.34 - 0.45 -0.11 -0.06 - - - - 0.01 0.75
Subtotal -14.46 -30.97 -1.00 29.30 22.98 5.93 1.46 0.58 0.11 - - 7.49 21.42
Boreal Plains NA 48.52 27.16 -317.15 197.96 70.00 48.06 71.07 25.07 -4.77 0.93 0.08 -90.97 75.95
IA - 0.09 -0.99 0.86 0.09 0.00 0.00 - - - - - 0.05
IB -4.32 0.19 -5.15 4.79 0.09 0.78 0.07 0.52 0.00 -0.78 0.66 - -3.17
II 0.23 8.98 -18.64 -6.53 11.94 3.09 5.27 0.85 0.90 0.77 1.08 0.09 8.03
III - -0.01 -0.02 0.13 0.15 1.39 0.01 - - - - - 1.65
IV -0.30 0.38 2.63 0.64 0.44 -0.24 -0.58 0.03 - - - -0.42 2.58
V 0.00 -0.01 -0.01 -0.24 -0.60 -0.02 0.00 - - - - -0.02 -0.90
VI -0.01 -0.14 -0.40 -0.33 -0.14 -0.01 - - 0.00 - - -0.01 -1.03
OTHER 0.12 <0.01 1.72 3.40 4.27 3.03 1.00 0.12 - 0.02 - - 13.69
Subtotal 44.25 36.63 -338.02 200.68 86.24 56.08 76.84 26.60 -3.88 0.95 1.82 -91.34 96.85
Prairies NA 18.40 47.49 -6.62 -27.56 -28.84 0.22 0.00 0.21 - - - 15.66 18.96
IB <0.01 - - - - - - - - - - - <0.01
II 2.00 3.74 2.60 -0.66 -2.31 -1.34 0.09 - - - - - 4.11
III 0.23 0.01 -0.09 - - - - - - - - -0.04 0.11
IV 0.74 1.53 0.11 -0.11 -1.78 - - - - - - - 0.50
V -0.08 - -0.36 -1.48 - - - - - - - - -1.92
VI 0.00 0.00 -0.05 -0.43 -0.02 - - - - - - -0.54 -1.03
OTHER - - 0.06 0.23 - - - - - - - 1.75 2.04
Subtotal 21.29 52.78 -4.36 -30.01 -32.95 -1.12 0.09 0.21 - - - 16.83 22.76
Taiga Cordillera NA -2.98 -41.83 16.73 11.47 17.10 -377.69 290.47 7.04 2.80 0.16 - 7.05 -69.68
IB - - 1.13 0.45 0.62 -9.15 8.85 - - - - - 1.89
II - 0.02 0.14 0.45 2.83 -2.19 35.47 - - - - - 36.72
III - - - -0.00 <0.01 -0.81 0.80 - - - - - -0.01
IV - -1.78 1.31 1.19 - -1.93 1.50 - - - - - 0.29
V - - - -0.00 - -0.49 - - - - - - -0.49
OTHER 0.19 1.63 0.90 0.90 1.60 1.23 30.16 - - - - - 36.62
Subtotal -2.79 -41.96 20.21 14.45 22.16 -391.04 367.25 7.04 2.80 0.16 - 7.05 5.34
Boreal Cordillera NA -11.56 -124.10 -17.37 -3.96 -118.80 139.18 79.38 58.07 11.43 4.38 -49.00 12.14 -20.22
IB <0.01 -1.50 -2.24 1.08 4.32 3.52 -1.30 -1.28 -5.64 -3.99 -21.41 0.00 -28.43
II - 2.26 7.55 5.41 0.07 3.91 28.08 3.32 6.72 2.79 27.43 - 87.53
IV - -3.36 -0.72 -2.36 -2.08 0.50 2.16 1.17 0.31 0.01 -0.63 3.48 -1.51
Subtotal -11.55 -126.71 -12.77 0.17 -116.49 147.11 108.32 61.28 12.82 3.20 -43.62 15.62 37.36
Pacific Maritime NA 4.71 -10.19 8.53 1.48 10.00 2.90 -2.59 4.10 0.56 5.07 3.50 -17.70 10.38
IA - - - 0.00 - -0.04 -0.15 -0.13 0.16 - 0.37 -0.00 0.23
IB 0.09 0.96 0.02 0.36 0.65 -1.24 0.94 1.37 -0.21 3.31 11.38 -0.01 17.63
II -0.06 -1.79 3.29 -2.65 2.59 -1.07 -1.43 5.20 4.77 -1.66 33.50 -2.85 37.84
III - -0.16 0.32 -0.52 0.52 0.23 0.70 - 0.01 - 2.92 - 4.02
IV 0.00 - 0.15 - 0.26 0.01 - - - - 0.02 - 0.43
Subtotal 4.74 -11.18 12.31 -1.33 14.02 0.80 -2.53 10.55 5.29 6.73 51.69 -20.56 70.52
Montane Cordillera NA 56.49 8.96 2.80 -82.59 -42.61 24.29 13.50 54.79 8.36 7.67 15.05 24.58 91.28
IA - - - - - 0.02 2.36 0.30 - - - - 2.68
IB 0.26 -0.58 -5.68 -11.46 -3.83 0.24 -3.47 0.54 0.81 -5.18 -10.82 -0.05 -39.24
II 0.15 0.15 2.89 -8.48 16.15 7.29 10.56 11.45 0.75 -18.87 37.77 12.46 72.28
III - - - - -0.00 -0.21 0.21 - - - 0.00 - 0.00
IV - 0.03 0.44 2.19 2.64 0.40 0.39 0.15 0.04 - 1.64 <0.01 7.91
VI - - -0.10 -0.16 -0.04 -0.05 -0.54 - - - - -0.19 -1.08
OTHER 0.56 0.86 1.47 0.70 0.12 0.28 - - - - - - 4.00
Subtotal 57.45 9.43 1.83 -99.80 -27.58 32.26 23.01 67.23 9.95 -16.38 43.64 36.81 137.83
Hudson Plains NA -4.23 35.66 50.91 16.85 -383.99 12.71 274.70 2.61 0.44 0.02 - -7.76 -2.08
IB 0.10 0.78 1.26 -0.88 -8.90 3.76 10.06 - - - - 3.56 9.74
II 0.31 1.67 1.46 1.48 -1.47 -3.28 5.61 -0.02 0.03 - - 0.95 6.75
III - - - - -0.82 -0.12 - - - - - -0.03 -0.98
Subtotal -3.82 38.10 53.64 17.46 -395.19 13.07 290.37 2.59 0.47 0.02 - -3.28 13.43
Canada NA -168.20 664.54 142.73 -370.80 -3 367.48 131.62 1 921.74 802.60 37.62 22.47 19.15 -291.44 -455.43
IA -2.16 -1.14 -0.11 1.18 -0.04 -5.69 3.55 0.19 0.16 - 0.37 0.01 -3.68
IB 4.02 27.23 20.29 -13.94 -9.85 25.84 90.86 1.40 -5.79 -6.76 -20.19 18.82 131.92
II -10.24 67.55 33.27 49.93 41.13 185.19 200.60 32.26 9.23 -15.76 99.52 40.93 733.61
III -3.58 -0.02 -9.59 -15.74 -43.43 -67.73 1.02 - 0.01 - 2.92 -0.07 -136.22
IV -0.61 -1.01 14.54 19.02 21.74 -0.58 12.56 1.82 0.35 0.01 1.02 6.56 75.42
V -0.08 -0.01 -0.38 -1.72 -0.78 -3.78 0.00 - - - - -0.02 -6.77
VI 0.09 -0.41 2.59 1.29 0.90 14.04 -0.57 0.04 0.00 - - -0.73 17.25
OTHER 2.95 11.46 19.21 31.74 -2.82 60.15 31.79 0.17 - 0.02 - 1.85 156.52
Total -177.82 768.19 222.54 -299.04 -3 360.63 339.06 2 261.56 838.46 41.58 0.00 102.79 -224.08 512.61
Source: Canada's National Forest Inventory, combined remeasured (2007-2017) and projected (2006-2017 with NFI projection system) data, where plots with strong indicators of artificial change are removed. Artificial change between successive plot measurements can be caused by using different image sources, incorporating vintage baseline inventories, and updating photo-interpretation techniques (Version 3.1, November 2025) (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 IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature (http://www.iucn.org). Data obtained from the Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD) (https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/national-wildlife-areas/protected-conserved-areas-database.html).
2 Missing or unknown age class.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) category
IUCN Category Description
NA Not protected
Ia Protected area managed mainly for science
Ib Protected area managed mainly for wilderness protection
II Protected area managed mainly for ecosystem protection and recreation
III Protected area managed mainly for conservation of specific natural features
IV Protected area managed mainly for conservation through management intervention
V Protected area managed mainly for landscape/seascape protection and recreation
VI Protected area managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural resources
Other Protected with missing or unknown category