Vital Statistics | Alberta and Canada Forestry Stats

Industry Report: Forestry

May 1, 2010

Forestry is Alberta’s third largest manufacturing sector.
Alberta’s Budget 2010 doles out $151 million for forestry, of which $103 million will go to forest protection.
In November 2009, the federal and Alberta governments announced a $25-million investment to manage the spread of the mountain pine beetle.
Sundre, Blairmore and Red Earth are among the 12 Alberta communities dependent on the forest industry.
Of the total forested land in Alberta, 15% is susceptible to mountain pine beetle attacks.
Alberta exported $1.8 billion in forest products in 2009.
100,000 workers have lost their jobs in Canada’s forest industry since 2004; 40,000 remain unemployed as of March 2010.

Sources: Alberta Finance and Enterprise, Alberta Forest Products Association, Budget 2010, Forest Products Sector Council, Sustainable Resource Development

Growth in Forestry

No doubt the forest industry in Alberta and Canada has seen its share of economic turmoil – even before the recession. The increase in mountain pine beetle infestation and the decrease in commodity prices and in North American housing starts (by 66% in the United States and 25% in Canada) are just a few of the industry’s pressing issues. But the Alberta Forest Products Association (AFPA) has a bit of good news: Alberta’s forest product shipments increased 6.2% from the third to the fourth quarter of 2009. AFPA is certain that the increase points to economic improvement for the often hard-hit sector, which is still down 25% compared to the fourth quarter in 2008.

May 2010 Contents

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