Canada needs 6.8B seedlings to restore just 15% of forest

Canada needs 6.8B seedlings to restore just 15% of forest

Friday 15 Aug 2025

New data revealing the escalating scale of Canada's forest restoration challenge following three consecutive record-breaking wildfire seasons was unveiled at the Canadian Tree Nursery Association-Association Canadienne des Pépinières Forestières (CTNA-ACPF) second Annual General Meeting.

"The scale of destruction in 2023, 2024, and now 2025, is taking a tragic toll on Canadian communities and our forests” stated Rob Keen, Executive Director of the CTNA-ACPF. "We now require over 6.8 billion seedlings to restore just 15% of the forests lost to these catastrophic wildfires. This is not just an environmental crisis, the economic and social costs require immediate action from our Prime Minister, Premiers, and Forest Ministers."

Recent record wildfires have created an urgent need for coordinated, large-scale reforestation, but restoration efforts are being undermined by provincial funding cuts. British Columbia's tree planting numbers have declined significantly from 300 million in 2024 to 240 million in 2025, with projections of just 226 million in 2026.

This represents a cumulative reduction of 134 million seedlings since 2024 and signals a troubling shift in the wrong direction. As well, fires have devastated a large portion of Saskatchewan’s production forest, threatening future wood supply and long-term forest industry viability. At this time, no proactive measures are being taken to restore these forests. Urgent restoration efforts must be taken now to avoid significant long-term consequences.

Planning and growing seedlings for forest restoration spans two to four years. This necessitates significant long-term investments from Canada’s nurseries and the entire forest restoration supply chain to ensure the availability of the right tree species and infrastructure to get the trees planted.

The CTNA-ACPF has a four-step plan to respond to this challenge by proposing establishment of a National Forest Restoration Task Team. This Team would bring together experts from the forest restoration supply chain for a coordinated, regionally responsive recovery effort. It would collaborate with provincial, territorial, and indigenous partners to coordinate federal and provincial support and focus on the following:

Rapid identification of priority reforestation areas for climate resilience.
Coordination of restoration logistics including assessments, seed collection, planting and monitoring.
Apply the latest restoration science factoring in projected future fire and climate conditions.
Further foster collaboration among Indigenous communities, local stakeholders, and industry partners.

Mike Downing, Chair of the CTNA-ACPF, emphasised, “Our tree nurseries are vital local employers in numerous rural Canadian communities, providing stable jobs for both permanent and seasonal workers. Strategic, long-term planning in this sector has a profound and positive impact on the health of our forests, the resilience of our communities, our climate goals, and the overall economy”.

Governments must increase their commitment to restoring Crown forests and proactively prepare for future climate challenges, investing in these public assets for long-term health and benefits.

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Source: Canadian Tree Nursery Association

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