The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) is a sector of the Canadian government department of Natural Resources Canada

Natural Resources Canada

The Department of Natural Resources , operating under the FIP applied title Natural Resources Canada , is the ministry of the government of Canada responsible for natural resources, energy, minerals and metals, forests, earth sciences, mapping and remote sensing...

. Part of the federal government since 1899, the CFS is a science-based policy organization responsible for promoting the sustainable development

Sustainable development

Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...

 of Canada's forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s and competitiveness of the forest sector to benefit present and future Canadians. Some of the research areas that the CFS is involved in include; forest fire, climate change, silviculture, soils, insects and disease, remote sensing and forest management. Since 1991 the sector has produced an annual report, The State of the Forest in Canada http://foretscanada.rncan.gc.ca/?lang=en, which describes the status of the nation's forests and the forest industry. The Minister of Natural Resources

Minister of Natural Resources (Canada)

The Minister of Natural Resources is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for Natural Resources Canada. As of January 19, 2010, the Minister of Natural Resources is Joe Oliver.-Ministers:Key:...

 is the Honourable Joe Oliver

Joe Oliver (politician)

Joseph "Joe" Oliver, , PC is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2011 election. He represents the electoral district of Eglinton—Lawrence as a member of the Conservative Party....

.

Establishments

The CFS operates mainly from six establishments across the country, which include five research centres, two research forests and a headquarters office in Ottawa.

• Pacific Forestry Centre in Victoria, British Columbia
  Victoria, British Columbia
  Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
  
  .
• Northern Forestry Centre http://www.nofc.forestry.ca/ in Edmonton, Alberta.
• Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
  Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
  Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
  
   .
• Laurentian Forestry Centre in Sainte-Foy, Quebec
  Sainte-Foy, Quebec
  Sainte-Foy is a former city in central Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River. It was amalgamated into Quebec City on January 1, 2002. Most of Sainte-Foy is in the Borough of Sainte-Foy–Sillery–Cap-Rouge....
  
  .
• Atlantic Forestry Centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick
  Fredericton, New Brunswick
  Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
  
   and Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Corner Brook is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada....
  
  .

Research Forests

• Petawawa Research Forest (100 km²) located in Laurentian Hills, Ontario
  Laurentian Hills, Ontario
  Laurentian Hills is a municipality in Eastern Ontario, Canada, on the Ottawa River in Renfrew County. It surrounds Deep River. The town is home to the Nuclear Power Demonstration...
  
  .
• Acadia Research Forest (90 km²) located just east of Fredericton, New Brunswick
  Fredericton, New Brunswick
  Fredericton is the capital of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by virtue of the provincial parliament which sits there. An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities and cultural institutions such as the Beaverbrook Art...
  
  .

History of the department

• 1873: Federal responsibility for forestry resources/federal public lands given to the Department of Interior's Dominion Lands Branch.
• 1899: Elihu Stuart appointed first Chief Inspector of Timber and Forestry.
• 1901: Elihu Stuart becomes Superintendent of Forestry of Forestry Branch.
• 1906: Dominion Forest Reserves Act passed.
• 1909: Parliament establishes Commission of Conservation with responsibility over natural resources. Forest laboratories and stations created to study timber and wood preservation.
• 1930: Federal government transfers jurisdiction to western provinces. Federal forestry programs concentrate on scientific research in silviculture, forest protection and products and collecting information on forest resources.
• 1936: Department of the Interior ceases to exist - its components merge with Departments of Mines, Indian Affairs, and Immigration to become Department of Mines and Resources. Former "Forestry Service" (Interior) becomes Dominion Forest Service.
• 1940-1945: Dominion Forest Service expands research activities to include forest insect epidemics and tree diseases, and creates air surveys division.
• 1947: Forest Branch becomes separate unit and research activities combine with surveys and mapping to become Mines, Forests and Scientific Services Branch.
• 1949: Canada Forestry Act grants legal authority to enter into forest resource agreements with provinces.
• 1950: The Department of Mines and Resources dissolves and functions are transferred to Department of Resources and Development. New Forestry Branch charged with forestry issues - forestry research, forest management, and forest products.
• 1953: Department of Resources and Development becomes Department of Northern Affairs and National Resources
• 1960: First autonomous Department of Forestry is established under the Department of Forestry Act encompassing Forestry Branch and Forest Biology Division from Department of Agriculture's Research Branch. Regional offices located in St. John's, Fredericton, Sainte-Foy, Sault Ste. Marie, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Victoria. Institutes created to support scientific studies into chemicals, forest fires, forest economics, and forest management.
• 1966: Federal forestry responsibility combines with rural development to become Department of Forestry and Rural Development - Forestry Branch is one of two main branches
• 1968: Forestry Branch merges with Department of Fisheries to form the Department of Fisheries and Forestry - forestry programs delivered by Canadian Forestry Service.
• 1970: Department of Fisheries and Forestry are central to new Department of Environment. All federal responsibility for the environment, including air, land, water, wildlife, fisheries and forestry were transferred to the new Department. Canadian Forestry Service forms part of the Lands, Forests and Wildlife Service. Within two years departmental restructuring and the Canadian Forestry Service is part of the Environment Management Service. Following year sees creation of five regional establishments for Atlantic provinces, Québec, Ontario, Western and Northern, Pacific and Yukon regions.
• 1982: Environmental Management Services splits to form the Environmental Conservation Service and the Canadian Forestry Service
• 1984: Canadian Forestry Service transfers to Department of Agriculture
• 1985: Canadian Forestry Service transfers back to Environment
• 1988: Forestry Canada becomes a department designate
• 1989: Forestry Canada fully established as department
• 1993: Department of Forestry and Department of Energy, Mines and Resources merge to form Department of Natural Resources.

External links

• Canadian Forest Service Official website
• Forest Fire in Canada - maintained by the CFS
• Elihu Stuart - Trailblazer
• http://foretscanada.rncan.gc.ca/?lang=en State of Forest Website