Deforestation · 2001–2025
Deforestation in Canada
Since 2001, Canada has lost about 65.6 million hectares of forest (about 660,000 km²): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 899,000 hectares (1.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
- Forest in 2000
- 391 million ha
- Forest lost since 2001
- 65.6 million ha17% of it, about 660,000 km²
- Cleared for good
- 899,000 hadeforestation, 1.4% of the loss
- Worst year
- 20238.38 million ha lost
Map
Where Canada has lost forest
Every square kilometre of Canada as satellites saw it from 2000 to 2025. Yellow and green were forest; red to white marks where it has been lost since 2001, and when.
- Forest cover in 2000
- 0%25%50%75%100%How much of the land was forest: dark purple had little or none, yellow was dense forest.
- Year the forest was lost
- 200120132025Where forest was cut down, burned or cleared since 2001: red for the early years, through orange, to white for the most recent. Solid where a fifth or more of a place's forest went, fainter where 8% or more did.
- Cities
- The capital (the larger dot) and the biggest cities, to help you find your way.
Year by year
Forest lost in Canada, year by year
Forest loss is speeding up: about 4.8 million hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 1.92 million hectares a year in 2016–2020. The worst year was 2023, when about 8.38 million hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 24,200 ha | 1.31 million ha | 1.34 million ha |
| 2002 | 26,400 ha | 2.26 million ha | 2.29 million ha |
| 2003 | 18,700 ha | 1.56 million ha | 1.58 million ha |
| 2004 | 36,800 ha | 2.22 million ha | 2.26 million ha |
| 2005 | 35,100 ha | 2.29 million ha | 2.33 million ha |
| 2006 | 42,000 ha | 2.22 million ha | 2.27 million ha |
| 2007 | 34,400 ha | 1.99 million ha | 2.03 million ha |
| 2008 | 35,100 ha | 1.89 million ha | 1.93 million ha |
| 2009 | 34,100 ha | 1.48 million ha | 1.52 million ha |
| 2010 | 35,800 ha | 1.89 million ha | 1.93 million ha |
| 2011 | 32,600 ha | 2.08 million ha | 2.11 million ha |
| 2012 | 59,000 ha | 2.43 million ha | 2.49 million ha |
| 2013 | 30,600 ha | 2.64 million ha | 2.67 million ha |
| 2014 | 40,000 ha | 2.58 million ha | 2.62 million ha |
| 2015 | 35,300 ha | 2.61 million ha | 2.65 million ha |
| 2016 | 50,800 ha | 1.99 million ha | 2.04 million ha |
| 2017 | 44,800 ha | 2.32 million ha | 2.37 million ha |
| 2018 | 41,400 ha | 2.05 million ha | 2.09 million ha |
| 2019 | 32,900 ha | 1.98 million ha | 2.02 million ha |
| 2020 | 31,200 ha | 1.08 million ha | 1.11 million ha |
| 2021 | 32,600 ha | 2.43 million ha | 2.46 million ha |
| 2022 | 25,700 ha | 2.1 million ha | 2.13 million ha |
| 2023 | 21,400 ha | 8.36 million ha | 8.38 million ha |
| 2024 | 23,600 ha | 4.96 million ha | 4.98 million ha |
| 2025 | 74,600 ha | 5.99 million ha | 6.06 million ha |
The satellite method improved in 2011, so compare recent years with each other rather than with the 2000s. Hover over or tap a year for its figures.
Causes
What is causing deforestation in Canada?
- 1.4%cleared for good (deforestation)
- 93%can grow back (fire, logging, storms)
- 5.8%cause unknown
- Wildfires60% · 39.2 million ha
Can grow back. Forest burned. It often grows back, though fire is sometimes used to clear land for good.
- Logging30% · 19.9 million ha
Can grow back. Trees cut for timber or paper. The land usually stays forest and grows back.
- Storms, floods and other natural causes2.7% · 1.79 million ha
Can grow back. Trees killed by storms, floods, landslides, pests or disease.
- Unknown causes5.8% · 3.8 million ha
Cause unknown. The satellites saw the trees go, but not why.
Also, each under 1%: farms, pasture and plantations, mining and energy, towns and roads.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Is all forest loss deforestation?
No. When forest is cleared for farms, mines or towns, it is gone for good: that is deforestation. When it is logged or burned, it usually grows back. We count both as forest lost, but only the first as deforestation, so a country with a bad fire year isn't shown as clearing its forest for good.
Provinces that lost the most
| Province | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | 12.3 million ha | 18% | 139,000 ha |
| Quebec | 11.7 million ha | 15% | 112,000 ha |
| Saskatchewan | 9.85 million ha | 36% | 44,000 ha |
| Alberta | 8.93 million ha | 24% | 362,000 ha |
| Ontario | 6.53 million ha | 9.2% | 103,000 ha |
| Manitoba | 5.25 million ha | 14% | 65,100 ha |
| Nova Scotia | 805,000 ha | 18% | 17,800 ha |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 695,000 ha | 3.2% | 25,200 ha |
Cities that lost the most forest around them
Forest lost within 10 km of each city centre since 2001.
| City | Forest lost | Share of its forest | Cleared for good |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelowna | 4,590 ha | 64% | 563 ha |
| Halifax | 2,100 ha | 15% | 1,520 ha |
| Sydney | 2,020 ha | 9.6% | 508 ha |
| Langley | 1,850 ha | 16% | 1,840 ha |
| Saguenay | 1,620 ha | 11% | 744 ha |
| Chilliwack | 1,400 ha | 11% | 1,060 ha |
| Saint-Louis-de-Terrebonne | 1,300 ha | 12% | 1,240 ha |
| Surrey | 1,280 ha | 15% | 1,170 ha |
| Coquitlam | 1,200 ha | 7.2% | 1,030 ha |
| Abbotsford | 1,100 ha | 11% | 839 ha |
Satellite timelapses of cities in Canada
A satellite photo a year since 2017, with the forest lost marked on it, and the figures for each city.
Frequently asked
Questions about deforestation in Canada
How much forest has Canada lost since 2001?
Since 2001, Canada has lost about 65.6 million hectares of forest (about 660,000 km²): 17% of the forest it had in 2000. Most of it was lost to wildfires, so much of it can grow back. About 899,000 hectares (1.4%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
Is deforestation in Canada getting worse?
Forest loss is speeding up: about 4.8 million hectares a year in 2021–2025, up from 1.92 million hectares a year in 2016–2020. These are five-year averages from 2011 on, the years the satellite maps were all made the same way.
What is causing deforestation in Canada?
The main causes of forest loss since 2001 are wildfires (60%), logging (30%), storms, floods and other natural causes (2.7%). About 899,000 hectares was deforestation, meaning forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
What was the worst year for forest loss in Canada?
The worst year was 2023, when about 8.38 million hectares of forest were lost, mostly to wildfires.
How is forest loss measured?
We use satellite maps from the University of Maryland (Hansen and colleagues) that show, for every 30 × 30 m patch of land on Earth, the year its trees were cut down, burned or died, from 2001 to 2025. We add up those patches in Canada, counting only places that were at least 30% covered by trees in 2000. The cause of each loss comes from a map made by the World Resources Institute and Google DeepMind. All figures are estimates.