Manitoba's Five Year Report on the Status of Forestry

Providing ecological, cultural and economic benefits, Manitoba’s Crown forests are all of our forests. Through  The Forest Act  and  The Forest Health Protection Act , the Forestry and Peatlands Branch attempts to maintain and enhance these benefits. From the trees that line our streets to the forest products and jobs that industry provides, our forests continue to be indispensable parts of life in Manitoba.

In 2020, Manitoba Sustainable Development transitioned into two new departments:  Climate and Conservation  and  Agriculture and Resource Development . The  Forestry and Peatlands Branch , part of the Department of Agriculture and Resource Development ^* , has four sections: Planning and Development, Inventory and Analysis, Forest Health and Urban Forestry, and Forest Services.   ^{*   As of January 2022, the   Forestry and Peatlands Branch is part of the  Department of Natural Resources and Northern Development .} 

The Planning and Development section provides cutting authorities, establishes conditions for all forestry operations based on input from the Forest Services section, and collects, tracks and monitors payments associated timber dues and charges. The section also fosters economic development by supporting new and existing industries, and by facilitating increased Indigenous participation in the forest sector.

The Inventory and Analysis section supports the management of Manitoba’s forest resources by maintaining and updating forest inventories, providing GIS and technology support, analysing and determining sustainable wood supply and supporting climate change initiatives.

The Forest Health and Urban Forestry section conducts monitoring and management programs that reduce damage from invasive and native forest insects and diseases, delivers urban forestry programs and engages communities to enhance urban forestry throughout Manitoba, and conducts forest renewal and growth surveys.

The Forest Services section works directly with industry, Indigenous communities, stakeholders and the public. Staff are responsible for ensuring sustainable management practices are followed, they review and approve harvest and renewal plans, monitor harvest and silvicultural activities, and they contribute expertise to a variety of projects that occur on Manitoba’s forested landscapes.

Adopted in 2016 by federal, provincial and territorial governments, the  Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change  (PCF) supports green economic growth while addressing climate change. The PCF represents Canada’s commitment towards meeting - or exceeding - its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. These targets, set under the Paris Agreement, can help create green jobs and economic growth, and at the same time, help to increase Canada’s resiliency to the impacts of climate change. Manitoba joined the PCF in 2018.

During this same time, Manitoba released its  Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan , which established a Carbon Savings Account (CSA) to track emissions reductions. The plan aims to reduce GHG emissions in Manitoba by 1 million tonnes by 2022.

Mitigating, understanding, and adapting to the effects of climate change are key to both federal and provincial plans. Forests and trees, sequestering carbon as they grow, will undoubtedly help toward these goals. In this respect, the Forestry and Peatlands Branch has contributed the following projects: 

Carbon Sequestration in Hybrid Poplar Plantations: Planting trees to help address climate change is not a new idea. A previous initiative, which began in 2011 and continued to 2020, planted hybrid poplar clones throughout Manitoba. One site, 25 hectares of retired agricultural land near Cooks Creek, was chosen to monitor carbon sequestration rates using a solar-powered eddy co-variance flux tower. The tower measured the energy, water and carbon balances between the soil and the atmosphere. Analysis of the data showed that for the first two years, the plantation acted as a carbon source, emitting more carbon from the soil than was being sequestered by the new poplar saplings. However, from the third year on, the plantation switched to a carbon sink, sequestering more carbon than it was releasing. Initiatives like this help provide a fuller understanding of the carbon dynamics of tree plantations.

Climate Change & Timber Availability: How will the boreal forest be impacted by climate change? And how will this affect the forestry industry? Answering these questions was the goal of a joint research project between Lakehead University, the University of Winnipeg; the Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Ontario provincial governments; the federal government; Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd. and Resolute Forest Products Canada. The study, funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and lasting from 2017 to 2019, explored strategies to mitigate the effects that climate change will have on the boreal forest, and developed models to assess both the expected future supply of timber and the economic consequences. Using permanent sample plot data, the study showed that tree growth increased over time with regional warming, carbon dioxide level, and water availability for trees under weak competition, but not for those under strong competition. The results were published in the  Journal of Ecology in 2019 .

Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments: Knowing how climate change may impact forests – in other words, knowing how vulnerable these forests are – will allow resource managers and forestry professionals to identify and implement adaptation measures into larger resource planning decisions. The  Northern Prairie Forest Integrated Regional Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment  looked into how climate change would affect western Manitoba's and eastern Saskatchewan's industrial forests. The Saskatchewan Research Council and the Manitoba and Saskatchewan governments (through the Forestry and Peatlands Branch), Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd. and Spruce Products were contributing partners to this study. The results of the study suggest that climate change presents both challenges and opportunities to forests, forest management and management planning in this area. Although forest fires may be less of a concern here, other climate-related disturbance events, such as spruce budworm, may increase substantially under future climate scenarios. Harvested timber volume may increase - and hardwood volume may increase more than softwood volume - because of higher atmospheric CO ₂  levels predicted in the future. But the magnitude of these changes will depend on the availability of local moisture and nutrient levels.

Manitoba has over 35 million hectares of forested land. Although this represents an enormous store of carbon, it also represents an enormous potential source of carbon. When trees die and decay – or when they burn – a large portion of that carbon will be released back into the atmosphere, contributing to increased greenhouse gas concentrations and, therefore, climate change. Forest management will require effective strategies to help offset greenhouse gas emissions, and  Canada’s Carbon Budget Model (CBM-CFS3)  can help estimate how forest carbon stocks change over time.

Recent estimates show that forests can be either sinks or sources of carbon dioxide. In 2020, Manitoba’s forests continued to act as a sink, sequestering more carbon than they were releasing. But the CBM-CFS3 model shows that this trend may not last forever. By 2030, Manitoba’s forests are projected to remain a small sink, but by 2050, they are projected to become a small source.

Manitoba’s boreal region contains 22 million hectares of wetlands, which provide habitat for many wildlife species, help clean and filter water, mitigate the impacts of flooding and drought, and store vast amounts of carbon. Development that affects the highly connected flow of water through these wetlands can have both upstream and downstream effects on biodiversity, habitat, and carbon sequestration capacity. However, these impacts can be managed, controlled and offset through best practices.

Developed through the Forest Practices Committee that included government, industry, and environmental non-governmental organization representatives, the  Boreal Wetlands Conservation Codes of Practice  were released on June 1st, 2020 as part of the Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan. The Codes of Practice detail a series of best management practices to provide guidance on how to avoid, minimize, and offset for permanent impacts to boreal wetlands that may result when developing resource and access roads and crossings.

Biomass can be derived from wood, agricultural crops, and other organic residues, and is often waste material from sawmills, woodworking shops, forestry operations and farms. According to the  Manitoba Bioeconomy Atlas , there are over 5 million tonnes of biomass material available in Manitoba every year from agriculture, forestry residue, and from marginal lands and roadside ditches. Occasionally, forestry biomass is used as livestock bedding, compost and energy-production. 

• Several communities have switched to biomass energy, replacing old coal-fired burners with biomass burners for their farming operations.
• Located about 700 km north of Winnipeg, Dënesųłiné First Nation (Lac Brochet) is displacing diesel energy with biomass. The community has invested in biomass burners, so that they can produce both heat and energy, utilizing standing timber killed from past wildfires. Alongside solar and geothermal energy, biomass utilization will help create a healthier community, local jobs, and will help reduce their dependency on diesel – all of which reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
• Spruce Products Limited and Spruce Woods Loggers, operating in the Western and Central regions of the province, respectively, produce biomass pellets for both domestic and export markets.  
• Primary forest industries operating in Manitoba may also utilize biomass from their operations to offset emissions from gas and other fossil fuels, closing the loop on what was in the past considered waste. However, this practice is very limited.

The biomass industry is continually evolving in Manitoba and around the world, and research and market development in the textile, bioplastic, pharmaceutical and energy industries is ongoing. Through work with the  Canadian Council of Forest Ministers , Manitoba is participating in a Canada-wide wood fibre utilization study and market analysis to better understand these new markets and their potential opportunities for the forest sector. Doing so will help these markets grow.

In April 2020, Manitoba launched an  e-licensing site  for the online purchase of Manitoba hunting licences, fishing licences and park vehicle permits. Shortly after, this was expanded to include Personal Use Timber Permits (August 2020), Christmas Tree Permits (December 2020), Wood Processing Facility Licenses (2021) and Provincial Forest General Permits (February 2021).

Personal Use Timber Permits to cut wood for fuelwood or other personal uses are available through Manitoba’s e-licensing portal. The availability of Crown wood for personal use, and the demand for permits, varies throughout the province, as each region has different policies that help to manage forests in a sustainable manner. From August 2020 to March 2021, nearly 1,100 timber permits were sold through the new e-licensing system.

Whether because of its online availability, the unseasonably mild weather or COVID-19 restrictions, the sale of Christmas tree permits was unprecedented. When compared to previous years, over three times as many Christmas tree permits (1510 permits) were sold in December 2020.

All harvested timber must be scaled to determine the Crown dues owed, and this means measuring volume. Accurate measurements of harvested wood volume are also essential for monitoring sustainable harvest levels and for tracking the movement of wood. Generally, there are two scaling methods used in Manitoba: weigh scaling, in which the weight of the wood on a hauling truck is converted to volume, and stack scaling, in which piles – or wood stacks – are measured for their length, width and depth. Nearly three-quarters of all harvested timber in Manitoba is weigh scaled, while the remainder is stack scaled. 

Only licensed scalers are authorized to scale harvested timber. Scaling licenses are issued after completing Manitoba’s scaling course, and these must be renewed every five years. As of March 2021, there were 60 licensed scalers in Manitoba, a decrease of 17 when compared to April 2016.

Ever since Tembec Industries closed their newspaper mill in Pine Falls in 2009, the east side of Lake Winnipeg has been without commercial forestry activities, but that could soon change.

In 2019, Manitoba granted a first-of-its-kind Option License under the Forest Act. The agreement, between the province and four First Nations communities (Black River First Nation, Brokenhead Ojibway Nation, Hollow Water First Nation and Sagkeeng Anicinabe Government), has the potential to renew forestry activities in the area. This partnership could see improved economic opportunities and Indigenous-led environmental stewardship.

A considerable amount of work needs to be done before developing a Forest Management License. Wood supplies and commercial suitability studies need to be completed, and private partnerships and investment opportunities pursued. If successful, the partnership could lead to a long-term forest management license, and forestry operations will return to the east side.

In 2020, the Forestry and Peatlands Branch began the process to create a new forest inventory for the Saskatchewan River Forest Section. This required collecting detailed ground data from a variety of forest types (strata), tree densities and ages, and will provide information on tree growth rates, tree age and likely forest succession pathways – all of which help to predict current and future forest stand attributes across a large and ecologically diverse landscape.

The data, collected by Nisokapawino Forest Management Corporation, will be compared to historic plot data, allowing Manitoba’s Growth and Yield Model to project how the forest will change or grow over time. If the results are promising, this method can help save time, resources and money.

Once a forest inventory is completed, the volume of wood available for harvesting can be determined. This is called wood supply analysis, and it helps ensure that our forests are not harvested beyond sustainable levels. How does the Forestry and Peatlands Branch determine sustainable harvest levels (SHLs)? The branch does this by measuring the rate of growth over time. Typically, the amount of wood volume annually grown within a Forest Management Unit (FMU) determines what the sustainable harvest level will be. However, different SHLs are available, depending on the management techniques used. This means that the amount of wood harvested each year is never more than the amount of wood grown during that time. Wood supply analysis and sustainable harvest levels take into account parks and protected areas, anthropogenic and natural disturbances, land use and ownerships changes, Treaty Land Entitlements, and any other considerations that would limit the availability of harvestable timber. 

Updated SHLs were completed for FMU 13 in the Mountain Forest Section and for FMU 24 in the Pineland Forest Section. Additionally, wood supply reports were completed for the Saskatchewan River and Highrock Forest Sections.

Not every forest section has a SHL because harvesting does not occur in every forest section. However, the full potential SHL in Manitoba is 5,238,334 cubic metres of softwood and 2,630,624 cubic metres of hardwood. Appendix 10 shows the actual harvest levels for each Forest Section. From 2016 to 2020, there was an average annual harvest of 850,531 cubic metres and 431,876 cubic metres for softwood and hardwood, respectively.

The Northern Economic Development Area, or NEDA, contains the Saskatchewan River, Highrock, Nelson River and portions of Hayes River and Churchill Forest Sections. In 2020, the Forestry and Peatlands Branch commissioned an economic feasibility study that looked into the potential development of this vast area for the harvest, transport and production of forest products. This meant updating forest inventories where necessary, and assessing NEDA’s wood supply and sustainable harvest levels. Specifically, the study examined the possibility of new partnership-based forest product facilities in the north that would complement existing industry.

Climate change will affect how forests grow. Some may grow faster than they otherwise would and others slower. Quantifying and incorporating these changes into expected growth rates will ensure that whatever changes occur, Manitoba’s forests will remain sustainably managed. Manitoba uses a program called Manitoba’s Growth and Yield Model to predict how forests will look in twenty, fifty or 100 years into the future. It models species-specific growth rates, and therefore volumes, for a variety of different soil types throughout the province, and this information directly informs how Manitoba sets its sustainable harvest levels. Now, a climate-sensitive growth and yield model has been developed; and it will allow for wood volume predictions that take into account a variety of climate change scenarios.

The Forestry and Peatlands Branch continues to regularly engage with Indigenous communities and stakeholder groups. Whether participating on resource management boards, presenting (and planting trees) at schools, implementing community timber sales agreements, or through silvicultural contracts, the Forestry and Peatlands Branch is committed to developing closer relationships with everyone that uses and enjoys Manitoba’s forests.

Whenever a large landscape project is planned, forests will likely be involved, and so will the Forestry and Peatlands Branch. The branch has been involved in projects like Bipole III, the Manitoba-Minnesota Transmissions Project, the East-Side Transmission Project, the Birtle Transmission Project and the development of Shoal Lake 40 First Nation’s all-season access road. All of these required review and expert recommendations, participation in Crown-Indigenous consultation and determining a fair price for any harvested timber.

First published in 1979, the  Field Guide – Trees of Manitoba  has been a valuable resource for tree lovers, young and old alike. But after 40 years, the guide needed to be updated, so the black and white photos were replaced and new content was added. This included Cree, Dakota, Dene, Michif, Ojibwe and Ojibwe-Cree translations of tree names. Don’t worry, Manitoba’s trees haven’t changed - they remain just as they were before, but now they’re even easier to identify. The field guide is an excellent resource for both experienced and budding naturalists. For those who don’t want to carry around a paper guide, a digital version is available on the  iNaturalist app , where people can add photos and field observations. 

The updated guide was released in 2019, and was widely distributed throughout northern Manitoba’s school system. In 2020, distribution surpassed 20,000 copies, as universities, colleges and other schools across Manitoba requested copies for their courses and curriculums. This free guide is also available at all provincial parks, so get yours today and start identifying.

Forests are dynamic and variable ecosystems – constantly changing as they age. Managing them sustainably, which means ensuring they return to a forested condition after a disturbance, can be a challenging task. The disturbances may be natural events caused by weather, climate, fire or insect damages, or human caused events like harvesting.

Insects (jack pine budworm, spruce budworm and pine bark engraver) continued to spread throughout the reporting period, and as they did, continued to impact forest health. This lead to mass mortalities of jack pine, white spruce and balsam fir stands in the west, central and eastern regions of Manitoba. The damage they caused will, under the best of circumstances, reduce forest productivity.

With so much standing dead wood – and the fire risk to neighbouring communities that comes with it – salvage operations and accelerated harvest plans were carried out. After all, the wood, despite the tree mortality, can still be used and contribute to Manitoba’s forest product sector.

Although salvage harvesting can prevent the wood from going to waste, it is not without its difficulties. Wait too long, and the forests impacted can fill with alder, willow and beaked hazel – and this competition crowds out the small pine or spruce in the understorey. Accelerated harvesting tries to minimize the amount of competition, relying instead on natural pathways for renewal. However, where required, it is also supplemented with tree planting programs.

From 2016 to 2020, over 27 million trees were planted on Crown lands throughout Manitoba, and over 80,000 hectares received Certificates of Forest Renewal. These efforts, by the industry and the Forestry and Peatlands Branch, help ensure that what was harvested is what is growing back.

Field work is not easy work. Workers have to contend with mosquitos, horseflies, deer ticks, bears and badgers, wolves and wolverines, rain, snow and the unrelenting sun. Field surveyors will often work in remote areas, surrounded by miles and miles of wilderness. It exposes them to the beautiful bounty that Manitoba’s forests offer, and yet it can also be very dangerous. Surveyors are the Forestry and Peatlands Branch’s literal boots-on-the-ground. The information they collect informs many management decisions. It is an important, invaluable, and indispensable part of forest stewardship.

In 2016, the Forestry and Peatlands Branch amalgamated its field programs into one central program: Forestry Field Services. The Field Services Program includes inventory surveys (permanent sample plots, National Forest Inventory plots and volume sampling plots), silviculture surveys, forest health and urban forestry surveys and Dutch elm disease management.  

The new, amalgamated program coordinates all field services under one umbrella, resulting in streamlined hiring, consistent training and a comprehensive and consistent safety program. Staff retention has also improved, as the program allows for increased opportunities to learn about and perform different surveys throughout the season. This flexibility and improved knowledge base also allows the program to support regional staff and research projects, all of which contribute to a better, wiser forest stewardship.

For many, Manitoba’s urban forests – in parks, along river trails, in playgrounds and yards – are their closest links to nature. Cottonwoods, those well-rooted riparian sentinels, spread their seeds as if it were a summer snow. Manitoba maples, equal parts gnarled and bulbous, provide shelter for scavenging squirrels and woodpeckers. Cherries, Russian olives, butternut and hackberry each add to the diversity and value of a prosperous and healthy forest canopy. 

There are threats to our urban forests too, both new and old. Dutch elm disease continues to claim its annual victims. Emerald ash borer seeks to turn our ash trees into ashes, and all the while, climate change stresses tree defences. There are many others too: spanworms and aphids, tent caterpillars and weed whackers. Some, like the cankerworms that always seem to hover at head height, are relatively benign, but others, like Lymantria dispar dispar, can leave no leaf in sight. 

Managing these threats appropriately means using a variety of strategies, and the Forestry and Peatlands Branch has several programs to maintain and enhance our urban forests, ensuring that they continue to provide for and benefit all Manitobans.

In partnership with the Manitoba Forestry Association and Trees Winnipeg, Manitoba’s Heritage Tree Program recognizes trees with exceptional significance to Manitobans. These are trees that promote environmental, cultural, social and historic awareness. The program is legislated under the  Forest Health Protection Act .

One such tree, Manitoba’s Halfway Tree, a laurel leaf willow, has long been recognized as the halfway point between Winnipeg and Brandon on the Trans-Canada Highway. Located about 20 kilometers west of Portage La Prairie, the Halfway Tree was designated in 2019.

Although the significance of most trees increases with age, others are significant from the moment they’re planted. On May 29th, 2019, in honour of the families and survivors of missing and murdered Indigenous girls, men, boys, and LGBTQ2S people, a burr oak tree was planted in Michaëlle Jean Park in North Point Douglas. It was the ninth such tree to be designated in Manitoba, and Forestry and Peatlands Branch staff were honoured to attend the ceremony.  

On July 1st, 2017, Canada turned 150, and Manitoba celebrated by distributing and planting over 150,000 seedlings, many of which were given out at provincial parks. These trees will go on to sequester carbon, provide shade, support wildlife and much, much more. At Alfred Hole Goose Sanctuary in Whiteshell Provincial Park, a special planting took place: 150 white spruce were planted in the shape of a maple leaf.

A similar celebration was planned for Manitoba’s 150th anniversary in 2020. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, all events were cancelled. Despite this setback, over 292,000 seedlings were distributed to landowners, communities and organizations from 2016 to 2021.

The American elm is easily recognized in Manitoba’s urban forests. Naturally occurring along rivers and waterways, their large and beautiful canopies, like leafy umbrellas, arc across city streets, shading homes and walkways under their bountiful boughs. They do so while withstanding the comparatively harsh conditions of urban living: car exhaust, road salt and weed whackers. Such factors can take their toll on other kinds of trees, but the American elm was a hardy tree. It was an ideal urban tree. This was why it was planted in such abundance throughout North America’s urban landscapes.

All that began to change in 1975 when Dutch elm disease was first detected in Manitoba. The invasive fungal pathogen grows within the water-conducting tissues of elm trees, creating long dark streaks in the cambium, plugging it up, and blocking any water movement from the tree’s roots to its tips. Without water, these trees wilt and die.  

The disease is spread by elm bark beetles. These tiny insects bore, feed and breed underneath the bark of dead or dying elms, carrying the deadly fungus in small grooves on their body. As they fly from tree to tree, they help spread the disease, infecting healthy elms along the way. This is the primary way the disease is spread, but there are other ways too. The roots of nearby elm trees are often grafted together – this helps them share nutrients between one another. It also provides a pathway for pathogens, and Dutch elm disease will spread here too.

Although Dutch elm disease is here to stay – it cannot be completely eradicated – its spread throughout communities can be slowed. This involves early detection, removal, and destruction of diseased elm trees and the wood in which these beetles breed. 

Through Community Forest Grant Agreements, the cooperative Dutch Elm Disease and Urban Forestry Management Program continued to protect and support urban forests in Manitoba. Provincial inspectors surveyed all 38 participating communities for diseased elm trees that were then quickly removed by the community to slow the spread of Dutch elm disease and retain mature urban tree canopies. Between 4000 and 5000 elm trees were identified and removed annually under the program. Funding from the province is provided to support tree removals and promote other urban forestry activities, such as planting trees and conducting urban tree inventories to improve urban forest management.

It is because of joint-efforts like these that even after 40 years of Dutch elm disease in Manitoba, communities retain many American elms in their parks, yards and boulevards.

Tree diversity is key. Dutch elm disease was able to establish itself in North America and Manitoba, in part, due to a monoculture of American elm. Whenever a tree was planted, it was frequently an elm sapling. This made for beautifully lined streets, but it also made for easier transmission of tree diseases. Once Dutch elm disease began to ravage urban forests – of which a large portion were elms – the trees that replaced them were ash trees. Today, these trees are under threat from Emerald ash borer, and a deadly pattern has repeated itself. Tree diversity is key to a healthy urban forest. Although elm and ash should still be planted, there are many other tree species available that are just as beautiful.

Invasive species can be stopped. Moving firewood into or around Manitoba is one of the surest ways to spread forest pests. Lymantria dispar dispar, Emerald ash borer, mountain pine beetle and Dutch elm disease can all be spread by transporting firewood. DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD!

In 2017, knowing that Emerald ash borer was in neighbouring provinces and states, the Forestry and Peatlands Branch developed new educational and outreach tools that focused on the threat that moving firewood poses. This included pamphlets, bags and stickers to remind travellers not to move firewood. New signs for communities, pop-banners for trade shows like the Royal Manitoba Winter Fair and the Mid-Canada Boat Show, targeted ads in publications – all of which contained the DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD messaging.

Awareness and knowledge are key. If you buy or cut wood, keep it local. You never know what’s lurking in a piece of wood. It could be nothing, but it could also be an invasive forest pest. Help prevent their spread. Keep Manitoba’s trees healthy. Keep our forests green. DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD.

Lymantria dispar dispar (LDD) is one of the most destructive forest pests in North America. The caterpillars consume the leaves of oak, poplar, elm, maple, birch – the list is a long one – and it will even eat conifer needles if it gets hungry enough. Fortunately, LDD is not yet established in Manitoba, and the goal is to keep it that way.

In 2017, a persistent population around Lee River, east of Lac Du Bonnet, was re-treated with the biological pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, or BTK. The area was first identified in 2014, when pheromone traps detected several male moths. After the area was treated with BTK in 2015, causing a large reduction in the population, a mass trapping program began in 2016, but traps and surveys showed LDD was still present. As a result, BTK was re-applied, and follow-up surveys in 2018 showed that the BTK treatment was effective. The LDD population around Lee River is now thought to be eliminated.

In 2020, ground surveys were conducted around Portage La Prairie after traps showed an increasing number of LDD moths for two consecutive years. During the search, egg masses and pupal casings were discovered, so an eradication program using BTK was planned for the spring of 2021. Follow-up surveys scheduled for 2022 will show whether these treatments were successful.

Provincial legislation under the  Forest Health Protection Act  allows for immediate action when new populations are discovered. If LDD becomes established in Manitoba, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) would regulate the affected areas under the Plant Protection Act. Trade of forestry products (Christmas trees and nursery stock) in both domestic and international markets would be restricted. Tourism to provincial parks and recreational outfitters could be affected. The province and municipalities could face significant costs to manage and control the insect, and considerable damage would be done to both urban and rural trees.

What’s in a name? For years, Lymantria dispar dispar was commonly known as Gypsy Moth, a term seen as derogatory towards Romani people. That’s now changed. In 2021, the Entomological Society of America (ESA) announced that it would no longer use the common name. And since then, other organizations have followed their lead. The ESA’s Better Common Names Project will select a new common name for Lymantria dispar dispar, but until then it will be referred to as LDD.

Ash trees – whether green, black or Manchurian – are cornerstone species in both riparian and urban forests throughout the central and southern parts of Manitoba. As such, the discovery of emerald ash borer in the US and Eastern Canada has meant planning and preparation for its eventual introduction here.

Emerald ash borer (EAB) larvae bore winding S-shaped tunnels under the bark of ash, cutting off the tree’s water supply, and eventually killing it. Worse, these infestations are hard to detect, so it may be years before the symptoms are recognized. By then, the insect will have emerged as an adult and already be on its way to the next ash tree. The Forestry and Peatlands Branch monitors for EAB using green sticky traps, and these are strategically set up in high-risk locations throughout the province.

On November 30th, 2017, emerald ash borer was confirmed to be present in Winnipeg. Subsequent surveys found that 14 trees were infected, and Winnipeg became the first city in Manitoba to be regulated under the federal Plant Protection Act. This means that all ash material - and any type of firewood, regardless of whether it’s ash or not – cannot be moved outside of city limits. 

Since then, the CFIA, the City of Winnipeg and the Manitoba government have been working to slow the spread of EAB by coordinating outreach, surveys and research opportunities to improve our understanding of EAB in Manitoba. To date, EAB has not been detected outside of Winnipeg. Help keep it that way. DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD!

Bill 212, the  Invasive Species Awareness Week Act , received royal assent in 2018, declaring the last week in April as Invasive Species Awareness Week. The act acknowledges that is it often humans who are responsible for introducing invasive species. Whether these species are on land or water, we all have a responsibility to help prevent their spread, and doing so will protect Manitoba’s native species and its unique ecosystems. Awareness. Knowledge. Action. Each of us can do our part. DON’T MOVE FIREWOOD!

The  Envirothon  is a high school environmental education program delivered by the Manitoba Forestry Association (MFA). 

The Envirothon allows students from across Manitoba to learn about current environmental issues. Students sample water to learn its quality, identify trees and wildlife, dig soil pits and learn to identify different kinds of scat. The students are taught a variety of skills on a variety of topics: forestry, agriculture, water stewardship, environmental issues. This approach to environmental education helps students develop problem-solving, critical thinking and public debate skills, and most importantly, it teaches them to work together.

Each year, approximately 30 schools from all over Manitoba (representing 40 to 60 student teams) participate in the regional competition. Of those, the top 18 teams go on to the provincial competition.

The Forestry and Peatlands Branch serves as the lead coordinator for provincial funding, which provided $25,000 annually from 2016 to 2020. 

•  Canadian Council of Forest Ministers 
•  Canadian Kraft Papers Industries 
•  Canadian Food Inspection Agency 
•  Canadian Forest Service 
•  City of Winnipeg 
• Economic Development Committee of the Shoal Lake Watershed Group
•  Envirothon 
•  FPInnovations 
• Frontiers Foundation Inc.
•  International Institute for Sustainable Development 
•  LP Canada Ltd. 
•  Manitoba Forestry Association 
•  Manitoba Hydro 
•  Manitoba Model Forest 
•  Mathias Colomb Cree Nation 
• Métis Rights Coalition
• Mountain Forest Section Renewal Company
•  National Forests Sinks Committee 
•  National Research Council 
•  Nelson House Resource Management Board 
• Nisokapawino Forest Management Corporation
•  Opaskwayak Cree Nation 
• Pimitotah Resource Advisory Board
•  Province of Ontario 
•  Province of Saskatchewan 
•  Saskatchewan Research Council 
•  Scouts Canada 
•  SERG-International 
•  Spruce Products Ltd. 
•  State of Minnesota 
•  Tolko Ltd. 
•  Trees Winnipeg 
•  University College of the North 
•  University of Manitoba 
•  University of Winnipeg 
•  Western Nursery Growers Group 

•  Boreal Wetlands Conservation Codes of Practice (2020) 
•  Field Guide – Trees of Manitoba (2019) 
•  Forest Management Guidelines for Terrestrial Buffers (2017) 
•  Forest Renewal Assessment Manual (2020) 
•  Manual of Scaling Instructions (2021) 
•  Protection of Softwood Understorey (2017) 
•  2020-2025 Timber Quota Policy (2019) 

•  Luo, Y., Nikiema, P., et al. 2019. Climatic change only stimulated growth for trees under weak competition in central boreal forests. Journal of Ecology. Volume 108, Issue 1: 36-46. 

•  Smart Digital Strategies for Sustainable Forest Management. 2017. ArcNorth News. Volume 20, No. 2. 

•  Stinson, G., Boyd, J., Viveiros, A., et al. A new approach for mapping forest management areas in Canada. 2019. The Forestry Chronicle. Volume 95, No. 2.  A story map of the article is also available  here .

•  Veilleux, J., Ross, F., and Holliday, N. 2020. Bionomics of Scolytus schevyrewi (Coleoptera Curculionidae) in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. The Canadian Entomologist. 152, 183-199. 

A hardcopy pdf version of Manitoba's 2016-2021 Five-Year Report on the Status of Forestry is available  here .

For the purposes of this report, and to provide a link between past and future reporting, both standards (Forest Section-based reporting and Ecozone-based reporting) are shown. All tables incorporate available harvest, fire, blowdown, silvicultural and renewal data to accurately reflect current forest conditions.

Within Appendices 1, 2, 7 and 9, 30 meter 2015 land cover data, sourced from the North American Land Change Monitoring System ( NALCMS ), was used to quantify land cover types and areas for the Boreal Shield, Taiga Shield, Hudson Plain and Southern Arctic forest sections (previously referred to as the white zone, where forest inventory data does not exist). The green zone refers to areas of Manitoba that have forest inventory data.

Appendices 3 and 4, although similar to appendices 1 and 2, separate mixedwood into softwood-leading and hardwood-leading mixedwood.