How Afforestation and Reforestation Data are provided to the Carbon Budget Model (CBM-CFS3)

The National Forest Carbon Monitoring, Accounting, and Reporting System (NFCMARS) compiles information on all documented afforestation and reforestation activities in Canada, including location, extent, planting densities, growth rates, and survival rates. Information on historical afforestation rates has been obtained from the Feasibility Assessment of Afforestation for Carbon Sequestration (FAACS) initiative and the Forest 2020 Plantation Demonstration and Assessment initiative through the National Afforestation Inventory.

Data from FAACS

The Canadian Forest Service completed the FAACS initiative in March 2005. The main focus of the FAACS initiative was to evaluate the feasibility of afforestation, undertake information collection and land assessment research on privately owned lands, and help establish Canada’s carbon measurement and accounting infrastructure. This project included the collection of information on past afforestation in Canada.

The findings on past afforestation are summarized in an article published in the Forestry Chronicle. The article Afforestation on private land in Canada from 1990 to 2002 estimated from historical records. 2005. White, T.; Kurz, W.A. The Forestry Chronicle 81(4): 491-497 is available free of charge from the Canadian Forest Service bookstore.

National Afforestation Inventory

The National Afforestation Inventory (NAI) is an internet-based reporting system that has been used to gather information about afforestation in Canada and provide it to the NFCMARS.

The NAI was used to track afforestation plantations established under the Forest 2020 Plantation Demonstration and Assessment initiative.
The NAI showcases how the Canadian Forest Service can exchange information on afforestation with afforestation practitioners over the internet. Managers of afforestation projects can provide information about their projects to the Canadian Forest Service using forms accessible through a web browser. The public can view maps showing the general location of afforestation activities and can obtain summary statistics about the area afforested in Canada.

The NAI is hosted on the NFIS network at https://nai.nfis.org. In order to access this site you must have an account with the National Forest Information System (NFIS).

Accounts are free and available here.

For more information contact: Brian Simpson