National Forest Week is sponsored across Canada by the CFA and regionally by various provincial forestry agencies, corporations, agencies and individuals.

2008 National Forest Week: September 21 to 27
Theme: Canada's Forests - Biodiversity in a Changing World

Biodiversity is defined in many ways but has at its root in the word diverse, which meansconsisting of different things or differing in some way from one another. Simply put, biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth from invisible microbes to giant whales.

It is critical to conserve biodiversity because of the many benefits it provides. A wide spectrum of species contribute toward life-sustaining planetary processes, such as exchanging oxygen for carbon dioxide, filtering and purifying water, breaking down wastes and toxins, pollinating plants and creating productive soil.

Protecting Earth's plant diversity is important in order to combat global climate change, one of the most serious environmental challenges facing Earth's biodiversity. The problem isn't just that our climate is changing, but also the rate of change. According to the Canadian Wildlife Service, over the next 100 years climate change is expected to cause the mean annual temperature in Canada to rise between 5 and 10ºC. It is also likely to bring an increase in the number of days of extreme heat, and extreme weather events such as droughts and heavy rainstorms. Other projected effects include coastline flooding and increased incidence of forest fires.

There are many things we can do to help mitigate the effects of global climate change in order to reverse the negative impact on biodiversity worldwide. These include simple lifestyle changes like cutting down on energy usage (turning off lights, hanging out laundry to dry, car pooling, etc.), re-using items and packaging, planting trees, becoming actively involved in conservation groups and their associated activities, to name but a few.

To meet Canada's obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy was developed in 1995 by federal, provincial and territorial bodies. Each province and territory is responsible for biodiversity conservation within its own jurisdiction. more>>>

From crowded cities to spacious countryside, events across the country will celebrate the role and importance of our forests during 2008 National Forest Week, September 21 to 27.

History
Established circa 1920 as Forest Fire Prevention Week, the intention was to encourage greater public awareness towards Canada's forests. At the time, there was no apparent shortage of trees for industrial expansion – the greatest threat came from forest fires, due mainly to human causes.

Since then National Forest Week, as it was renamed in 1967, has evolved to encompass the many and varied human and environmental aspects of Canada's forest resources – past, present and future.

Although special activities are promoted across Canada, National Forest Week remains first and foremost a challenge to individual Canadians to learn more about their forest heritage and support greater recognition of this valuable resource.

National Forest Week is observed annually during the last full week of September, Sunday through Saturday.

How to Participate in National Forest Week
- arrange a tree planting: www.treecanada.ca
- take a walk in woods nearby and get to know your forest
- care for a newly planted or neglected tree, and study its species
- identify all the things at home or school that are made of wood
- learn about organizations that demonstrate sustainable forest management
- tour a forest sector industry or processing site
- learn about the prevention of forest fires
- contact a provincial forestry association for teaching materials

Register Your National Forest Week Event