Wildfire destruction outpacing tree replanting across Canada

Canada is losing forests faster than it can regrow them. Nearly 10 per cent of the country's forests burned between 2023 and 2025, and the pace of destruction now far exceeds replanting efforts.

According to the Canadian Tree Nursery Association, it would take 7.3 billion seedlings just to replace 15 per cent of the area destroyed by wildfires in that period. Trees are also being lost to development, lumber operations, and pests like the mountain pine beetle.

The problem became more acute last fall when Prime Minister Mark Carney cancelled the 2 Billion Trees Program, a federal initiative launched during the 2019 election that had earmarked $3.2 billion over 10 years for replanting.

"Seed sources were lost and people were starting to realize that some of these mega-fires are preventing natural regeneration. So the program was just starting to address areas that have been burned out," said Doug Hevenor, executive director of the CTNA.

Programs like Nekoté LP, an Indigenous-owned corporation representing seven Swampy Cree First Nations in northern and central Manitoba, are now in jeopardy. The initiative was working to restore forests devastated by wildfire and pest infestation across the region.

Canada just finished three consecutive severe fire seasons. Last year was the second-worst on record, behind only 2023, when wildfires burned through about 150,000 square kilometres. Long-range forecasts suggest much of the country could see above-normal temperatures in coming months.

Meanwhile, Canada's managed forests have begun releasing more carbon than they absorb — reinforcing a climate feedback loop. In 2023 alone, Canadian wildfires released more planet-warming emissions than any country except China, India, and the United States.