Monitoring, Assessing & Reporting on Forest Health

Forest health in Ontario has been monitored since the 1930s in partnership with the federal government. Until 1998, the field monitoring and reporting was conducted by the Canadian Forest Service or its predecessors. The province provided support in the form of advice, use of aircraft, land for field stations, funding for specific projects, and occasional assistance with surveys. 

Today, Ontario monitors the health of its forests through a systematic monitoring program including ground and aerial surveillance.  

Forest health technical staff record and report on forest health conditions and the occurrence of biotic (e.g., insect, disease) and abiotic (e.g., severe weather conditions) disturbance and events. The results of the monitoring program are used to report on the health of Ontario’s forests and the major factors affecting forest health. For example, staff are looking for the invasive insect emerald ash borer at high-risk sites and helping municipalities conduct their own surveys. 

Monitoring information is used to:

• plan forest management and pest management programs
• design research projects, invasive species strategies and climate change programs  
• support assessments of forest sustainability and biodiversity 

The overall health of the forest is monitored through systems of plots that address either specific problems, such as aspen decline and drought, or ecosystem health, such as that of spruce-fir forests.

Major factors affecting forest health are monitored each year. The annual monitoring detects, identifies, quantifies, assesses and reports on major forest disturbances.

Detection is typically done through reconnaissance work, such as aerial surveys, ground checks, and investigating reports from Ministry of Natural Resources staff, the forest industry, and the public.

Identification, although often performed on-site, is verified by specialists.

Quantification involves mapping major disturbances from the air, and ground checks to collect samples, determine population density, and collect data on impacts on tree growth and mortality.

Assessment involves estimating impacts on forest values, such as wood supply, recreation and tourism; analysing historical trends; making forecasts of insect or disease incidences; and predicting the impact on forest values.

The results are reported informally through one-on-one contacts with forest resource managers. A number of formal reports prepared annually also address forest health, such as the Status of Factors Affecting Forest Health in Ontario, annual Regional Forest Health Reports and the Annual Forest Health Review. In addition, staff make presentations at various meetings, workshops and conferences.

The reports are complemented by annual estimates of the amount of wood volume lost to insects, disease, and abiotic factors. Volume losses are calculated based on field assessments or data contained in scientific literature.