GROUNDWATER

INFILTRATION

The forest products industry has important interactions with water resources. While the Canadian industry uses a signifi cant amount of water during the manufacture of pulp, paper and wood products, it treats and returns nearly 90% of that water to the environment. About 40% of the country’s fresh water originates from managed forest land, and the industry uses best management practices and forest regrowth to mini-mize effects on water availability and water quality.

Water Profi le of the Canadian Forest Products Industry

INFORMATION TAKEN FROM:NCASI. 2010. Water Profi le of the Canadian Forest Products Industry. Technical Bulletin No. 975. Research Triangle Park, NC: National Council for Air and Stream Improvement, Inc.©NCASI 2018.

FORESTRY

EVAPOTRANSPIRATIONPRECIPITATION

GROUNDWATER

RUNOFF AND SURFACE WATER

CHANGES TO FOREST WATER BALANCEIMMEDIATELY AFTER FOREST HARVEST

INFILTRATIONINTERCEPTION

EVAPOTRANSPIRATION

INTERCEPTION

RUNOFF AND SURFACE WATER

NATURAL FOREST WATER BALANCE

FOREST TYPE AND CLIMATE INFLUENCE THE WATER BALANCE.EFFECTS ARE MINIMIZED WHEN A) BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ARE USED DURING HARVESTING; AND B) ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF THE LANDSCAPE IS HARVESTED ANNUALLY.

MANUFACTURING

*OF THE 0.26 BILLION CUBIC METRES/YR LOST TO PROCESS AND PRODUCT ...

1.8%GOES TOSOLID RESIDUALS

7.8%GOES TOPRODUCTS

90.4%EVAPORATES

THE COMPATIBILITY OF EFFLUENTS WITH RECEIVING WATERS IS ADDRESSED BY PROVINCIAL AND FEDERAL REGULATIONS FOR EFFLUENT QUALITY AND THROUGH PROTECTION OF SPECIFIC WATERS RECEIVING TREATED EFFLUENT DISCHARGES.

QUALITY OF EFFLUENT

~~

MAGNITUDE AND DURATION OF WATER BALANCE EFFECTS VARY SPATIALLY AND TEMPORARILY

LOST TO PROCESSAND PRODUCT*

FROM RAW MATERIALS

QUANTITIES OF WATER INVOLVED

~87% OF THE WATER USED IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS IS REINTEGRATED INTO THE SURFACE WATER CYCLE.

1.91BILLION M3/YR

1.79BILLION M3/YR

0.14 BILLION M3/YR

PRECIPITATION

0.26 BILLION M3/YR