The NFB is committed to respecting your privacy

We use cookies to ensure that our site works efficiently, as well as for advertising purposes.

If you do not wish to have your information used in this way, you can modify your browser settings before continuing your visit.

Learn more
Skip to content Accessibility

Conservation and Reforestation (14)

  • Another Side of the Forest
    Another Side of the Forest
    Raoul Fox  &  Strowan Robertson 1974 20 min
    This documentary looks at developments in the Canadian forestry industry from the 1970s. Turning a Newfoundland bog into woodland, fostering British Columbia seedlings that withstand mechanical planting, inoculating Ontario elms against the bark beetle, devising ways of controlling fire... these are some of the experiments shown being carried out in laboratories and in the field to protect and conserve the country's vast forests.
  • Borealis
    Borealis
    We're sorry, this content is not available in your location.
    Kevin McMahon 2020 1 h 33 min
    In his new feature documentary Borealis, acclaimed director Kevin McMahon (Waterlife) travels deep into the heart of the boreal forest to explore the chorus of life in Canada’s iconic wilderness. How do trees move, communicate and survive the destructive forces of fire, insects, and human encroachment? Borealis offers an immersive portrait of the lifecycles of the forest from the perspective of the plants and animals that live there.
  • Forest Wardens
    Forest Wardens
    Allen Stark 1955 30 min
    A story of British Columbia's vast forest industry and the measures being taken to preserve it. Fred Davis interviews men whose main concern is forest conservation. Education of the public in the need for protecting their valuable heritage against fire is well demonstrated in the activities of the Province's junior forest wardens and the South Vancouver Island Rangers.
  • The Forests and Vladimir Krajina
    The Forests and Vladimir Krajina
    Tom Radford 1978 29 min
    Visually seductive, this film uncovers a few hard truths under the packaging. Dr. Vladimir Krajina, botanist and teacher, is waging a successful battle in British Columbia for the creation of ecological reserves. He explains the importance of such sanctuaries and why people must know and respect nature's laws if the future needs of industry and the desire for a high quality of life are to be reconciled.
  • The Forest in Crisis
    The Forest in Crisis
    Susan Murgatroyd 1981 21 min
    This short documentary dispels the myth that Canada has an inexhaustible supply of usable wood and forest resources. In documenting the use and misuse of forest resources in Northern Ontario, it shows the efforts of the government and industry to find better ways to find a sustainable solution. The film also serves as a reminder that this is not just a problem for Northern Ontario - a crisis in the forest industry would affect one out of every ten Canadian jobs.
  • The Forest Watchers
    The Forest Watchers
    Peter Raymont 1975 25 min
    This 1975 documentary examines the challenges faced by the Canadian forestry industry, such as deforestation, pest control and forest fire.
  • Forbidden Forest
    Forbidden Forest
    Kevin W. Matthews 2004 1 h 9 min
    This feature-length documentary tells the story of two very different men brought together by New Brunswick's decision to hand the management of millions of acres of Crown land to six multinationals. One man is an Acadian woodlot owner retired after nearly 40 years in a pulp mill; the other is a painter and winemaker with homes in France and New Brunswick.

    The activitists travel to Finland, home of UPM-Kymmene, one of the largest licence holders of New Brunswick Crown lands, to urge company officials to practise responsible forestry. They also go head-to-head with the provincial government to secure a new community-based forestry policy that is environmentally sustainable and produces more jobs than the highly mechanized techniques used today.
  • From Ashes to Forest
    From Ashes to Forest
    Tony Ianzelo 1984 52 min
    Filmed in several of Canada's national parks (including Banff and Wood Buffalo), this feature documentary looks at forest fires versus fire suppression. Sometimes forest fires are essential for plant renewal, healthy growth, soil enrichment and new environments for wildlife.
  • Foresters
    Foresters
    Werner Aellen 1968 13 min
    This short documentary looks at how modern technology affects the forestry industry and the role of the forester in ensuring the sustainability of this great natural resource. It was in the '60s that people started to realize that the forests did not provide an endless supply of wood, and thanks to recent developments in the science of forestry, people are learning how to manage the resources more effectively.
  • Look to the Forest
    Look to the Forest
    Donald Fraser 1950 21 min
    This 1950 documentary examines the penalties of forest destruction: fire, flood, wasted resources and barren lands. The film describes measures to preserve Canada's prime source of national wealth. Scenes of the wilderness created by stripping land of protective trees show the need to halt careless exploitation. Contrasting the slow process of re-seeding with the swift, modern methods of felling trees, the film urges planned cutting to ensure a protected yearly crop.
  • Timber Front
    Timber Front
    Frank Badgley 1940 21 min
    This black-and-white archival film outlines the importance of Canada's forests in the national war effort during the Second World War.
  • Treasure of the Forest
    Treasure of the Forest
    Roger Blais 1958 12 min
    From the Canada Carries On series, this archival film is about the industries that draw their wealth from the raw material supplied by Canada's forests. Filmed in the rain forests of the British Columbia coast, it shows how giant conifers are felled, transported by water routes to sawmills and cut into lumber or reduced to Canada's greatest single export, newsprint. Realization of the need for conservation has led to an extensive program of aerial stocktaking and a system of planned cutting and reforestation.
  • Trouble in the Forest
    Trouble in the Forest
    Gary Toole 1988 46 min
    In this compelling film, David Suzuki investigates the frightening phenomenon of forest dieback caused by acid rain and proposes some solutions.
  • Windbreaks on the Prairies
    Windbreaks on the Prairies
    Evelyn Cherry 1943 21 min
    This short film serves as a cautionary tale to farmers who recklessly cut down trees on their land. When prairie farmers engaged in this practice to facilitate plowing, they discovered that the trees had served as windbreaks protecting top soil from erosion. The Dominion Department of Agriculture's experimental station at Indian Head, Saskatchewan, cultivated acres of young trees for distribution to farmers.