The Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) has worked for a number of years on developing a broad vision for sustainable forest management. This vision outlines new approaches for Canada to achieve its sustainable forest management objectives, including an initiative entitled Forest 2020 that centres on expanding fibre supply by establishing fast growing plantations and enhancing forest management activities in existing forests, while increasing forest conservation. This work is now complete.

In November 2003, Natural Resources Canada’s Canadian Forest Service launched the Forest 2020 Plantation Demonstration and Assessment (PDA) Initiative as part of the Government of Canada's plan to address climate change. The Forest 2020 PDA Initiative is a related but separate initiative from the CCFM, designed to demonstrate the value of fast-growing plantations across Canada and evaluate options that could attract investments into future Canadian plantations, by taking advantage of the combined benefits of both wood fibre and carbon values.

Information on the Forest 2020 Plantation Demonstration and Assessment Initiative and other afforestation policy research can be at the following web site.