THUNDER BAY — The health of Canada’s forests is an issue if the county is to meet its climate targets, according to a recent study. Co-authored by Julee Boan, partnership director for the Global Nature International Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, with Rachel Plotkin, the boreal project manager at the David Suzuki Foundation, the report Counting on Canada’s Commitments: To Halt and Reverse Forest Degradation by 2030, Canada Must First Admit It Has a Problem, makes the case that forest heath — not just size — must be prioritized. The incoming federal government needs to provide leadership in how forests are managed in Canada, particularly around establishing regulations to ensure that overall woodland health is prioritized, says the report. …The report focuses on “degradation” of forests (essentially meaning, what the researchers are arguing, is a decline in their health), rather than deforestation… “…the quality of the forests is being degraded…,” Plotkin said.