The Softwood Lumber Satellite Account: Sources and Methods

The Softwood Lumber Satellite Account (SLSA) presents a supply and use table at purchaser prices that provides detail on core industries and products related to the Canadian forestry sector, while aggregating all other industry and product detail.

The SLSA situates the size and scope of several forestry-related industries and products within the economy as a whole. It integrates several Statistics Canada data products into the coherent macroeconomic framework of a supply and use table.

The 2013 and 2014 figures have been benchmarked to the published Canadian supply and use tables (CSUTs). The 2015 and 2016 figures have been benchmarked to the income and expenditure gross domestic product aggregates from the Provincial and Territorial Economic Accounts (CANSIM tables 384-0037 and 384-0038).

The industries of interest range from loggers through to lumber, pulp and paper processing and finally, construction. These industries cover the major producers and users of products related to Canada’s forestry sector. Specifically, NAICS 113, 115, 23, 321 and 322 are included.

The products of interest range from logs through to lumber and panels and on to secondary converted paper products whose production ultimately depends on feedstock primarily originating in Canadian forests. Several core services, such as log harvesting and construction activities, are also included.

The SLSA data differ from the Annual Survey of Manufacturing and Logging - Principal Statistics data. The differences are conceptual and methodological in nature. The SLSA uses the same concepts, classifications and structure as the Canadian System of Macroeconomic Accounts. Therefore, SLSA results are directly comparable with macroeconomic measures such as total economy gross domestic product, total output, exports, and final demand.

The SLSA differs from the Natural Resources Satellite Account (which has a forestry element). The SLSA is built along industry lines (NAICS) whereas the NRSA is an activity-based compilation. Both accounts provide useful perspectives on the forestry sector.