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Large areas of [[Siberia]]'s taiga have been harvested for [[lumber]] since the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]]. Previously, the forest was protected by the restrictions of the Soviet Forest Ministry, but with the collapse of the Union, the restrictions regarding trade with Western nations have vanished. Trees are easy to harvest and sell well, so loggers have begun harvesting Russian taiga evergreen trees for sale to nations previously forbidden by Soviet law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.american.edu/TED/TAIGA.HTM |title=Taiga Deforestation |publisher=American.edu |access-date=2011-02-21}}</ref>
In [[Canada]], only eight percent of the taiga is protected from development, and the provincial governments allows [[clearcutting]] to occur on Crown land, which destroys the forest in large blocks. The blocks are replanted with monocrop seedlings in the following season, but the trees do not grow back for many years, and the forest ecosystem is radically changed for hundreds of years. Products from logged boreal forests include [[toilet paper]], [[copy paper]], [[newsprint]], and lumber. More than 90% of boreal forest products from Canada are exported for consumption and processing in the United States.
Most companies that harvest in Canadian forests use some certification by agencies such as the [[Forest Stewardship Council]] (FSC), Sustainable Forests Initiative (SFI), or the [[Canadian Standards Association]] (CSA), in their marketing. While the certification process differs between these groups, all of them include some mention of undefined "forest stewardship", "respect for aboriginal peoples", and compliance with local, provincial or national environmental laws, forest worker safety, education and training, and other issues. The certification is largely about tracking, to ensure traceability, and does not de-certify lumber obtained from clearcuts, or taken without the consent of aboriginal peoples.
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