Measuring the quantity and quality of Canadian forestry research through a survey of publications in Forestry Abstracts, 1978–1992

Concerns have recently been expressed that Canada's forestry research effort may have declined in terms of quantity and/or quality of output. To investigate this we conducted a comprehensive survey of all Canadian forestry-related publications listed in Forestry Abstracts from 1978 to 1992 inclusive. Results showed that overall Canadian output has remained steady at about 6% of the world total, and that its quality, as measured by the proportion of articles in scientific journals, has increased rather than decreased. Over the 15-year survey period, the most frequent origin of those publications has shifted from the Canadian Forest Service (52% of the total in 1978–82, 29% in 1988–92) to the universities (22% in 1978–82, 48% in 1988–92), and the subject-matter focus of Canadian forestry publications has changed in keeping with new research and operational priorities.