The Boreal Forest: Earth's Green Crown
Canada's vast boreal forest is among the largest intact forest ecosystems left on earth, and must be preserved.

  Intro text
Link to 1st boreal forest page
Link to 2nd boreal forest page
Link to 3rd boreal forest page
Link to 4th boreal forest page
Link to 5th boreal forest page
Link to 6th boreal forest page
Link to 7th boreal forest page
Link to 8th boreal forest page
Link to 9th boreal forest page
Link to 10th boreal forest page
Link to 11th boreal forest page
Threats to the Boreal


Photo of the boreal forest



West of the Canadian Shield, the boreal forest runs through the Prairie Provinces and on into the mountainous landscape of the Pacific Northwest. In the Kaska region, straddling portions of British Columbia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, glacier-clad peaks frame a huge boreal wilderness of high plateaus, lakes, rivers and lowlands. This area supports populations of alpine species such as grizzly bears, mountain goats, collared pikas and dall sheep, in addition to more typical boreal wildlife including moose, caribou and migratory songbirds.

Photo of northern Saskatchewan
Another distinctive boreal "ecozone" is the Interior Plains. This landscape of low-lying valleys and broad flats runs through the midsections of Manitoba and Saskatchewan and much of Alberta. Soils here are much richer than in Shield country, and support a greater diversity of plants and wildlife. Dense stands of aspen and poplar cover much of the area, with a diverse understory of shrubs and herbs. Black spruce and tamarack cover areas that are poorly drained or colder. The Interior Plains are pockmarked with countless "kettle ponds" shaped by the last ice age; these waters provide breeding habitat for huge numbers of ducks, geese and other waterfowl during the summer.

Back to introduction | Previous page | Next page

Photos: top, Bryan Evans; bottom, Stewart Elgie



Sign Up For Our Monthly Newsletter


See the latest issue here

Take Online Action Now!

Related NRDC Press Releases

5/8/2008
NRDC Statement on Tejon Ranch Conservation and Land Use Agreement

2/8/2008
Environmental Safeguards Under Attack

2/4/2008
Bush Budget Rewards Relic Industries, Strapped Natural Resources Take a Hit

More >

Related Stories

In the Canadian Boreal Forest, a Conservation Ethic at Work
After fighting successfully for years to keep destructive logging, hydropower and mining projects out of their traditional territory, the people of Poplar River are now working to secure permanent protection for their boreal forest homeland.

Great Bear Rainforest
Once threatened with intense and destructive logging, now 5 million acres of the Great Bear Rainforest are protected.

Related Links

© Natural Resources Defense Council | www.nrdc.org