Mosses, mustelids and more.

The boreal forest is a rich and diverse forest ecosystem. It is home to more than over 100 species of mosses, 8 mustelids (mink, weasel, wolverine...) and billions of songbirds migrate there each summer.

These forests continue to provide a home to threatened species – such as the woodland caribou, the lake sturgeon, and the eastern wolverine – that have been pushed out of more southerly landscapes by poorly planned industrial development. Some of these species are indicatiors of ecosystem health.

The hoards of mosquitoes and blackflies that emerge each summer provide critical food source to millions of tropical birds that migrate to Canada’s northern forests each summer to nest and raise their young. Canada’s boreal region supports large functioning ecosystems, including the historical relationship between predators, such as wolves, and their prey, such as moose and caribou.

Biodiversity or “biological diversity” is a term that is used to capture all the variety of living organisms on the planet. Biodiversity includes the smallest species from insects, lichen and algae to the largest such as wolves, caribou and polar bears. Scientists have learned that for living ecological systems to stay healthy, to support a wide variety of species, and to remain flexible to adapt to changes like disease, fire and climate change, all of its pieces – its diversity – needs to be maintained.

Canada’s northern boreal forest is one of only three large uninterrupted forests remaining on Earth. Intact forests are large, undivided forest areas that are physically and ecologically intact. They are primarily shaped by natural forces, like fire, wind, insects and natural growth patterns, and function in much the same way as they have for millennia. Because they provide all the conditions necessary for the species that evolved there, intact forests are essential to maintaining biodiversity and to staving off the worst impacts of climate change.

The boreal forest encircles the northern third of the globe and as such, is a unique ecosystem adapted to high latitudes, cold winters with short days and heavy snowfalls, and a short summer growing season. The tree species that grow in the boreal forest – primarily spruces and firs – are uniquely able to take advantage of these conditions. Many other unique and fragile plants, such as shrubs and wildflowers, thrive in boreal conditions.