This very famous Forest can be either known as the Boreal Forest or Taiga. This is the largest biome stretched along North America and Eurasia. This very biome is exposed to long periods of snow and coldness with little exposure to hotter seasons and sunlight (maximum 3 months spent in Summer) as this specific biome is located near the top of the world just below the tundra biome making it part of one of the coldest places on earth.

So why mention the Boreal Forest?

This answer is quite simple. The Boreal forest is the largest ‘biome’ in the world meaning it is an enormous naturally occurring community of fauna and flora occupying a major habitat. Thus, there are millions of different types of species that rely on this particular forest and if this forest continues to be obliterated in this next few decades, species will become endangered, possibly extinct. However, it is not only species that will be effected, it will also be our atmosphere as it has been scientifically proven that the Boreal forest absorbs twice as much carbon emissions as any other forest in the WORLD. If the Boreal forest continues to be logged, burned, mined up by humans, billions of carbons stored in those trees for a reason will be released and the outcome simply will be detrimental to our living and our precious earth.

The Boreal forest is typically our answer in order to reduce climate change in the long run as it absorbs more than enough carbon emissions to minimise the effect of climate change as it covers 1/3 of our earth. Common sense also entails that these forests provide a large amount of oxygen for us in order to live and breathe. However, the Boreal forest is not seen for its function and for its aesthetics, it is rather seen for business and economy which means deforestation, coal mines, etc. which contribute to the fastening of climate change. Do some humans not understand the impact they have by destroying such beauty for profit? Is it really that hard to see that these forests are clearly the answer to minimise climate change?

They also provide the natural capacity to avoid flash floods and soil erosion. When there is a forest flood, the soil will run off the river damaging water living creatures. They may be trapped in the flood or may die because of too much current. People will also suffer living in lowlands because it may ruin their properties and even their lives. Thus, the more trees there are, the more capacity they have in order to absorb much water as possible to avoid further flooding and damage.

The forest is also viable for research for hundreds of people who are interested in studying such vast wildlife. Therefore, if all forestry is gone, what would there be to research or study? Thus, it is essential that such beauty remains standing and untouched because it is worth more alive than it is cut and dead.

Threats to the Boreal forest

The biggest threat today is industrial development and perhaps will continue to be the biggest threat as society grows and thus as society grows there is a push to expand industrial development creating sources of job for people and income for many communities (this may seem like a positive aspect but in fact, if industrial development continues to expand rapidly than there will be a massive increase in climate change and a great loss of wildlife as Boreal forest is the largest biome in the world).The industrial developments include mining, hydropower, oil and gas extraction and logging (these will be discussed in more detail below).

However, the biggest threat to the Boreal forest is global warming. As the planet warms the southern reaches of the forest will become warm enough for deciduous trees to outcompete conifers (as most of the forest is made of conifers that are highly adapted to cold climates). It is also unclear whether tundra areas to the north will support forests even under warmer conditions, and it is even less clear if the trees will be able to move north rapidly enough in any event. It has been suggested that additional carbon dioxide and methane will be liberated from warmer tundra and taiga soils as the built up detritus of thousands of years is finally free to decompose. This additional release of green house gases (methane and carbon dioxide) could accelerate global warming further.

Logging 

Between 1990 and 2008 around 46 million acres of forest were harvested in Canada at an average of 2.6 million acres being lost per year. More than half the Canada’s boreal forest products go directly to the United States with majority in the form of paper and manufacturing. However, harvest rates have slowed down in recent years which also means the extent of boreal forest reserved for future timber operations means long term planning and sustainable management is needed.

Logging is a major threat however there are hopes when it comes to timber production in the Boreal. Over 100 million acres have fallen under a form of sustainable certification, ensuring that these forest products are removed with great care and an intense eye on ecological care. Therefore, with stricter legislation placed on harvesting the Boreal forest, the more hope we have for millions of acres of forestry to be saved from detrimental harm and releasing of huge amounts of carbon emissions.

Another way of reducing logging is finding alternatives in order to become more sustainable. For example, instead of using paper you could be using your phone to write down something or you could use recycled paper that hasn’t been linked to the destruction of forests and instead of using timber for furniture find ways to avoid the usage of timber in order to create an ecological living.

Mining 

For over 200 years, miners have searched the Boreal forest in hopes to find mineral riches which indeed they were successful to find. Unfortunately, to this day, mining continues in the Boreal forest not only has it continued it has also placed a large role in the Canadian economy. These constructions have been built with little or no environmental oversight or with long term health of forest in mind. Today, there are over 7000 abandoned mines with more than 3000 of them within 1 kilometre of a lake, river or stream. Some were left in such bad condition that contaminates to this day can still be found leaking into nearby waterways decades after closure.

Many mines today still feature on ‘free entry’. These permanent mineral staking almost anywhere in the boreal forest, gives whoever owns the staked tenures the primary rights over using the land regardless of who or what is nearby. Now with such free leisure, this creates conflict with Aboriginal communities who have been affected by this legislation because the Aboriginals, in many cases, have been offered no say in approving the projects or any tangible benefits – jobs, community funds, etc. – from the new developments. An even less discussed threat is the ‘spiderweb’ effect of access roads. A road to a single development site opens the area up to a new wave of exploration, leading to a spider web’s of new roads and developments in surrounding area over time.

Oil and gas

When people think of oil extraction from the boreal forest, we must think of bitumen which is found profoundly in the boreal forest (the bitumen extracted is turned into oil) below the surface of the forest, it is extracted via large strip mines or network of pipes that pump it out of the ground using steam. Oil sands activity have already affected over 175,000 acres of Alberta’s boreal forest with the potential of growing much larger in the future.

However when it comes to not only oil sands but also gas and oil, the threat to the forest is extreme. More than 155,000 active gas wells are currently operating in Canada’s boreal forest while an additional 117,000 gas wells remain scattered throughout the boreal, around 87 of which fall 5km of a lake or river. The western boreal unfortunately has already been hardly hit, with expansive regions across British Columbia, the Northwest territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan already experiencing heavy drilling with more expected in the near future.

Hydro 

Ironically said, hydro power is a source of environmental source of energy production yet it has its own fair share of environmental concerns to the boreal. Migratory fish such as salmon are blocked from accessing their spawning grounds upriver. Decreases in waterflow often lead to increases in the distance of satlwater intrusion into river mouths as well as erosion of river banks downstream. And the areas above dams that become flooded with water leave large areas of habitat for a diverse amount of species affected – from fish to birds to laarger mammals.

More than 625 dams are currently producing hyrdoelectric development across Canada, with at least 40% of the production coming from rivers originating from the boreal forest. Large dams have been estimated to have largely affected more than 130,000km of rivers while more than 52,000km square of terrestrial habitat has been lost due to flooding above dams.