Reaching across North America and into Russia, the Boreal Forest forms a “green halo” across the top of the globe and is even larger than the Amazonian Rainforest. Ontario has a significant portion of Canada’s Boreal Forest, which is characterized by large tracts of old-growth White and Black spruce, Jack pine and Balsam fir. North of an imaginary line along the 51st parallel, Ontario’s Boreal Forest is largely intact, meaning it has not yet been destroyed by human activity.

Essential Ecological Functions

The Boreal Forest performs a wide variety of ecological functions that are crucial to all life on the planet. The Boreal Forest is the world’s largest terrestrial carbon sink, absorbing 34% of global carbon emissions. This means that it plays an essential role in limiting climate change and acts as a protective shield. If the Boreal Forest is destroyed, the planet won’t be able to absorb as much carbon, and all the carbon that has been stored over hundreds of years in the Boreal Forest will be released back into the atmosphere; both of which will contribute significantly to global warming. In a time when global warming is threatening our planet, we need to ensure that the largest carbon sink on earth is protected.

The Boreal Forest also performs an array of other ecological “services”, such as filtering pollutants out of our air and water, and providing habitat for thousands of wildlife species. It is home to important species like caribou, bears, wolves, marten, wolverines and also provides nesting habitat for more than 300 species of birds, many of which do not nest in any other location.

_{Photo: E. Ferrari/CPAWS-Wildlands League}

Home to an Iconic Canadian Species

Ontario’s Boreal Forest is also home to the elusive Woodland Caribou, the species which appears on the back of the Canadian quarter. Listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and on the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO), as “threatened”, the Woodland Caribou needs large tracts of undisturbed forest to survive. Caribou were once abundant throughout Ontario, but have been forced farther and farther north as industrial activity, such as forestry, mining, and road building, have infringed on their habitat. Today Ontario’s Woodland Caribou only live in the Northern Boreal Forest. Scientists predict that if their habitat decline continues at its current rate, this iconic species may be pushed to extinction within the next 80 years. For this reason, it is especially important to protect Ontario’s Boreal. The government must halt all industrial development north of the 51st parallel, until it has implemented far-reaching conservation measures to ensure the survival of Woodland Caribou.

Premier McGuinty’s Promise

In 2003 Dalton McGuinty promised to implement broad-scale conservation measures in Ontario’s north before allowing industrial development such as forestry, mining and hydro-electric projects, to proceed. He pledged to “ institute meaningful, broad-scale land-use planning for Ontario’s Northern Boreal Forest before any new major development . . . Land use planning must protect the ecological integrity of this natural treasure . . .”

Province Promises Boreal Protection

The McGuinty government made a significant announcement on July 14th, 2008 regarding Ontario’s vast Boreal forest.  The global importance of Canada’s Boreal to climate stability and as one of the last remaining tracts of undisturbed wilderness left in the world has prompted the province to protect half of this significant system.  About 50% of Ontario’s Boreal will be placed under permanent protection from forestry, mining, and road development.

This announcement comes after years of hard work on the part of many environmental groups and communities that have been pressuring the government to initiate a coordinated approach to land-use planning and ensure that development north of the 51st parallel occurs in a reasonable manner.  The promise of protection also comes with a host of new standards for working with First Nation communities and a new revenue sharing strategy.  Previously, new developments were happening in a haphazard manner with the potential to have a devastating impact on the sensitive landscape.  The new plan will hopefully ensure that development is concentrated, that road planning occurs in a coordinated manner to limit the scope of roads in the north, and that northern communities benefit from resource exploitation.

All this good news must however be taken with a grain of salt.  Earthroots believes that given how little undisturbed wilderness we have left in the province, protecting 50% of our Boreal forest is still not enough.  Although we applaud the province for taking this exciting first step and acting as a leader of conservation in Canada, it will be essential to monitor how the details of the plan actually play out on the ground.  Earthroots will continue to follow the process as it unfolds to ensure that any development occuring outside of the protected areas is sustainable and responsible and that the areas set aside for protection are high quality habitat for species at risk.  

For more information, contact Earthroots Forest Campaigner, Carly Armstrong at 416-599-0152 x13 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it