The Boreal forest which is also referred to as Taiga counts for around 30% of the earth’s forests which covers three continents in the northern part of the globe. It’s the largest forest on the planet but these amazing woodlands are also facing various serious threats that are causing a decline in their populace.

Canada produces a percentage of the world’s sawn-wood, paper, wood panels, and round wood.
It’s safe to say that they rely on the ecosystem, and the ecosystem relies on a great number of forest plants to thrive. It strives to conduct careful research, plan strategies, and place protective policies in means to save their forests, their history, and their home. However, there is more than one environmental issue that threatens the ecosystem and many of these problems have the locals worried about the health and safety of their homeland.

Environmental Concerns Include: Greenhouse Gases

Boreal forests capture massive quantities of carbon but the rising heat of the warmer seasons is killing off the population of trees that are accustom to a colder climate and as a result, photosynthesis is diminishing. The taiga contains more than 30% of the planet’s global carbon dioxide in the peat and permafrost but with the heat raising the forest could produce more carbon than it captures. It also means additional methane that had been trapped in the frozen landscape for more than a millennium could be released into the atmosphere. This could bring about even more global warming which then melts more of the Arctic and free more of the dangerous gases, which only feeds the problem.

An increase of carbon means a progression in drought, heat, and climate change.This immense increase in temperature could be inflicted on all earth’s forests by the end of the 21st century which could potentially expose the forest to more severe heat that will eventually result in a complete change of entire ecosystem.

Mountain Pine Beetle

In recent years there have been many valued lodgepole trees that have been lost due to the pine beetles.
The Mountain Pine Beetles are tiny insects that live in large numbers inside the inner barks of various pine trees that are within the western North America area. An infestation could kill a tree as they tend to cut off the tree’s food and water source with their burrowing.

They thrive in the warmer climates and if the temperatures continue to rise, these pests could spread all across the North and destroy even more of the forest’s pine trees. It was estimated in 2009, that 40,000,000 acres of pine trees had already been infested by the pine beetle just in within British Columbia alone.

Wildfires

Canada witness about 8,000 wildfires which measures up to a total average of 6,200,000 acres of burnt forests every year. More than half of the fires are started by humans and the others are naturally occurring usually by lightning strikes that make up over 80% total of burnt areas. With the increase of global warming wildfires could breakout more frequently and burn hotter than ever.

Protected Areas

The ecosystem is valuable, as mankind is dependent on all the living plants, animals, and microorganisms that nature provides in order to survive. That is why Canada has taken on the responsibilities in safeguarding the landscape and all wildlife within. Canada organizes a network of protected areas in which they dedicate, protect, and manage in efforts to preserving the natural beauty, health, and order of the forest in which mankind admires and relies on.

Canada is home to many various species of trees, with coniferous being 68%, mix wood at 16% and broadleaf making the rest of the 11%. The woodlands that are exclusively in Canada make up 9% of the world’s forests, which is 347 million hectares stretch of land.

90% of the Canadian forested areas are well-looked-after and handled by national governments and 2% is under federal protection, another 2% is kept and cared by Aboriginal people, and the last %6 is private property. These areas are usually prohibited of any resource gathering such as logging, mining, and harvesting.