An aerial view of Boreal forest in the Temagami region of Ontario.
Canada's Boreal forest is one of the largest tracts of ancient forest left in the world. Almost 80 per cent of the world's original forests has been degraded or completely destroyed, making the protection of our Boreal forest all the more important.
One of the major threats to Canada's Boreal forest ecosystem is industrial logging for the pulp used in tissue products. Greenpeace is working to stop the destruction of Canada's largest intact ecosystem by trying to persuade consumers, institutions and companies to choose to consume or produce more ancient forest friendly tissue products.
The red fox is one of the many species found in the Boreal forest.
Canada's Boreal forest: Ancient forest under threat
Canada's Boreal forest is one of the largest tracts of ancient forest left in the world. Almost 80 per cent of the Earth's original forests have already been degraded or completely destroyed, making the protection of our Boreal forest all the more important.
One of the major threats to Canada's Boreal ecosystem is clearcut logging to make disposable products such as toilet paper and facial tissue. Greenpeace is working to stop the destruction of Canada's largest intact ecosystem by trying to persuade consumers, institutions and companies to choose ancient forest friendly tissue products - ones made from 100 per cent recycled content.
This forest has been clearcut to produce Kimberly-Clark toilet and tissue paper products even though recycled alternatives exist.
Canada's Boreal forests are being clearcut to create building materials and consumer products such as toilet paper, office paper, books, and catalogues. Read more about the threat unsustainable tissue products pose to the Boreal forestThe logging industry continues to cut down over 290,000 hectares of forest in Quebec, 185,000 hectares in Ontario and 67,000 hectares of forest in Alberta every year. This means that an area of forest larger than Prince Edward Island is lost every year in these three provinces alone. Approximately half of the Boreal forest has been allocated or licensed to logging companies. The heaviest development is concentrated in the southern reaches of the Boreal, which also is the most productive wildlife habitat. Over 90 per cent of this area is clearcut, with individual clearcuts sometimes extending over 10,000 hectares in size or approximately 17,000 football fields. This makes them some of the largest clearcuts in the world.
A disappearing forest means increased threats to the survival of the species that inhabit it. Already, the Labrador marten, wolverine, woodland caribou, eastern wolf are listed on endangered species lists. Global warming is another real threat to Canada's Boreal forest. Scientists predict that parts of the forest will become much warmer because of climate change. This will mean increased forest fires and outbreaks of insect infectations.
Putting pressure on companies that destroy the Boreal is one solution to Boreal forest destruction.Enlarge Image
Greenpeace is actively working on solutions to reverse the continuous loss of habitat in the Boreal forest.
We provide consumers with up-to-date information on purchases that will reduce the impact on the forest, exert pressure on companies that use ancient forests in irresponsible ways, help publishers find ancient forest friendly papers and develop a forest management certification system that ensures old growth forests are not clearcut. Every small step builds towards ensuring a sustainable future for the Boreal forest.
Our objective is to foster the creation of long-term sustainable jobs with greater local control of resources that focus on the needs of future generations. Our interest is in seeing the ecology of the Boreal forest maintained over time, and we do not feel that this is contrary to ensuring that Canadians get the highest return possible from our public forests, instead of simply shipping raw logs and disposable tissue products beyond our borders.
