Canadian Boreal Forests - A Global Ecoregion
Home to the world's largest herd of barren-ground Caribou
Snapshot: Ecoregion 82
Size:
1,713,000 sq. km (661,500 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Boreal Forests/Taiga
Canada
Conservation Status:
Relatively Stable/Intact
Quiz Time!
Are brown bears aggressive?
Answer:
Brown bears rarely attack humans. However, if disturbed, they may either attack immediately or simply retreat. Only when defending the cubs does a mother bear become ferocious.
About the Area
This Global ecoregion is made up of these terrestrial ecoregions: Eastern Canadian Shield taiga; Northwest Territories taiga; Northern Canadian Shield taiga.
It includes varied plant communities, from lichen-rich open conifer forests to gallery forests of enormous white spruce that support a wide diversity of insects, amphibians, birds, and mammals.Local Species
Species here include Lynx (Lynx lynx), the world's largest herd of barren-ground Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Quebec/Labrador, Arctic ground squirrel (Spermophilus parryi), Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), Black bear (U. americanus), Wolf (Canis lupis), Wolverine (Gulo gulo), Snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), Brown lemming (Lemmus trimucronatus), and the Northern red-backed vole (Clethrionomys rutilus).
Bird species include Ruby-crowned kinglet (Regulus calendula), Willow and rock ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus and L. mutus), Common redpoll (Carduelis flammea), Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata), Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), and Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus).
Characteristic tree species include Black spruce (Picea mariana), White spruce (P. glauca), Tamarack (Larix laricina), Dwarf birch (Betula spp.), Willow (Salix spp.), and Balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera).
Threats
Major threats include logging in the southwestern portions, and large-scale mining activities further north.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
