In an extraordinary announcement yesterday, the Ontario government has agreed to protect 55 million acres
of the vast Northern Boreal Forest in Canada from mining and development.
This is 50% of Ontario’s pristine yet threatened
Northern Boreal Forest, and an area half the size of California.
Now that is something to celebrate!
Here are some jaw-dropping facts:
Big: 55 million acres of the largest intact forest remaining on
Earth are now protected from development.
Carbon: 12.5 million tonnes of CO2 is sequestered each year by the
Northern Boreal forest.
Water: The Boreal Forest ranks No. 1 in storing freshwater (in
wetlands and lakes) and carbon (in trees and soil) compared to all other
terrestrial ecosystems.
People: 28 First Nations indigenous communities live in the Boreal
Forest.
Animals: More than 200 animals live in the Northern Boreal, such as
the bald eagle, wolverine, lake sturgeon, caribou, hundreds of songbird
species, and the polar bear.
We don’t often hear about the Boreal Forest, which is a
continuous belt of conifer trees across North America and Eurasia.
What kinds of trees live there? Firs,
pines, and spruces for example.
Basically trees that have a cone. Perhaps the Boreal could be nicknamed
the Great Conehead forest.
Over the last 3 years, ForestEthics has campaigned to
raise the profile of the
Boreal Forest worldwide. They reached
out to over 500 wood and paper customers including Limited Brands,
Staples, and Lowes, and they supported the First Nations in their struggle to
keep their natural home.
“The government of Ontario’s
commitment to protect the Northern Boreal Forest raises the bar for
environmental protection across Canada and around the world,” said Todd Paglia, executive director of ForestEthics.
There is still work to do to protect the Southern Boreal
from accelerated logging, but ForestEthics and other environmental
organizations like the Pew Environment
Group are on it. If yesterday was any indication, 2008 is going to be a
good year for the forests.
Save the date Tuesday September 30 for the annual
ForestEthics party in San Francisco celebrating the launch of the Do Not Mail campaign to help curtail junk mail,
save 100 million trees per year, and take back our mailboxes. Bring your junk mail for shredding and recycling! I guarantee it will be fun, or you can give
my address to the catalog companies. www.forestethics.org
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