Why Ancient Forests are so Important

"Forests help to slow global warming because they store vast quantities of carbon. They control flooding, purify water, and cycle nutrients and soil, ultimately influencing food production for billions of people. And they house an incredible array of living organisms, which provide a foundation for the resilience of natural systems and the genetic material for valuable new products." (Global Forest Watch: Canada's Forests at a Crossroads, World Resources Institute, 2000, p. 9)

Case in point: Canada's Boreal is worth more intact than harvested. Canada's boreal forests store 67 billion tones of carbon, a "bank account" for the future preservation of Earth worth an estimated $3.7 trillion, says a report titled "Counting Canada's Natural Capital : Assessing the Real Value of Canada's Boreal Ecosystems". According to the report, each hectare of forest - not including peat and wetlands - generated $51.24 in value annually based on 2002 numbers. Going by the cost to global insurance providers of increasing carbon emissions worldwide, the amount of carbon absorbed and rendered harmless by the trees of Canada's northern wilderness would have a commercial value of $54 per tonne. Despite the untapped wealth, less than 10 per cent of the boreal forest has been protected under federal or provincial laws from industrial development.

(Source: Montreal Gazette, November 25, 2005)

"Canada's forests are also home to a remarkable diversity of plants, animals, and microorganisms. They are a refuge for woodland caribou, grizzly bear, grey wolf, and other large mammals that once ranged widely across the continent. There are an estimated 140,000 species in Canada, only half of which are classified. About two thirds of these species are found in forests or are dependent on forest habitat. New species continue to be discovered; scientists recently identified 60 new insect species in the canopies of old-growth forests in British Columbia." (Global Forest Watch: Canada's Forests at a Crossroads, World Resources Institute, 2000, p. 13)

"Above and beyond practical considerations is the very real aesthetic and spiritual need just to know that remote and wild places remain on our crowded planet. One concrete reflection of this need is the considerable sum of money many people pay to visit such places. But even to many people who will never see them, wild plants and animals, along with the forests that house them, have an inalienable right to exist. Certainly, as Earth's most powerful species, we have a responsibility to ensure their survival." (The Last Frontier Forests: Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge, World Resources Institute, 1997, p. 10)

Facts about Ancient Forests