How will Canadas boreal forest be affected?
On an increasingly warming planet, the western and southern boreal forest faces many threats. In the west, pine beetles, unchecked by cold winters, are ravaging thousands of hectares of forest. To the south, drying conditions and seasonal shifts are predicted to favour grassland expansion instead of forested areas. Finally, dry, warm weather could extend the forest fire season by several weeks by sparking more frequent and severe “monster blazes”, and doubling the area burned each year. Decreases in the boreal forest wil bring large economic impacts on Canada’s forestry industry, not to mention detrimental impacts to the numerous species dependent on this vast ecosystem.
