Boreal forest research

Series of articles assesses the health of Canada’s boreal zone

How do human activities, natural disturbances and climate change affect the boreal forest? What impact do non-native species have on the boreal zone?

To answer these questions and others, researchers from the Canadian Forest Service of Natural Resources Canada have analyzed thousands of scientific articles and studies. The 11 papers below summarize the findings of the analyses and assess the current health of ecosystems in Canada’s boreal zone.

Synthesizing a large body of scientific literature into this series makes the research more accessible to policy-makers and resource managers and enables them to make better-informed decisions to ensure Canada’s boreal forest remains healthy and sustainable.

SEE ALSO: 8 facts about Canada’s boreal forest

11 articles that review and synthesize boreal forest research

The first paper summarizes the current state of Canada’s boreal zone and puts the remaining articles in context.

• An introduction to Canada’s boreal zone: Ecosystem processes, health, sustainability, and environmental issues (2013)
• Anticipating the consequences of climate change for Canada’s boreal forest ecosystems (2013)
• Canadian boreal forests and climate change mitigation (2013)
• Carbon in Canada’s boreal forest – A synthesis (2013)
• Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the managed Canadian boreal forest (2014)
• Effects of natural resource development on the terrestrial biodiversity of Canadian boreal forests (2014)
• How do natural disturbances and human activities affect soils and tree nutrition and growth in the Canadian boreal forest? (2014)
• Impacts and prognosis of natural resource development on aquatic biodiversity in Canada’s boreal zone (2013)
• Non-native species in Canada’s boreal zone: diversity, impacts, and risk (2014)
• Protected areas in boreal Canada: A baseline and considerations for the continued development of a representative and effective reserve network (2014)
• Impacts and prognosis of natural resource development on water and wetlands in Canada’s boreal zone (2015)

Learn about sustainable forestry and Canada’s boreal forest

How sustainable forest management ensures that Canada’s forests are healthy, safe and thriving.