 Book
and newspaper production is connected to impacts on one of the last intact
forest ecosystems on Earth - the Canadian Boreal Forest. It is
estimated that 2.5 million acres of the Boreal are logged each
year and that 65% of the cut is specifically for paper products
such as books, newsprint, magazines, catalogs, copy paper and tissue
products. Eighty percent of this paper production is destined
for U.S. markets.
46% of all newsprint consumed in the U.S. was once part of a Canadian forest, and most of this is derived from the Boreal. The 1.3 billion acres of the Canadian Boreal Forest span from Alaska to the Atlantic Ocean, and provide crucial habitat for bears, wolves, lynx and caribou. The Canadian Boreal also serves as the breeding ground for billions of birds each year. Additionally, the Canadian Boreal plays a vital role in mitigating the impacts of climate change—storing between 7 and 11% of the carbon in the Earth's biosphere.
 People
and CommunitiesAbout
1 million people live in more than 600 First Nations communities
throughout the Canadian Boreal Forest. Many of these people rely
on the forest for traditional uses such as hunting, trapping,
and gathering plants for food and medicine.
Joe Fobister and his grandson in a homeland ravaged by
clearcutting
Photo by Jennifer deGroot
Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement
The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement was agreed reached in May of 2010 between 21 forest product companies and 9 environmental organizations and covers over 72 million hectares of the Canadian Boreal Forest. Under the agreement, 29 million hectares of critical caribou habitat will be off limits to logging and road building. The agreement commits to the development and implementation of world-leading forest management and harvesting practices for the remaining area. The rights of indigenous and first nation communities are also expressly recognized under the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. |
