Deforestation of Canada's Boreal Shield & Pacific Coast

Deforestation of Canada’s Boreal Shield & Pacific Coast

First off, what is deforestation? The majority of people have come to know this term; deforestation is the clear cutting or total removal of trees in a forest. With the destruction of these luscious and plentiful forests come many environmental issues ranging from global warming to soil erosion to loss of habitat. By the end of this report you should have a better understanding of the impact of deforestation and what has to be done in Canada’s Boreal Shield (ecozone) and of that on the Pacific Coast. The clear cutting of forests has existed since the beginning of man kind. There are many reasons to clear cut a forest: people need land to farm in order to survive, pulp and paper mills need to produce their products, we need to export the wood to other countries, make furniture etc. The list goes on and on. One would be crazy to say that deforestation is going to end … the only way for this to happen would be to clear cut every single forest on our lovely planet Earth.

Even though this is a world-wide problem, especially in South America, focusing on the Canadian issue seems appropriate. As mentioned above, the regions concentrated on are Canada’s Boreal Shield and the Pacific Coast. The Boreal Shield is an ecozone of Canada ranging from Alberta to Newfoundland, south of the Taiga Shield and Hudson Plains and north of various ecozones, including the Boreal Plains, Mixed wood Plains, and Atlantic Maritime. (Can. Biodiversity Website, McGill Uni.)

Like any other research project, one must expand their horizons when it comes to finding appropriate material relating directly to their topic, and with today’s technology the information resources are endless. Sources to be used in this project are as follows: World Wide Web, encyclopedias, environmental text from previous years of study, reference books, and possibly a GIS model if the software is available.

Over the duration of this project, many maps and visual figures will be present. Visual aids impose a clear and concise representation of what is being presented; they stand out in the audiences mind more than what a whole blog of text would. Below is a sample map showing the location of the Boreal Shield and also two images taken of how the government is tracking and monitoring the deforestation in these areas.

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