Canada’s Boreal Forest is the largest intact forest left on the planet. Spanning from Alaska to Labrador, this continent-wide landscape shimmers with pristine lakes, towering evergreens and abundant wildlife.
The boreal is home to hundreds of Indigenous communities. It also helps provide the clean water, stable climate and other natural systems that all life depends upon.
The boreal’s natural wealth supports thousands of jobs and careful development in the region can sustain northern communities far into the future, but poorly planned projects can create lasting damage to the forest.
BorealConservation.org offers news, research and stories about the people working to preserve the forest—to balance strong protections and sustainable development across the entire region.
natural values
Crystal clear lakes the size of Belgium. Soaring mountains that cradle lush green valleys. Free-flowing rivers that unfurl over a thousand miles. Wildlife migrations that span the continent.
The Boreal Forest offers intact nature on a scale rarely seen in modern life.
From tiny bird nests lining a pond to the aurora borealis stretching across an autumn sky, the boreal is alive with wonders. Some hold the key to new medicines; some clean the air and water. All of them help keep the forest vibrant and healthy.
An Intact Forest
In a world that has lost 80 percent of its original forests, Canada’s Boreal Forest is one of the last strongholds of wild nature left on the planet. Read more >
A Refuge for Wildlife
The Boreal Forest is alive with animals. Caribou herds move through trees in search of abundant lichen, their hooves perfectly designed to dig into the snow to find nutrient-rich plants. Read more >
Fresh Clean Water
The boreal is home to countless shades of green, but it is also a forest of blue—of glistening lakes, streams, rivers and wetlands. Read more >
North America's Bird Nursery
Every spring, as the sun moves higher in the sky and the days grow longer, a lush boreal landscape emerges from beneath its winter cloak. Read more >
A Giant Carbon Shield
The Boreal Forest serves as a giant shield in the fight against climate change. Read more >
Canada’s Boreal is the largest intact forest left on the planet.
Conserving this continent-wide stronghold of nature requires bold measures.
How Big is the Boreal Forest?
Canada’s Boreal is the largest intact forest left on Earth, home to sweeping landscapes unbroken by roads or other development. How big is it?
