Boreal Quick Facts

Water and wetlands

• Globally, it contains the largest area of freshwater
• Boreal wetlands play an important role in regulating global climate
• According to the Geological Survey of Canada, the peat in Canada’s wetlands stores almost 60 per cent of all the carbon stored in soils across the country
• It holds approximately 25 per cent of the world’s intact wetlands
• Supplies clean water by filtering the largest surface area of freshwater on the planet
• Boreal wetlands support biodiversity, help mitigate climate change and flooding, improve water quality, maintain water flow in periods of drought, and provide opportunities for recreational and cultural activities
• About two-thirds of boreal vertebrates depend on wetlands throughout their lifecycle

Wildlife and waterfowl

• Is rich in biodiversity, with 85 species of mammals, 130 species of fish, and 300 species of birds
• Hundreds of species such as moose, caribou, elk, grizzly bears, lynx and wolves call the boreal home
• Sustains 23 different species of ducks and contributes to all 4 continental flyways
• Approximately 35 species of ducks, geese and swans use the Canadian boreal
• Provides important breeding and nesting habitat for 1-3 billion migratory birds
• One-third of the 44 million ducks breeding in North America breed in the boreal
• The boreal forest, along with the U.S. and Canadian prairies, represents the majority of North America’s waterfowl breeding areas
• Many boreal species are considered a conservation concern including caribou, boreal chorus frogs, and various birds
• Fourty percent of priority bird species associated with wetlands in the boreal forest appear to be declining
• Nine species are officially listed as species at risk in Canada: five terrestrial birds and four waterbirds

Culture and community

• More than 70 per cent of Canada’s Indigenous communities live within its 1.3 billion acre expanse
• It provides food, medicine, recreation, shelter and employment for more than 600 of Canada’s Indigenous communities
• Crosses 10 provinces and territories

Ecosystem services

Economists and ecologists have demonstrated that ecosystem services have economic value. Their calculations include market value, such as hydro-electricity, timber and oil and gas. They include non-market value, such as carbon sequestration, water regulation and pest control.

• Stores more carbon than any other ecozone on Earth – 3 times more than tropical forests
• Buffers extreme weather, holding back water in floods and storing it in droughts
• The boreal consists of different types of forest mixed with a variety of wetlands
• Producing food, freshwater, wood and peat resources for fuel
• Regulating climate, water quality, and quantity to reduce the economic consequences of floods and droughts
• Providing cultural value for Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities through educational, recreational and spiritual opportunities
• Supporting wetland ecosystems through soil and nutrient cycling, creating a broad range of habitats for species, plants and animals
• The Canadian Boreal Initiative estimates:
  • $50.9 billion* of market value services are extracted from the boreal forest annually. The non-market value is an estimated $703 billion, nearly 14 times greater.
  • Carbon storage by forests and wetlands has the highest value of all ecosystem services at $582 billion, followed by flood control and water filtering by peatlands at $77 billion and other wetlands at $33.7 billion. DUC researchers are developing methods to apply the value of ecosystem services in conservation, policy and land use planning.

*2002 value