What are the human impacts on Boreal Forests?

There are a variety of impacts that humans have had in Canada’s boreal forests. Unfortunately, the human activities that have contributed to the growth of Canada’s economy have also threatened the health of the forests and their inhabitants. Major industrial developments such as mining, logging, oil and gas, and hydroelectric power projects have changed the current and future state of this ecosystem. Additionally, agriculture, hunting, recreational activities, fire suppression, and tourism, have also caused many changes to the environment.

Mining occurs in every Canadian province and territory where a boreal forest exists. It causes pollution, changes in water flow, and it fragments the forest. Reclamation and remediation are processes that require decades causing the effects of mining to be long lasting. Logging causes changes in the amount of water in the ecosystem, the water quality and the temperature of the water . The oil and gas industry in Canada builds roads and occupies large expanses of cleared forest land. This industrial activity greatly affects many plant and animal species because it displaces them from these large areas of the forest. Hydroelectric power is a reliable source of energy, however, in boreal forest waterways these systems alter water flow and cause changes to wetland areas. Fire suppression is another human impact that disrupts the natural burn cycles of the forests causing fuel loads to increase leading to more intense, uncontrollable fires.

These human activities do not only impact plants and animals but also the lives of humans. Around 80% of Canada’s aboriginal population reside in these forests. Pollution, land fragmentation, and changes in water quality, directly affect their daily activities. However, many of these people also rely on the jobs that these human activities provide. The challenge now is to find a balance between utilizing and conserving the resources in these boreal zones.