Forests are a key part of our country!

Dear Readers; Preserving our Forests has been chosen as the theme for Canadian Environment Week, starting June 5th. (Thursday)

By DENISE DEVEAU, For Postmedia News June 1, 2011

Now marking its 40th anniversary, Canadian Environment Week is the time to set aside a few days "for grassroots action to help preserve, protect and restore our environment," according to Mark Johnson, a spokesperson for Environment Canada.

This year's theme is Preserving our Forests, Protecting our Future, which was chosen to reflect the United Nations designation of 2011 as the International Year of Forests. Canadian Environment Week also includes a number of other noteworthy events, such as Clean Air Day and World Oceans Day on June 8 and a weeklong Commuter Challenge. It's a fitting theme, given that Canadians count on our forests to sustain our economy, our environment and over 140,000 plant, microorganism and animal species.

According to Natural Resources Canada, our forests represent 10 per cent of the world's forest cover and 30 per cent of the world's boreal (i.e. northern) forest. Within Canada itself, forests and other wooded land represent 53.8 per cent of the country's total surface area.

As an economic contributor, the forest industry is the main economic driver in nearly 200 Canadian communities and employed 238,200 people in 2009, according to Statistics Canada. Canada also ranks as one of the world's largest exporters of forest products, 70 per cent of which are exported to the United States.

"There are many ways to view our forests," says David Browne, director of conservation, Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) in Toronto. "They're very valuable as a store for carbon and play an important role in keeping our world the way we know it. And all those migratory songbirds we love to hear waking up in the morning need forests to survive.

So do insects, plants, small mice up to moose, deer and wolves. Basically forests are a big storehouse for biodiversity."

The commitment to sustaining Canada's forests is widespread and spans people and groups of all ages and experience. Efforts range from projects dedicated to preserving specific sites or species to all-encompassing replanting and education initiatives.

A key project for Toronto-based Earth Rangers, for example, is the protection of the Happy Valley Forest in King Township, about 60 kilometres north of Toronto, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

This 2,850 acre property is home to 110 bird species and amphibians, including the Jefferson salamander, a particular favourite of Earth Ranger's science adviser Scott Tarof.

"The unique thing about this deciduous forest region is that it's within the greater Toronto area and yet is relatively intact," Tarof explains. A concerted effort to keep ATVs out and alert people to proper forest etiquette is helping to stabilize - and even rebuild - certain habitat such as vernal ponds and species.

In B.C., the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations in Victoria is currently focused on protecting what's in place, and introducing new species to maintain the right balance to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Chief forester Jim Snetsinger reports that global warming has not only played a role in the mountain pine beetle infestation, it is also changing the ability of existing tree species to survive.

"The mountain pine beetle has been around as long as we've had pine trees," he says. "The problem however, is we don't get the deep colds we used to get to reduce the population. Right now they have affected almost 700 million cubic metres of wood across our land base."

Planet ReLeaf is a nationwide campaign managed by the Jane Goodall Institute's Roots and Shoots program. The idea behind it says Abner Lico, national program director, is to encourage students to understand how positive actions can be connected to animals and the environment. "Forest activities are part of that. You can't do a tree planting or shop locally and not affect the animals or the environment. It's all connected."

Youth-led projects range from local park cleanups to replanting to fundraising.

Whether putting your best foot forward while hiking through the woods, preserving local properties, educating the next generation of environmentalists or planting seedlings, many Canadians are doing their part to preserve our forests and protect the environment.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/Forests+part+country/4871536/story.html#ixzz1O1zwuKvi