Mount Burnt property, Northern Green Mountains, QC (Photo by Appalachian Corridor)
From the scrubby forests of Nova Scotia’s coasts to the towering giants in British Columbia’s rainforests, 10 percent of the world’s forests grow right here in Canada. In fact, more than half of our country is forested, and the majority of these habitats remains untouched today. These “old-growth,” “frontier,” “ancient” and “last intact” forests are some of the largest remaining untouched forested areas in the world.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) works to conserve forests across the country, including:
- the 200-year-old Happy Valley Forest Natural Area in Ontario, which is a good example of a forest that is growing old;
- the forests in Darkwoods, British Columbia, which provide important habitat for the South Selkirk herd of mountain caribou, listed as an endangered species in the U.S.;
- the lowlands of Bristol and Clarendon, where we are working to protect wetlands and forests;
- and many more!
A wealth of ecological services
The ecological services provided by Canada’s forests are, to date, uncalculated. Among their numerous roles, they purify water, regulate and cool climate, absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, produce oxygen and provide habitat and shelter for countless species.
Working together to protect Canada’s forests
TD Forests is helping NCC to increase the amount of forest habitat protected and cared for, especially in southern Canada, where forests are most threatened by development. This is where the majority of Canadians live, competing for space with more than 80 percent of our terrestrial and freshwater species at risk.
Through this program, NCC and TD are also engaging Canadians in and connecting them to the mission of conserving our forested areas.
Read about NCC’s first four projects under the TD Forests program:
- Backus Woods addition: 42 acres (17 hectares) of prime, hardwood Carolinian forest in southern Ontario >
- Lusicich property: 262 acres (106 acres) with Douglas fir forest in southwestern Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass >
- Mount Burnt property: 764 acres (309 hectares) of a forested, transboundary wildlife corridor near the Quebec-Vermont border >
- Point Abino Woods: 32 acres (113 hectares) of forest and soon-to-be-restored farmland in southern Ontario’s Carolinian Lifezone >
Read more about some of TD's recent forest initiatives >
Read more about our partnership with TD Bank Group >
Fun forest facts
- In a recent survey, more than 70 percent of people identified air quality as the greatest benefit provided by forests.
- Close to 90 of Canada’s species at risk live in forests.
- Canada’s forests provide habitat of two-thirds of Canada’s estimated 140,000 species of plants, animals, fungi and other organisms.
- Less than a quarter of Canada’s forests is actively managed to supply wood fibre for paper, lumber, energy and other uses.
