Unit 3 - Canada and the World's Forest Land Issues
Completion requirements
Forest Ecosystems
A forest ecosystem is all the plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area that function together with all of the non-living physical factors. Forest ecosystems play an important role in regulating the earth’s fresh water cycle, carbon cycle, and climate systems, as well as providing habitats for wildlife. Small changes in an ecosystem can impact everything else within it. As already noted, forest ecosystems can be greatly impacted by the natural occurring events such as insect outbreaks but are also impacted by climate change, which may bring with it more frequent or intense wildfires, outbreaks of insects and pathogens, and extreme events such as high winds, floods, or drought.
In Canada, researchers work to set harvest rates that ensure long-term ecosystem sustainability. As a result, the country’s forests are able to support species diversity and resilience over large, complicated, ever-evolving ecosystems. This research is
shared world-wide to help other countries understand the importance of maintaining forest ecosystems.
Sometimes people negatively impact forest ecosystems unintentionally by disturbing a species that lives within the forest, introducing an invasive species, or purposely preventing forest regrowth through agriculture and the grazing of animals.
Sometimes people negatively impact forest ecosystems unintentionally by disturbing a species that lives within the forest, introducing an invasive species, or purposely preventing forest regrowth through agriculture and the grazing of animals.
An example of how one species can impact an ecosystem can be seen in the removal of and the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Once the wolves were reintroduced, the forest ecosystem found balance again overtime.
Dr. William A. Powell discusses reviving the American forest with the American chestnut tree which was wiped out by a fungus introduced by humans.
Trees for Life Founder, Alan Watson-Featherstone explains what happened to, and why he hopes to restore, Scotland’s ancient Caledonian Forests.
Forest Ecological systems throughout the world have been disturbed because of overharvesting or the removal of one or more species. Continuing to manage forests in a way that will ensure resilience of forest ecosystems will be an ongoing challenge as climate change and other stressors continue to cause impacts.