Global Forest Watch Canada - Alberta's Remaining Wildland Forests
Results of the most comprehensive survey to date of Canada’s wild forests were published by Global Forest Watch Canada (GFWC) in September 2003 (www.globalforestwatch.ca ). Using highly sophisticated satellite imagery, Canada’s Large Intact Forest Landscapes reveals that 40 percent of Canada’s forests have been fragmented by industrial activity, while 60 percent - almost entirely in the northern boreal region – remain intact.
Large intact forest landscapes of over 50,000 ha in size - areas untouched by industrial activity for at least 50 years and large enough to preserve all of their naturally occurring species and ecological processes – remain in only a limited number of regions on earth. This includes the boreal forests of North America and Russia, and the rainforests of the Amazon, Central Africa and South East Asia.
Now, with the assistance of Alberta Ecotrust funding, GFWC will be mapping smaller blocks of unfragmented forest landscapes in Alberta. Peter Lee, National Coordinator (GFWC), says that using medium resolution Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite imagery, Global Forest Watch Canada will map down to 10,000 ha, and perhaps even smaller. "The expected result will be published digital data layers, maps and a report which will serve to create an increased awareness among forest management decision-makers -- within the environmental community, in government, in industry, and in other interested groups -- of the scope and locations of these intact blocks that may be identified as areas of opportunity for conservation and/or sustainability initiatives," states Lee. "This information will help increase our understanding of the health and functionality of our forest landscapes, as opposed to simply reporting on the remaining extent of forested lands. This work will be completed by the spring of 2005," he adds.
The Landsat picture above displays Bands 5, 4 and 3, and shows a 20x25 kilometre forested area in west-central Alberta. The image shows older and new logging clearcuts, roads, petroleum wellsites and seismic lines, as well as small lakes, wetlands, streams, and forest cover. The GFWC project will identify all blocks of forest landscapes that do not show any evidence of human-caused disturbances.
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