Ontario Northern Boreal

The Ontario Northern Boreal is the heart of some of the most intact forests and wetlands in the world. Covering approximately the northern half of Ontario, this massive area is covered by intact boreal forests, thousands of lakes, free-flowing rivers, and extensive wetlands, including the second-largest peatland complex in the world, the Hudson Bay Lowland. The area is a homeland for Anishnaabeg and Cree Nations, many of whom currently live in 31 remote communities established under Treaty No. 9. The Ontario Northern Boreal has seen little of the industrial resource development and urban settlement that has transformed areas to the south, and is an important refuge for iconic northern wildlife like caribou, wolverine, and lake sturgeon. The Ontario Northern Boreal is also globally important for combatting climate change, with the high-integrity peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland storing five times more carbon per square meter than tropical forests.