Central Canadian Shield forests


The Central Canadian Shield forests are a taiga ecoregion of Canada.

Setting

This ecoregion consists of rolling hills, lakes, bogs and rocky outcrops covering a large curved swathe on the Canadian Shield from eastern Manitoba and Northern Ontario running southeastwards through Thunder Bay District to the north shore of Lake Superior and then northeastwards into western Quebec. The area has a cool climate with summer temperatures averaging around 13°C dropping to a very cold -17°C in winter, with the hills around Lac Seul in northwestern Ontario being warmer and wetter than most of the area. Average rainfall in the eastern side of the ecoregion is 550mm per year, rising to 750mm in the centre, up to 900mm in the west. Specific areas include Lake Nipigon and Big Trout Lake. These forest contrast with more severe boreal forest ecoregions such as the Eastern Canadian Shield taiga to the north, which covers most of Northern Quebec and Labrador.

Flora

These hills support a large area of rich taiga forest dominated by black spruce along with jack pine and some paper birch and in the warmer south-facing areas some trembling aspen, white spruce, Ontario balsam poplar and balsam fir. Many of the rocks of the area are covered with colourful lichens. The ecoregion contains large areas of wetland especially in the south east, and a greater variety of plant life on the north shore of Lake Superior.

Fauna

Mammals of the taiga include moose, the southernmost populations of migratory woodland caribou, American black bear, Canada lynx, snowshoe hare and grey wolf. Birds of the area include northern hawk owl, great horned owl, sharp-tailed grouse, ruffed grouse, American black duck, wood duck, Canada goose in the north, and hooded merganser and pileated woodpecker in the west.

Threats and preservation

This is fairly well-preserved ecoregion with 40% of original forest intact while most has been heavily changed by logging and in some areas by mining and hydroelectric power generation. Large blocks of undisturbed forest do remain, for example north of Lake Nipigon in Ontario and around Lake Mistassini in Quebec, and in the following protected areas: Wabakimi Provincial Park northwest of Lake Nipigon, Pukaskwa National Park near Marathon, Ontario on the Lake Superior shore, a number of rivers and lakes in Northern Ontario, Kesagami Provincial Park, Michipicoten Island in Lake Superior, all in Ontario; and Aiguebelle National Park in Quebec.