Recently there has been a lot of discussion of global warming impacts on the Boreal and what we need to do to slow these impacts. But a story that came out a few weeks ago really brought home the issue and the urgency to act for me, perhaps in part because it happened in a place I have visited myself.

It was the story of the gutsy mother polar bear that showed up with two cubs in tow in the tiny isolated Northwest Territory community of Deline some 500 kilometers south of where polar bears have ever been seen. The story is even more wrenching when the experts tell us that she had probably begun wandering in search of food last fall because of late sea ice formation as a result of global warming. She may have traveled for months, nursing her cubs while her own body slowly broke down from starvation

This is just one of the real stories that rise above hyperbole to capture the horror of the vast changes we will see if we don't act. Policy makers in Canada from the national to the provincial level have, it seems given the various new initiatives being announced almost daily, grasped the importance of lowering carbon emissions. Sadly though, few government leaders still understand the true significance of protecting our remaining intact forests as part of this equation.

Canada's Boreal Forest, one of the largest intact forest and wetland ecosystems left on earth, and recently recognized by the National Academy of Sciences as one of the earth's key 'tipping point' climate systems, perfectly illustrates why scientists know forest protection is so important.

Canada's Boreal is the breeding ground for billions of birds and some of the world's largest populations of caribou, wolves, bear, and many other wildlife species. Its 1.5 million lakes and ponds hold much of the world's clean, fresh, unfrozen water providing habitat for fish and wildlife and a source of water for Canada's peoples. And it is the ancestral home and the provider of practical and spiritual sustenance for hundreds of First Nations communities.

But, scientists have discovered this forest's other treasure: huge amounts of carbon have accumulated in its soils, peatland, and permafrost. The Boreal safely locks away almost twice as much carbon per acre as tropical forests. If left intact, this ultimate carbon storage system keeps an estimated 186 billion tons of carbon from going into the atmosphere, equivalent to 27 years worth of the world's carbon emissions in 2003 from the burning of fossil fuels

Not only is it essential to increase the odds of keeping as much of the carbon "in the bank" by establishing protected areas as carbon "sanctuaries" but without the Boreal's vast, intact forest and wetland habitats, plants and animals will have no place to move to as their ranges shift. Without such areas, many plants and animals will face decreased numbers and higher risks of extinction.

If we are going tackle the problem of global warming, we must fight both carbon emissions from industrial activity and recognize forest's values beyond just their trees, by protecting intact, globally-important carbon-rich treasures like Canada's Boreal Forest.

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ABC's "Nature's Edge" show focused on bird conservation and Boreal birds.

It is in two segments and can be viewed at any time at the links below.:

Where Have All the Birds Gone?

Destruction of northern forests is jeopardizing bird species worldwide.
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4750830

Saving Our Boreal Birds

New book, "Birder's Conservation Handbook," tells you how you can help.
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4750904