Climate Change

Intact forests help keep us cool.

Scientists agree that climate change is already affecting British Columbia's ecosystems, and we can expect such change to continue. It is harder to predict the exact nature of those changes, and how they will affect us. Most scientists believe temperatures will continue to rise. Winter snow-packs in the inland temperate rainforest are already decreasing, and this decrease will probably continue. This is a potential problem for caribou, which rely on deep snow to be able to reach lichen, their main winter food.

We know that healthy forests, such as old-growth, are better able to withstand and adapt to change. Because logging releases the carbon that is contained in forests, the Union of Concerned Scientists recommends forest conservation as its top forest-based strategy for mitigating global warming.

All animals need healthy habitats that allow them to move across the landscape when they need to. Caribou have weathered a number of climate change events over the last several thousand years. If enough forests are protected, and habitat remains connected, the outlook for caribou – and many other species including humans – will be much brighter.