| Midwest Canadian Shield Forests | |
|---|---|
 Forests of thePisew Falls Provincial Park,Manitoba | |
 | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Nearctic |
| Biome | Boreal forests/taiga |
| Borders | |
| Geography | |
| Area | 755,470 km2 (291,690 mi2) |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable[1] |
TheMidwest Canadian Shield Forests is anecoregion inCanada, classified as aTaiga and Boreal ForestsBiome.[2]
This is an area of rolling hills with lakes both small and large, wetlands, and rocky outcrops on theCanadian Shield in northernSaskatchewan, north-centralManitoba (north and east ofLake Winnipeg) andNorthwestern Ontario. Specific areas include theAthabasca Sand Dunes, and many lakes such asCree Lake,Upper Foster Lake andReindeer Lake in Saskatchewan. The area has a cold climate, very cold in winter although the hills aroundLac Seul are warmer and wetter than most of the ecoregion, while the Athabasca Plain and the uplands above theChurchill River andHayes River are cooler. There are patches ofpermafrost throughout[1]
Much of the landscape, including the Athabasca Plain, is the boreal forest that covers so much of Canada at this latitude, consisting of black spruce (Picea mariana), jack pine (Pinus banksiana), quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), white birch (Betula papyrifera),balsam poplars, white spruce (Picea glauca), and balsam fir (Abies balsamea). The dominant tree of the wetlands is black spruce, while the rocky outcrops are covered withlichens.
Mammals of the ecoregion includemoose (Alces alces),American black bear (Ursus americanus),woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou),barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus arcticus),Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis),grey wolf (Canis lupus),American beaver (Castor canadensis),North American river otter (Lontra canadensis),American marten (Martes americana),American ermine (Mustela richardsonii),fisher (Martes pennanti),muskrat (Ondatra zibethica),snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus),southern red-backed vole (Myodes gapperi),American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) andleast chipmunk (neotamius minimus).
Birds include ducks, geese,American white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos),sandhill crane (Grus canadensis),spruce grouse (Falcipennis canadensis),sharp-tailed grouse (Tympahuchus phasianellus),willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus),common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor),red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis),common raven (Corvus corax),common loon (Gavia immer),bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus),Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis),northern hawk owl (Surnia ulula),great horned owl (Bubo virginianus),American herring gull (Larus smithsonianus) anddouble-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus).
Most of the natural forest remains intact with most alteration having occurred in Manitoba due to logging, mining and hydro-electric power generation. Protected areas includeOpasquia Provincial Park,Woodland Caribou Provincial Park andPipestone River Provincial Park in northwesternOntario,Atikaki Provincial Wilderness Park in eastern Manitoba andLac la Ronge and Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park in Saskatchewan.
Media related toMidwest Canadian Shield Forests Ecoregion at Wikimedia Commons