Critters abound in the woods/from page eight

Alan W. Lowe
NRAC

Everybody knows some of the animals which live in the forest. Deer, moose, wolves, squirrels. And we know about the eagles, the osprey, and the herons. And we know about some of the insects, too - mostly about the ones which bother us, like mosquitoes, black flies, and those little tiny no-see-ums.
There are billions (that’s billions, with a ‘b’) of other small creatures which inhabit the woods. A lot of us have never seen them, but if they weren’t there, the forests wouldn’t be there, either.
For many years, as the white man extended his influence throughout North America, he cut down trees. This was to clear the land for farming, for settlements, for factories and schools, for all sorts of things we now take for granted. In the early days, the trees were cut down because they were useful, or they were in the way. The wood was used, the stumps were pulled up, and the leftovers were burned.
It is only fairly recently that we have come to realize that the forest is a whole ecological entity. Trees, bushes, plants, mammals, birds, bugs, worms all make up a system in which each part is dependent on other parts. Living things are intertwined with each other.
How about warblers? These are little greenish or yellowish birds which you hardly ever pay any attention to. Did you know that, along with the vireos, there are about 30 different species of warblers here in Northwestern Ontario? Also, that the number of these little, almost invisible birds in the Boreal Forest runs to several billion? (That’s billions, with a ‘b’, too). Some of them live in the top 15 or 20 feet of the forest canopy and only rarely come below that level. Others live in the middle few feet. And still others live in the 15 or 20 feet close to the ground. And there are a few which actually live right on the ground. And all of these billions of birds live entirely on insects.
Those are only a few of the birds. There are lots more insect-eating birds. Quite a few small mammals live mostly on insects, too. Shrews, moles, voles and bats are a few of them.
These animals and birds, and other critters have been overlooked for a very long time. In the last few decades, however, foresters have been taking an active interest in all life in the woods - not just the trees. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has published guides and guidelines for many different kinds of wildlife. Some are Forestry Guidelines; some are Timber guides and Habitat guides, and so on.
Did you know that Ducks Unlimited estimates that about half of all the ducks produced in North America get their start in the Boreal Forest? So we have a guideline for waterfowl, as well as for wetlands, marshes, bogs and so on where these waterfowl are likely to breed.
There are guidelines for herons, ospreys, warblers, hawks, and for bats and fur-bearing animals. There is one for fish habitat. And there are some guidelines for special birds and mammals - the Peregrine Falcon, the Golden Eagle, the Marten, and the White - tailed Deer. And those are just a very few.
This is to let you know that the modern forester is not just interested in cutting down trees. He is concerned about the entire forest spectrum. This includes the great range of animal life, without which the forest would not continue to survive - the critters.
If all of the Bald Eagles in Northern Ontario were to disappear overnight, the effect on the environment would be very small. But if the warblers and other insect-eating birds were to do so, the whole forest would be gone in a very few years. Insects would destroy it.
This way of handling the forest is to ensure that we have forests in perpetuity. Taking care of all parts of the forest environment, including the critters, big and little, will make sure that our forests and their products will be there for us and our descendants way into the future.
The practice of forestry is continuing to change all the time - for the better
An informational brochure explaining more about N.R.A.C. and how to contact any of its members can be obtained at M.N.R. offices in Fort Frances and Atikokan or any municipal office in the area. NRAC members are: Chairperson, Andrew Moulton, Vice Chair, Eric Rude, Shawn O’Donnell, Lawrence Eustace, Alan Lowe, Al Holt, John Amundsen, Don Dickson, Dale Kaemingh, Charlie Morken, Henriette Verhoef, Dawn Helseth-Kroeker.