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Many forests, rocks, cliffs maybe a few mountains and some lakes I.e the Great Lakes

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Q: What is the geological history for the boreal shield ecozone?
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What natural vegation and soil does the boreal shield have?

During the last ice age, which ended 10 000 years ago, the Shield was repeatedly scoured by advancing glaciers. While in retreat, they blanketed much of the landscape with coarse till released by torrential meltwater streams. Glaciation also had an important influence on the nature of today's soils, having scraped away much of the preglacial cover, often right down to bedrock. Not only are most soils here relatively thin, they are also high in acidity, low in nutrient availability, and cool. Organic soils underlying the expansive wetlands of this area further restrict plant growth by being oxygen poor and notoriously soggy. Although all of these qualities put severe restrictions on agriculture, the soils of the Boreal Shield are generally well suited for the growth of coniferous trees, as shown by the vast evergreen forests that now blanket much of this ecozone. Cool temperatures, a short growing season, frequent forest fires, and acidic soils are among the many challenges faced by plant life in this ecozone. In spite of this, almost 85% of the ecozone is forest, of which 70% is considered productive for timber. The forest is dominated by a few highly adaptable tree species, such as black spruce, white spruce, jack pine, and balsam fir. Black spruce, the most common species, yields high-quality wood pulp and is therefore a prime species for Canada's growing paper industry. Farther south there is a higher proportion of broadleaf trees, such as paper birch, trembling aspen, and balsam poplar, as well as other conifers, such as white, red, and jack pine. In southeastern parts of the ecozone, species characteristic of more temperate climates are common, including yellow birch, sugar maple, black ash, and eastern white cedar. Throughout the Boreal Shield, these forests are mixed with innumerable bogs, fens, marshes, and other wetlands. Covering nearly 20% of the ecozone, these wetlands are among its most diverse and biologically productive ecosystems.


What are some threats to the boreal shield?

Some threats to the boreal shield are Insects and diseases - essential ecological influences: Together, fire, forest tent caterpillar, lodge pole pine dwarf mistletoe, spruce budworm, and jack pine budworm, typically affect millions of hectares of forests each year in this Ecozone. Although they cause tree mortality, and reduction in growth amounts to tens of millions of cubic meters of wood annually, these agents of change are essential to the ecological well-being of these forests. However, volume losses due to these disturbances, which exceed volumes harvested, have implications for the available timber supply in the region. Disturbances may become more frequent, persistent, and severe if predictions of global climate change are realized. Insects and fungi are capable of adapting quickly to a changing environment because of their genetic makeup and short generation times, but trees are much slower to adapt .This difference in adaptive abilities would lead to an increased risk of insect and fungal infestation with a changing climate. Fragmentation of the aspen forest: Northward expansion of agriculture over the last 100 years has resulted in the loss of much of the most productive aspen forests in the southern portion of this ecozone. A belt of land ranging in width from a few to over 100 km has been converted from trembling aspen and mixedwood forests to agricultural land. This deforestation has resulted in fragmented forests that are in poor condition and prone to degradation. One such decline, caused by drought, occurred in trembling aspen stands in the 1960s (Zoltai et al. 1991). In the early 1990s, aspen decline again became prevalent as a result of forest tent caterpillar defoliation and drought. In contrast, trembling aspen stands in the continuous boreal forest portion of this ecozone have not been affected to the same degree by similar climatic conditions. This fact suggests that the fragmented aspen forests of the southern Boreal Plains ecozone are more predisposed to natural stressors. Roland (1993) states that large-scale forest fragmentation increases the duration of outbreaks of forest tent caterpillar. In addition, remnant forests, wetlands, and other `unimproved lands' within the agricultural belt of this ecozone are being converted to croplands or `improved' pasture lands. Increasing numbers of livestock are also being pastured within the remnant forests. Finally, many of the remaining wooded areas are being cleared. All these agricultural activities have tremendous net adverse health implications for large portions of the remaining aspen-dominated forest ecosystems.


What type of volcanoes formed the Hawaiian islands?

The Hawiian islands are formed by shield volcanoes.


Why is eyjafjallajokull a shield volcanoe?

The case in question: eyjafjallajokull is a glacier. It is on a volcano, which is a shield volcano. A shield volcano has gentle sides. This defines a shield volcano. I hope this answers your question.


Where is Canadian shield located?

The shield is mostly thin soil lying on top of bedrock, with many bare outcrops and thousands of lakes so has very bad farming.The Canadian Shield is a vast region of an ancient worn-down, mineralized mountain range.REGION OF CANADAthe canadian shield is a region surrounding the hudson bay made up of mostly bedrock.

Related questions

What ecozone is Algonquin Park in?

Boreal Shield Ecozone


What is Ottawa's ecozone?

Boreal Shield


What is the nickname for the boreal shield ecozone?

The big wild :)


What are human activities in the Boreal Shield ecozone?

forestry industriesfishingtourismmining


Which two ecozone border the great lakes?

boreal shield


What province are included in the Boreal Shield Ecozone?

The Boreal Shield stretches from Alberta to Newfoundland, as it is known as Canada's largest terrestrial ecozones. The bulk of the Boreal Shield stands in Quèbec and Ontario.


Which Ecozone do you live in?

I've lived in many spending a lot of time in the Hudson Plains. Right now I'm in the Boreal Plains having just returned from the Taiga Cordillera but am planing a trip to the Boreal Shield.


What is the ecozone of muskoka?

canadian shield


Why does Canada have ecozones?

Cause every where in the world there are many different types of different living areas and weather and where ever the weather changes the ecozone are formed. There are 32 different kinds of ecozones in Canada.cause every where in the world there are many different types of different living areas and weather and where ever the weather changes the ecozone are formed. There are 32 different kinds of ecozones in Canada.


Why is the Taiga Shield a distinct ecozone?

cause this is the only ecozone where your mother has not given birth to at least a thousand children


Where can you find more information about the Boreal Shield?

The Boreal Shield is a region in northern North America. Formation Canadian Shield rock forms the nucleus of the North American continent. Other geological structures assumed positions around or on top of the Shield millions of years after it was formed. The Rocky Mountains are relative newcomers on the geological stage, having risen a mere 60 million years ago. Most Shield rocks were formed well over a billion years earlier, during the very first chapter of the planet's history known as the Precambrian era. What once may have been a towering mountain chain is today a massive rolling plain of ancient bedrock. During the late Precambrian era, violent spasms in the Earth


What are some tourist attractions in the taiga shield ecozone?

neah and jessica.