[LINK] "Boreal forest suffering 'significant' losses in Russia, Canada"

[rfmcdonald]

The CBC reports that one thing Canada and Russia do share these days is the shrinking of their boreal forests, global warming perhaps being the cause.

Russia and Canada led the world in the loss of tree cover in 2013, according to analysis of new satellite images by researchers and Global Forest Watch.

Some 43,000 square kilometres of northern boreal forest were ravaged in Russia, due mainly to fires, in 2013, while Canada shed another 24,500 square kilometres — amounting to a "very significant" loss in tree cover, according to Dr. Nigel Sizer of GFW, an interactive, online forest-monitoring and alert system based in Washington.

The data comes from GFW, the University of Maryland and Google.

Both Canada and Russia have seen unusually numerous forest fires in recent years, something Sizer says might be attributed to factors including climate change.

"Climate change models predict as it gets drier and warmer … you're going to see more fires in the boreal region," Sizer told CBC News.