…Trees are remarkably resilient when left to their innate wisdom. Canada’s boreal forest, a sweep of green from coast to coast, evolved to flourish through adversity. To withstand winter and wind, defy infestations and emerge stronger from fires. Between 70 and 85 per cent of the most charred, broken land will regenerate, with time and patience. … But today, Canada is losing trees far faster than nature can grow them or humans can plant them. We chop them down to make way for parking lots, bulldoze for development, clear-cut for timber and paper. …Canada lost 7.35 billion trees that will never grow back, according to a recent analysis by the Canadian Tree Nursery Association. …We’re not planting enough seedlings to make the slightest dent in our tree deficit. …In its March nature announcement, the federal government repeated a finding from a 2011 study that estimated that the boreal forest contributes $703-billion per year in ecosystem services, the positive benefits that stem from its existence. [We respect the copyrights of the source publication – full access to this story may require a subscription]