Ecozone Profile

The Boreal Shield

Learn more about ecozones in general and see how the Boreal Shield ecozone fits in relation to Canada's other 14 terrestrial ecozones.

Basic Facts  
The Boreal Shield ecozone is a broadly U-shaped zone that extends from northern Saskatchewan, east to Newfoundland. It passes north of Lake Winnipeg, the Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence River.

Climate 
This ecozone is largely influenced by cold air masses from Hudson Bay. There are relatively high levels of precipitation, from 400 mm (15.75 inches) per year in the west to 1,000 mm (39.4 inches) in the east. The average annual growing season varies from 1,000 growing degree-days above five degrees in the north to over 1,500 in the south. 
Human Activities 
This region is well known for its forest, mining, and recreational resources. Most of the forest industry of Quebec and Ontario is based in the Boreal Shield. Sudbury, Chicoutimi and St. John's are some of the cities in this region. 
Landforms and Soils 
Like the Taiga Shield ecozone to the north, this zone has many rock outcrops and the surface is littered with countless lakes, rivers, and creeks. The soils can be shallow and coarse textured. Much of the soil material that exists is the result of glaciation. Deposits of moraine and, less frequently, lacustrine deposits dominate. 
Wildlife 
Mammals of the Boreal Shield include woodland caribou, white-tailed deer, moose, black bear, porcupine, bat, raccoon, marten, fisher, skunk, lynx, bobcat, and eastern chipmunk. The ponds of the area are rich in life, including turtles, snakes, mudpuppies, frogs, salamanders, and toads. Bird specimens include the Great Blue Heron, Kingfisher, and Turkey Vulture. Beavers dam the streams to provide themselves with homes; many of the ponds of this zone are created by beavers.

Mammals in Boreal Shield Ecozone

Vulnerable

Threatened

Endangered

Extirpated

Extinct

Grey fox  
(Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

Woodland Caribou  
(Rangifer tarandus caribou)

Cougar  
(Felis concolor cougar)

Grizzly Bear 
(Ursus arctos) 

Southern flying squirrel 
(Glaucomys volans)

Wolverine  
(Gulo gulo)

Fishes in Boreal Shield Ecozone

Vulnerable

Threatened

Endangered

Extirpated

Extinct

Northern brook lamprey 
(Ichthyomyzon fossor)

Great Lakes Deepwater Sculpin 
(Myoxocephalus thompsoni)

Aurora Trout  
(Salvelinus fontinalis timagamensis)

Chestnut Lamprey 
(Ichthyomyzon castaneus)

Blackfin cisco 
(Coregonus nigripinis)

Kiyi 
(Coregonus kiyi)

Shortjaw cisco 
(Coregonus zenithicus)

Spring cisco 
(Coregonus sp.)

Shortnose cisco 
(Coregonus reighardi)

Banded killifish  
(Fundulus diaphanus)

Lake Simcoe whitefish 
(Coregonus clupeaformis)

River redhorse 
(Moxostoma carinatum)

Plants and Lichens in Boreal Shield Ecozone

Vulnerable

Threatened

Endangered

Extirpated

Extinct

Hill's pondweed  
(Potamogeton hillii)

American Ginseng 
(Panax quinquefolium)

Engelmann's Quillwort  
(Isoetës engelmannii)

East prairie white fringed orchid  
(Platanthera leucophaea)

Anticosti aster  
(Aster anticostensis)

Spotted Wintergreen  
(Chimaphila maculata)

Branched bartonia 
(Bartonia paniculata)

Western silver-leaf aster 
(Virgulus sericeus)