The boreal forest still sits like a green crown atop North America, stretching from the western edge of Alaska to the shores of Newfoundland. It’s the largest intact forest we have left on Earth and home to a marvelous array of wildlife. But it’s in trouble.
Every year, one million acres of the North American boreal forest is logged — that’s the equivalent of losing 1.5 football fields’ worth of forest per minute!
Environment America is calling on Home Depot, the nation’s biggest home-improvement retailer, to stop selling wood from the boreal forest.
The wonders of the boreal forest
The North American boreal forest is one of the most pristine ecosystems on the planet, containing 25% of the world’s remaining undisturbed forest and more surface freshwater than anywhere else on the planet.
Half of all bird species in Canada and the U.S. rely on the boreal, with 3 to 5 billion birds flying south to our backyards and parks every winter. The boreal also provides critical habitat for threatened species including wolves, cougars, lynxes, caribou, moose, grizzly bears and polar bears.
In addition, the boreal is absolutely critical to the fight against global warming, storing more than 200 billion tons of carbon and twice as much carbon as tropical forests per acre.
Clearly, this wild and environmentally critical place should be protected, and Home Depot has the opportunity to help protect these vanishing forests by making sure none of its wood products are sourced from critical habitats in undeveloped areas in the boreal.
How Home Depot could source wood more sustainably
Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement retailer, with more than 2,300 stores in North America. It sources almost 80% of its wood from the United States and Canada, including from the boreal forest.
In 2022, our allies at Green Century Funds rallied 64% of Home Depot shareholders in demanding that the company reduce its damage to forests. Now we’re joining the cause by calling upon Home Depot to stop selling wood sourced from the boreal forest.
By sourcing its wood sustainably, Home Depot will dramatically reduce logging in the boreal and could spark industry-wide change. The trees of the boreal forest deserve to stand as a sanctuary for wilderness.
Tell Home Depot to stop selling wood from the boreal forest.
