Russian forests represent a unique range of ecosystem types including more than 70 percent of the world's boreal forest.
Tropical forests are by no means the only sites with endangered biodiversity.
Temperate forests, most of which have already been converted and degraded, still offer important opportunities to protect biodiversity and slow climate change. Old-growth Douglas fir forests in the Pacific Northwest are also one of the most efficient storehouses of carbon. Even after that length of time, natural forests store greater amounts of carbon than tree plantations and provide greater biodiversity benefits. Boreal forests remain largely intact, with Russia containing nearly one fifth of the world's forest and Canada housing the second largest forest expanse, making these two nations critical carbon storehouses. The Russian Federation contains about 20 percent of the world's carbon stored in forest vegetation, meaning that further deforestation or degradation of Russian forests could potentially be a significant source of emissions.