Points of Interest Around the Island

Old Growth Forest

Lake Temagami is ringed with towering old growth red and white pine trees. The region is also home to the largest stands of old growth forests in the province — a true natural wonder of Ontario. This is one of a mere handful of such old-growth forests in the world, others being Western Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest, the Amazon, Southeast Asia, and California’s Redwood Forest. Almost 80% of the world’s original old-growth forests have been logged already, and logging is the number one threat to the remaining 205, according to the environmental group Rainforest Action Network. The mix of old-growth species found here include: black ash, black spruce, jack pine, red and white pine, sugar maple and white cedar. In these mature ecosystems the trees have been standing for 300-400 years and offer a rare glimpse into a primeval landscape.