Why it Matters

Grizzly bears eat seeds from alpine forests. Kirtland’s warblers nest in jack pine forests. Ocelots find their mates while traversing thornforests. Like these, 80% of land-dwelling species rely on forests to survive.

Photo Credit: Kayla Farmer / Unsplash

Even species that live in the water, such as fish and turtles, rely on forests to help produce clean, free-flowing waterways.

But many forest-dwelling animals are threatened by deforestation and forest degradation caused by climate change-induced insect and disease outbreaks, droughts and severe wildfires. In addition, sprawling development is pushing many species into smaller and smaller forest habitats, threatening their ability to survive and multiply.