Context: The boreal forest, which is second only to the Amazon in terms of its vital role in ensuring the future of the planet, encircles the Arctic -- and it is in just as much danger from climate change as the South American rainforest.

About the forest

• The boreal forest or taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic region.

• It is the deep, verdant green ring that encircles the Arctic. It stretches across Canada, Scandinavia, Russia and Alaska.

Boreal Ecozone:

It principally spans 8 countries:

• Canada, China, Finland, Japan, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States.

• The forest - named for Boreas, the Greek god of the north wind - covers 10% of the world's land surface.

• The soil beneath the taiga often contains permafrost - a layer of permanently frozen soil.

• The boreal forest is second only to the Amazon in terms of its vital role in ensuring the future of the planet.

• It is in as much danger from climate change as the Amazon rainforest.

Significance - The boreal forest has a decisive impact on the globe's northern oceans and overall climate.

• Its 1.2 billion hectares, which account for nearly a third of all forested land in the world, help slow global warming by absorbing a significant amount of carbon emissions.

• The boreal forest holds twice as much carbon as all tropical forests combined, and also helps purify a massive amount of freshwater.

• There have always been natural changes to its makeup, but scientists are now concerned that those changes are happening more often, and are even becoming the norm.

Threats - The boreal forest has been weakened by

• Increasing forest fires,

• Melting of permafrost,

• Intensifying insect infestations and

• Warming temperatures.

Experts are categorical in their warnings: the forest is encroaching on the tundra, and the prairies are slowly taking the place of the trees.