Full Podcast: https://lovethenorth.ca/article/260909-when-forest-goes-quiet-what Troy from the Flying Post First Nation area west of Timmins describes what he calls the **“silent forest”** — areas that have been replanted as monocrops, where one commercially valuable tree species dominates and much of the natural diversity underneath is gone. Troy explains that a natural boreal forest is normally mixed with species such as poplar, birch, jack pine, black spruce and white pine. In a monocrop, that mix can be reduced to essentially one tree species, with very little growing underneath. He says the difference is something you can actually hear. In healthy mixed forest, there are birds, insects, understory plants and other signs of life. But in some monocrop blocks, Troy says it can feel eerily quiet — fewer birds chirping, little vegetation below the trees, and far less biodiversity. For Troy, that silence is a warning sign. He argues that when the forest is managed mainly for the trees a mill wants, the broader ecosystem can suffer. Moose lose browse. Insects lose habitat. Birds lose food and nesting areas. Plants and berries disappear, and the forest becomes less useful to the animals and people who depend on it. His concern is that we may be creating forests that are efficient for timber production, but much less valuable as living ecosystems. **A forest should not just be measured by how many harvestable trees it can grow. It should also be measured by how much life it can support.** And when the birds and bugs disappear, Troy says the silence itself may be telling us something. #NorthernOntario #Forestry #Monocrop #Biodiversity #FlyingPostFirstNation #Timmins #WildlifeHabitat #Moose #ForestManagement #Environment #LoveTheNorth