The Wabanaki Forest (also known as the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest) is the endangered, ancient forest ecosystem of Eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It is the original forest of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, parts of Quebec, and northern New England. Named after the Wabanaki Confederacy—an alliance of Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, and Abenaki Peoples—this forest is far more than a collection of trees. It is a living, breathing cultural and ecological heritage, rich in biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and spiritual meaning.
At Nova Scotia Forests Forever, we believe that protecting and restoring the Wabanaki Forest is not only a conservation priority, but a path toward reconciliation, climate resilience, and community renewal.
Wabanaki comes from the Algonquian word Wabanakik, meaning “Dawnland”, and stems from waban (meaning “light” or “white,” referring to the dawn in the east), and aki (“land”).
Using the term Wabanaki Forest is part of a growing effort to:
Reclaim Indigenous place names
Recognize ancestral stewardship of the land
Center Indigenous languages, which encode ecological wisdom, cultural memory, and land-based knowledge
The Wabanaki Forest is one of the most ecologically diverse forest regions in North America. It is a transitional forest, where northern boreal species meet southern hardwoods—a blending that creates complex and resilient ecosystems. It is home to more than 30 native tree species and a rich understory of wildflowers, mosses, shrubs, fungi, and wildlife.
Red spruce (the signature species of the region)
Eastern hemlock
Sugar maple
Yellow birch
American beech
Red oak
Eastern white pine
White ash
These forests once formed vast, ancient canopies filled with giant trees, towering old-growth stands, and a multi-layered forest floor alive with biodiversity. They supported not only wildlife but Mi’kmaq lifeways, spiritual traditions, and ecological balance.
Today, less than 1% of pre-colonial Wabanaki forest remains intact.
Centuries of colonial land-use practices—clearcutting, monoculture forestry, industrial agriculture, and infrastructure development—have drastically altered the landscape.
Old-growth forests were cut down for shipbuilding, agriculture, and export.
Natural regeneration was interrupted, replaced by plantations of single-age, single-species trees (like white spruce on abandoned farmland).
Soils were degraded, and key species extirpated.
Cultural relationships were broken, and Indigenous land management systems displaced.
In places like Prince Edward Island, less than 5% of the late-successional forest remains. The forests that are left are younger, more fragile, and less diverse—vulnerable to climate change, pests, and disease.
The Wabanaki Forest is not just an ecological relic of the past—it is a blueprint for the future. As we face accelerating climate change and biodiversity collapse, this forest holds the key to a resilient, regenerative, and just environmental future.
The Wabanaki Forest:
Stores vast amounts of carbon in trees, soil, and roots
Provides clean water and filters pollutants
Supports rare and endangered species
Resists fire, disease, and drought when intact
Represents a cultural living archive of Indigenous ecological knowledge
Can be restored—if we act with urgency and care
The Chain Lakes Wilderness Area is part of the Wabanaki Forest. Protecting it isn’t just about one location—it’s about safeguarding one of the last wild, mature forest corridors in the region. Chain Lakes:
Contains old hardwood stands, wetlands, and rare Wabanaki species like Black Ash and Canada Warbler
Is part of the broader ecological fabric of Wabanaki territory
Lies within unceded Mi’kmaq lands
Represents one of our best remaining opportunities to defend and restore the Wabanaki Forest in Nova Scotia
Designating Chain Lakes as a Wilderness Area is a step toward healing land, restoring biodiversity, and honoring our responsibilities to both the forest and the original Peoples of this place.