1 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:09,080 There are places on earth that are so vast they still impress upon us the power of nature. 2 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:17,640 And Canada's rich and rugged terrain never fails to astound me. 3 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:20,000 This series is a record of my journey 4 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:21,880 across this northern wilderness... 5 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:25,960 ..and back into its past. 6 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:32,040 A history written by explorers who should be household names back in their native Britain, 7 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,240 but are as unknown as the land they encountered. 8 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:41,800 I'll be soaking up the great outdoors 9 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:44,600 with its amazing landscape, wildlife and history. 10 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:51,320 Meeting the locals who keep traditional skills alive, and relevant. 11 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,840 Following in the footsteps of pioneers 12 00:00:57,840 --> 00:01:02,360 who made commercial exploitation of this country possible. 13 00:01:02,360 --> 00:01:06,080 And finding out about the British company they worked for, 14 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:10,360 which helped to define the country we now know as Canada. 15 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,120 My journey starts here, in the heart of Canada, 16 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:21,600 and the forest that dominates it. 17 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:31,160 I'm here to learn about the wildlife, the plants 18 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,640 and the people that made this forest home. 19 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:42,040 So now I'm really looking forward to it 20 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,600 because this northern wilderness is a place I've truly come to love. 21 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,440 It's a place where knowledge and experience are still 22 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,480 far more important than the equipment you carry with you. 23 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,080 This forest in many ways defines Canada. 24 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:25,840 It covers a third of the country. 25 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,880 At first it held little to attract outside interest. 26 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:33,520 Its mix of trees and water made it hard to get around. 27 00:02:33,520 --> 00:02:40,240 The land was barely fertile, the growing season cut short by the extreme winter. 28 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,680 It was only when explorers learned the ways of the forest, 29 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:48,960 a world of small wonders, that they were able to conquer Canada. 30 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,440 To understand these explorers and their achievements, 31 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,600 we first have to understand the land they encountered. 32 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:58,240 It calls to me deeply, 33 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:02,720 it's a place I love to explore, and it has a special name, 34 00:03:02,720 --> 00:03:04,240 the boreal forest. 35 00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:18,400 It takes its name from the Greek god Boreas, god of the Northern Wind. 36 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:21,880 It sits on the top of the world and encircles the globe. 37 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:25,720 It forms the single largest land biome on the planet, 38 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:29,240 a green crown that's bigger than the Amazon. 39 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:31,440 And I'm right in the heart of it. 40 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:36,080 This is autumn in Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan. 41 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:47,040 Today people talk of coming into the boreal forest to make a wilderness trip, 42 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:51,160 but for the many tribes that once inhabited this forest 43 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:55,560 it was simply home, and that's what interests me - 44 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:57,440 the knowledge, the skills 45 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:01,840 that make you feel completely at one with a wild place like this. 46 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:09,800 I love just walking here. 47 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:13,320 There's always things to see, and, if you can read the signs, 48 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:16,720 you get a real feel for how the place works 49 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:21,600 and how each tiny detail fits into the magnificent bigger picture. 50 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,960 A walk here is an exploration of how to survive the elements, 51 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:27,480 a journey into history 52 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:31,320 and a revelation of the interdependence of life. 53 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,160 Knowledge is everything in the forest. 54 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,600 You can see bear claw marks here on the tree 55 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:42,000 but this tree itself is interesting. 56 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:46,360 This is a balsam fir and the leaves from the balsam fir 57 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:51,040 are important browse for moose, particularly during the winter. 58 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,480 First nations also had uses for this. 59 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,760 All over this bark you've got lots of little blisters, 60 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,760 and if I pop one of those blisters you'll see what I'm talking about. 61 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:05,440 See, if I pop that blister, 62 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,280 you'll see it's full of resin, 63 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:10,880 and that resin 64 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:12,960 has been used to treat wounds, 65 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,040 for cuts, even for burns, 66 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:17,800 for centuries. 67 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:21,680 A simple and effective bush medicine. 68 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:28,160 There's always wildlife to see here. 69 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:33,400 This is from a wolf. 70 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:35,720 The pointed tail indicates a predator, 71 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,960 and if you look closely you can see fur within the dropping. 72 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,680 Almost every mark on the trees here tell some sort of story. 73 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,680 If you look up here you've got these nice little holes 74 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:49,640 drilled in the tree 75 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:52,600 in horizontal lines going across. 76 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:55,400 That's done by a member of the woodpecker family, 77 00:05:55,680 --> 00:05:58,200 it's the red-breasted sapsucker. 78 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:01,400 And what it's done is actually tapped in little reservoirs 79 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:06,000 into which sap, like a sugary syrup in this tree, will collect, 80 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,040 and then it comes along later and harvests it. 81 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:13,480 Sometimes you can even see where the sap has run down the bark. 82 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:22,240 This is a lovely thing that you find this time of year. 83 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:24,720 See this mushroom in the top of the tree? 84 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,960 It didn't grow there, that's been put there by a red squirrel 85 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,160 so that it'll dry and when it's dry he'll come and collect it, 86 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:32,800 if he remembers where he put it, 87 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:36,640 take it off up into the trees and stash it away for the coming winter. 88 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:46,040 The native species may make life here look beautifully simple, 89 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:50,520 but the pioneers who explored this land had to learn how to survive. 90 00:06:57,880 --> 00:07:01,640 The sheer size of the forest makes it difficult to come to terms with. 91 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:06,160 Get lost here, even today, and you really are in the middle of nowhere. 92 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:15,440 The boreal forest really is a beautiful place to explore 93 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:18,080 but there is one major hazard. 94 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:22,080 The moment you step off of a trail it becomes invisible, 95 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,840 and that means it's very easy to get turned around here and become lost. 96 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:28,080 But, you know, you needn't fear the forest. 97 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:32,080 With a few simple tips, you can be comfortable here, even then. 98 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:34,960 The first thing is, 99 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:38,000 as soon as you think you may be a little bit turned around, 100 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,600 stop, think, maybe even have a drink. 101 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,120 Always have a drink, if it's cold weather have something to eat, 102 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,200 cos quite often once you've done that, 103 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,400 your brain starts working a bit better. 104 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,280 Maybe you're dehydrated, 105 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:59,120 and it could be possible you can solve the problem then. 106 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:02,600 If not, establish that place a little bit better. 107 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:05,240 Old timers would take moss and put it up in the trees 108 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:08,480 cos moss just doesn't grow there, so they could see the place. 109 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,600 Today we can carry something like this with us. 110 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,560 High visibility marker tape is very good 111 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:17,600 for marking your position. 112 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,800 Now the advantage of this is we've now got a fixed point. 113 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:31,440 This is where we first discovered that we were lost and this is 114 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:35,640 probably the nearest point we're going to be to being found as well. 115 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:38,200 Having marked a spot, we could, if we wanted to, 116 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:43,840 march off in different directions until we relocate ourselves with something we know, 117 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,200 as long as we maintain contact to this known point. 118 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:50,280 If you get lost at the end of the day, 119 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:53,480 it's better to stay put and make a shelter 120 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:55,480 than bushwhacking around in the dark. 121 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:05,800 This is how I make the most basic of shelters, using branches propped against fallen tree trunks. 122 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,160 It's simple, quick and effective. 123 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:32,320 One of the secrets is not to work too frantically, take your time. 124 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:33,520 You don't want to sweat 125 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:37,080 cos if you sweat your clothing'll get cold when the sun goes down. 126 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:40,640 There's no rush, staying composed and in a calm mind 127 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,720 is the way you'll solve the problem. 128 00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:46,000 All I've used here is dead wood, I haven't even broken branches. 129 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,040 I've just taken dead fallen trees, 130 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:51,880 and it's not raining today and I don't think it's gonna rain tonight. 131 00:09:51,880 --> 00:09:54,720 That is plenty shelter enough, 132 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:59,600 but if it WAS wet I'd just keep piling on dead trees until I can't see through 133 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:04,400 and you'd be amazed how well just dead wood piled up like this actually works. 134 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:12,720 And there, there is my little snug shelter. 135 00:10:12,720 --> 00:10:15,840 Now a few little home improvements. 136 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:21,120 The secret is, if I can curl up in here and I'm away from the elements, 137 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:23,560 and with a fire beside me, I'll be toasty warm. 138 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:26,080 And that's all it takes to see the night through. 139 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:29,480 Once you've committed to staying in a shelter through the night, 140 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:33,240 you've taken a positive step towards solving your problem. 141 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:36,600 All of a sudden, psychology is in your favour. 142 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,560 Now I just need a fire. 143 00:10:41,560 --> 00:10:44,400 Don't make it any bigger than you need, 144 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:46,200 there's no point wasting effort. 145 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:56,280 Start with a little platform as always. 146 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:59,480 On there I'll put some kindling, some birch bark maybe, 147 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:02,320 and some small branches and away we go. 148 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:07,200 Well, that's me set. 149 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:08,880 Got a rudimentary shelter, 150 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:11,760 the psychological value of which is immense. 151 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:14,120 I can improve that now if I want to, 152 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:16,080 and I've got my fire going. 153 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:20,320 That's my main source of warmth and it's a tremendous source of morale. 154 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:22,080 And the key is not to panic, 155 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,520 not to feel threatened by the environment, 156 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:26,920 but actually to look to it to help you, 157 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:28,520 which is exactly what I've done. 158 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,480 In fact, first nations have lived here for centuries, 159 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:38,320 relying on the animals and plants around them. 160 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:42,360 One brilliantly versatile resource is the birch tree. 161 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:51,720 In the past I've built canoes and pots from its pliable, strong bark, 162 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,320 but in the right hands it has many, many uses. 163 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,040 The mighty tree isn't just robust, 164 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:04,280 it can also be put to the most delicate of uses. 165 00:12:06,160 --> 00:12:11,600 Thankfully, people like Sally Milne keep such traditional crafts alive. 166 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:16,480 Sally, the birch tree is one of my favourite trees. 167 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:17,520 Mine too. 168 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:20,760 You're going to show me something new about that, aren't you? 169 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:23,800 Yes. It's in layers, the bark of the tree is in layers. 170 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,400 I mean, that's not easy. 171 00:12:26,400 --> 00:12:27,680 Yes, it is. 172 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:29,440 No, no it's not easy. 173 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:34,120 After lots of practise it gets easy, it's really easy. 174 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:35,800 That is amazing. 175 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:38,800 So what are you looking for, when you look at the tree? 176 00:12:41,560 --> 00:12:45,320 A tree that doesn't have too many branches on it. 177 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:48,680 Mm-hmm. Not too many of these. And not too many of the knots, yeah. 178 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:54,680 And the rest is purely luck. 179 00:12:54,680 --> 00:12:56,600 And is there anything you have to do 180 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,720 when you collect the bark from the tree? 181 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:01,160 You just take a knife and cut it down, 182 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,600 without damaging the inner bark. 183 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,200 Mmm hmm. So that it'll carry on living. 184 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:12,720 Mm hmm, yeah. You just take what you need to take. 185 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:21,680 Once the bark has been separated, Sally makes beautiful patterns, 186 00:13:21,680 --> 00:13:24,120 and she makes them with her teeth. 187 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:29,400 Right then, over to you. 188 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,480 If my tooth is stuck on it when I'm done, it'll be your fault. 189 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:41,200 Always my fault! 190 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:55,520 She learned this skill from her grandmother. 191 00:14:00,960 --> 00:14:04,840 Wow, look at that, that's amazing. 192 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:09,280 That's beautiful, and the light comes through it, it's just incredible. 193 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:15,440 Now what was the original use for this, this decorative work? 194 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:20,000 Patterns for baskets, and clothing and whatever I guess. 195 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,240 So that would go on top of the basket. 196 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:24,480 It would go on top of the lid of the basket, 197 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:27,520 then you poke holes, then you put the roots through that. 198 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:30,920 And sew it on. Yeah, and then they just discard the biting after. 199 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,680 Amazing. It's become its own form of art now, hasn't it? 200 00:14:33,680 --> 00:14:38,880 Sort of. They don't call it art, they call it a craft. 201 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:40,320 A craft, yeah. 202 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,920 One of these days they'll decide to consider it art. 203 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,200 I think they should. Yeah. 204 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:49,480 That's amazing. 205 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:53,280 We don't decide those things, do we? No. 206 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,160 Time for me to give it a go. 207 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:00,120 And how much pressure should I put on? 208 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,640 Mmm, 209 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:04,440 enough so that it shows through. 210 00:15:04,440 --> 00:15:05,560 THEY LAUGH 211 00:15:09,760 --> 00:15:12,920 Move it a little bit as you bite it, or move your teeth. 212 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:18,880 This is quite tricky. 213 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:27,840 OK, let's see what we've got. 214 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:32,280 There you go. 215 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:33,520 We've got something. 216 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,720 I'm not as neat as you. 217 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,760 That's unique, that's good, really good. 218 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,080 You've made some kind of a flower, 219 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,120 maybe something native to England that I've never seen. 220 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,320 I think definitely, definitely, this is a, this is a... 221 00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:53,040 Cabbage, cabbage rose? This is a Tudor rose! 222 00:15:53,040 --> 00:15:55,840 Sally grew up in this forest, and in many ways 223 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:57,960 it's the perspective this gives her 224 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:00,880 that is the most important thing about her. 225 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:02,840 The forest is home to me. 226 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:04,760 I love being in the forest. 227 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,400 It's, it's everything, you know. 228 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:14,760 I think today a lot of modern people who visit the forest 229 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:17,320 are a little bit scared by it because of its size. 230 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:19,240 Well, they shouldn't be. 231 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:23,160 Forests are disappearing very, very fast 232 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:25,320 and where there's some left 233 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:30,880 there's nothing, nothing to be scared of in the forest. 234 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:33,440 I know, I grew up in the forest. 235 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:35,720 Nothing ever frightened us. 236 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:37,920 What about bears? 237 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:41,560 Bears don't bother you if you don't bother them. 238 00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:44,760 No, no you just know. 239 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,280 A healthy respect for your environment, 240 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,920 that's all the safety you need in the forest, 241 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:54,760 just to have a healthy respect for the elements that are out there. 242 00:16:58,600 --> 00:17:00,400 It's a privilege to meet someone 243 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,920 who truly understands the value of the forest, 244 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:07,360 an understanding that has evolved through generations. 245 00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:11,320 The power of nature 246 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:14,920 It's big, harsh and unforgiving. 247 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:17,320 It's certainly not a place you can cultivate, 248 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:20,560 and the forest is definitely in charge. 249 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:25,640 Everything here has to fight for its place. 250 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,120 It's a tough environment and survival isn't easy, 251 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:34,160 as David Henry, forest expert and author on the boreal forest, can testify. 252 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,480 David, we're really lucky, aren't we? 253 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:42,440 It's a beautiful autumnal day, but it doesn't really give 254 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,760 a true impression of the nature of this environment, does it? 255 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:50,760 This is a tough environment, and these tamarack trees, 256 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:53,480 they're just amazingly old. 257 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,160 They grow slowly. 258 00:17:56,160 --> 00:18:01,400 I took one and polished down the cross section, 259 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:06,960 and a tree that size, that's 105 years old to grow to that size. 260 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,680 I mean I actually have to look through the binoculars 261 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:11,880 to magnify the rings to see them. 262 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:14,000 Look at the very outside ones, 263 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,200 they're less than a millimetre in size. 264 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:23,520 The Woods Cree name for it means the tree that bends. 265 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:25,600 They use it for making the toboggans 266 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,840 and making that beautiful curve in the front of the toboggan. 267 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:30,960 What's the average age of the trees here? 268 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:37,760 I would say these trees in here are probably averaging 150 years old, 269 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:42,400 hanging on and growing bit by bit over the years. 270 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:50,960 150 years old, yet these trees look like saplings, 271 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:54,000 and it's not just the weather that makes this place tough. 272 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:01,120 Fire is a vital part of the life of this forest. 273 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:07,240 Now you're gonna show me something about these Jack Pine cones. 274 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:10,960 Sure, I'll be glad to. I've brought a branch along, 275 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:15,560 and there's so many well-adapted things in the boreal forest, 276 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:19,800 but the Jack Pine kind of comes in first place in some way. 277 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:25,520 The cones, they grow on the tree and they're sealed with pitch, 278 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,160 they can stay on the tree for 20 years, 279 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:31,800 and the seeds are just as viable, and they germinate 280 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:34,160 just as well as if they're one year old. 281 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:38,040 And the way they open, they get opened by fire. 282 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:43,960 So the cones carry their own fuel supply, 283 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:47,080 but they don't start right away. 284 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:51,000 That cone's been on the tree long enough to get lichen growing on it. 285 00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:53,760 That's right, it's probably been on the tree 10 years. 286 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,160 There now. It's opening. Can I have a look at that? 287 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:04,320 Sure. I mean, that's amazing, isn't it? 288 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:06,920 You can see how well the fire has opened that, 289 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:11,640 and of course the seeds lodge down at the base of each of these scales. 290 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,320 I'm amazed. How long can they stay dormant like this? 291 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,600 20 years. 20 years waiting. 292 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:18,080 And they're as fresh as... 293 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:20,040 Yeah, waiting for that fire, 294 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,560 and then the seeds will just spill out of the cone. 295 00:20:23,560 --> 00:20:26,200 So the point is that this forest 296 00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:29,880 actually requires fire for its own well-being. 297 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:32,320 Yes, it's fire-dependent. 298 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:37,200 Yes, the ecology of the forest is built around the fact of fire. 299 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,680 You get the sense that whatever challenges 300 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:45,760 nature throws at this place it bounces back stronger than ever. 301 00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:50,360 Even when fire destroys an area new growth soon emerges. 302 00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:54,680 In these clearings the new shoots make perfect grazing for wildlife, 303 00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:59,560 who in turn fertilise the land and restart the process. 304 00:21:11,320 --> 00:21:14,000 Everything that happens in this forest has a reason, 305 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:16,560 every act a reaction. 306 00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,920 Of course, for the people who lived here 307 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:24,720 the clearings proved to be great hunting grounds. 308 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:33,280 It's lovely to see the cow elk and her calf. 309 00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:38,760 I'm no expert on elk but I would assume that that was born this year. 310 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:39,960 They seem very relaxed 311 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:43,080 but actually this is a very exciting time of year for them. 312 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:46,160 This is the beginning of the mating season, the rut, 313 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:49,520 and in the woods around here there'll be the bull elks 314 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:52,040 with all their fantastic antlers on. 315 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,880 Very exciting time. 316 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:59,120 There's another cow just appeared here, I'm surrounded by them. 317 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:02,880 I love their markings. 318 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,560 It's a very good camouflage as well, 319 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,120 these muted shades that blend in so beautifully. 320 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,320 Her curious calf, look. 321 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:17,840 What's all this, then? 322 00:22:17,840 --> 00:22:19,560 I haven't seen this before. 323 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:27,720 I love the way they move with their head up, it's very imperial. 324 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:29,520 They're beautiful animals. 325 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:38,160 Nowadays the best place to see elk is in a national park like this, 326 00:22:38,160 --> 00:22:40,440 where they and the forest are protected 327 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:42,520 because this forest needs protection. 328 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:44,600 Oil has been found under it, 329 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:48,200 and potentially the forest is under threat from industry. 330 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,720 But there is a business that doesn't just live with the forest, 331 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,120 it positively thrives on it. 332 00:22:58,120 --> 00:23:01,040 The wild rice industry. 333 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,040 Oh, I feel like at home now. 334 00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:05,520 That's more like it! 335 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:13,080 For centuries the Huron gathered rice at the southern edge of the forest as a staple food. 336 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,880 But today it's a major industry in the north of Saskatchewan. 337 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,520 Tom Charles showed me how it would have been harvested traditionally. 338 00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:30,480 When it gets in your face just... 339 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,880 There's quite a knack to this, isn't there? 340 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,120 If I go too fast then you miss some. 341 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:38,400 Yeah, and you don't, you really don't wanna hit the stalk itself, 342 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:43,680 so what you do is you bring it over, across like that. Yeah. 343 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,920 And when it's there you want to tap it into the boat. 344 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:48,760 That's so as not to damage the rice. 345 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:52,320 You don't want to hit the stalk itself because in the ripening period 346 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:56,360 it starts from the top and it gradually goes down. 347 00:23:56,360 --> 00:24:00,560 So with this area here you could pick four or five times in the one time. 348 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:04,200 So if you hit the stalk itself you take off the unripe seeds. 349 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:06,040 Yeah, and you've destroyed it 350 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:08,280 and that way you may not have seed for next year. 351 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,920 Some people think it's an annual plant but it isn't, 352 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:13,360 it's because of our... 353 00:24:13,360 --> 00:24:16,960 The way you... Yeah, the way you hit 'em and things like that. 354 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:20,760 This is the traditional way of harvesting but it's not how you do it today. 355 00:24:20,760 --> 00:24:22,760 No. We have big, modern boats 356 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:27,760 and we drive through there at 10, 12 miles an hour and it falls in there. 357 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:29,800 Just scoop it up. Just scoop it up. 358 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:32,680 I guess in the old days the people who did this, 359 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:36,040 did harvest it this way, they'd have had a real knack at this. 360 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:37,720 Yeah, yeah. 361 00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:40,560 Are you gonna show me what we do with this then? 362 00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:42,360 Yeah, let's go back to shore. 363 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:46,600 One last... 364 00:24:59,960 --> 00:25:02,680 So Tom, you're parching the grains now. 365 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:05,240 Yeah, by moving it around all the time. 366 00:25:05,240 --> 00:25:09,200 It's got to have a bit of water when it's starting to heat up. 367 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:13,160 You want the inside of the grain to be hard, 368 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:17,920 harden it up so it's not chalky or milky any more. 369 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:22,800 You just want to keep turning it, and moving it around in the pot. 370 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:26,240 So you're getting rid of the husk and you're hardening the kernel. 371 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:27,240 Yes, exactly. 372 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:29,080 Yeah. 373 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:33,120 Let's hope it's worth the wait. 374 00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:38,560 Oh, that's delicious. Yeah, it is delicious. 375 00:25:38,560 --> 00:25:41,480 Cor, goodness me, that'd make a great breakfast cereal. 376 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,360 You're going to eat up all the evidence here. I am. 377 00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:47,120 And this here is the more the traditional 378 00:25:47,120 --> 00:25:50,840 commercial product that they produced at the processing plant. 379 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:53,520 Uh-huh. You notice it's all uniform, it's hard. 380 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,960 Mm, I'm gonna eat all this. We'd better cook some of that, hadn't we? 381 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:01,200 We'd better cook some of this right away. 382 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:05,400 It may be big business but it's great to meet people like Tom 383 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:10,160 who are so in tune with the area in which he works. 384 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:13,000 Tom, do you spend long out in the woods like this? 385 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:17,440 Yeah, especially this time of the year it's a seasonal job. 386 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:23,560 You've got maybe 1400, 1500 people doing this in the harvesting industry. 387 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:26,000 To get the best harvesters out in the bush, 388 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,360 it's people that enjoy the bush and respect the bush 389 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:34,480 and then learning little trades like this and listening to the elders. 390 00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:38,600 There's not much to say about it, 391 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:41,880 a person's got to go out and experience it. 392 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:45,240 Some people like kayaking, I enjoy doing this. 393 00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:52,720 Right. Try that. 394 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:55,840 That is delicious, it's so... The texture's fantastic. 395 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:58,240 Yeah, it's got a bit... The flavour's lovely. 396 00:26:58,240 --> 00:27:00,960 This one's a little bit hot, I think. 397 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:06,360 What's interesting is it has a flavour of its own, 398 00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:07,880 it's so strong in flavour. 399 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:10,680 I think that's delicious, absolutely beautiful. 400 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:14,720 Ordinary rice does not compare to that. No. Mmm. 401 00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:18,560 Tom, I really have to give you a lesson in spoon carving. 402 00:27:20,360 --> 00:27:24,240 Or to learn how to us chopsticks or something like that. It's really good. 403 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:26,880 That was delicious. Thank you for showing me that. 404 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,680 You're welcome. Thank you for coming here. Oh, it's been a pleasure. 405 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:37,920 It's the abundance of water that makes this place ideal for wild rice. 406 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:40,120 It's humbling to think that one fifth 407 00:27:40,120 --> 00:27:43,280 of the world's fresh water is here. 408 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:45,800 Water is key to the boreal forest. 409 00:27:54,120 --> 00:27:57,200 My favourite time to come and explore the boreal forest 410 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:01,160 is now in the autumn, when the mosquitoes have died right back. 411 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:04,480 But there is one problem travelling by canoe here and that is 412 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,040 that the rivers often have very little water left in them. 413 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:11,800 But I do have an ally in that, and that's the beaver. 414 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:15,280 Beavers build dams in the rivers and sometimes that's a godsend 415 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,880 cos they hold water in the river too. 416 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:25,920 This amazing mound to my right is a beavers' lodge 417 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:29,880 and this has been created throughout the summer by a family of beavers, 418 00:28:29,880 --> 00:28:32,120 and inside there they've got chambers 419 00:28:32,120 --> 00:28:34,560 in which they can feed and sleep safely. 420 00:28:34,560 --> 00:28:37,520 They make their dams to keep the water level high enough 421 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:41,880 that their entrance is under water, that's for security and for safety. 422 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:45,160 At this time of year they're just sort of completing the lodge, 423 00:28:45,160 --> 00:28:48,640 you can see some mud up there now, they'll start to cover this in mud. 424 00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:50,840 When the winter comes that will freeze 425 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:52,440 like a frozen cap on top of it 426 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:55,240 to protect them from predators trying to burrow in. 427 00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:59,040 They modify this whole landscape to create this. 428 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:02,240 The beaver play a vital role here in creating habitat 429 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,200 for a whole range of water plants. 430 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:16,600 The beaver certainly leave their mark on the landscape. 431 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:18,880 This is a pretty good-sized balsam poplar. 432 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,840 I'd say this is four or five hours of work for the beavers. 433 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:29,880 You can see all the teeth marks here and they're all kind of horizontal. 434 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,680 Well, they're not after the main trunk of the tree 435 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:35,840 but it's the younger bark on the branches at the top of the tree 436 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,880 that'll get them through the winter, that's what they digest. 437 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,240 The way a beaver'll do this 438 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:46,680 is they come up and turn their head sideways, 439 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:52,960 and here's one of the chips that they've taken out and it sits in 440 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:55,160 the tree like that 441 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:58,960 and if you look at it you can see their teeth marks. 442 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:03,240 Basically they chew once, twice, three times at the top 443 00:30:03,240 --> 00:30:08,480 and then they reach down and at the bottom they bite 444 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:11,760 one, two, three, four times if they need it 445 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:14,320 and then they just reach in and rip it out 446 00:30:14,320 --> 00:30:17,960 and toss it out to the side and go on to the next bite. 447 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:22,960 The beavers are the engineers of the boreal forest. 448 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,000 They build the lodge, they wanna build the dam, 449 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:30,120 they have all that knowledge right inside. 450 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:37,600 Beavers don't just live here they play a part in maintaining 451 00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:39,600 the habitat they need to live 452 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:42,920 and that's important to understand because the boreal forest 453 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:44,960 isn't just a static landscape - 454 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:49,640 it's a living entity, a collective where everything plays its part. 455 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:12,200 In fact, even the tiniest plants play a critical role 456 00:31:12,200 --> 00:31:15,400 in the very creation of parts of the forest. 457 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,920 This is one of the miracles of the boreal forest 458 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,120 and despite its individual size, 459 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:22,720 sphagnum moss is a powerful force here. 460 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:28,440 David, I'm quite astonished 461 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:32,320 at the number of types of sphagnum I'm seeing here. 462 00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:34,560 How many different species do you have? 463 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:39,000 In our forest in Saskatchewan we have 17 different species of sphagnum. 464 00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:43,240 That's amazing, cos where I come from we've less than a handful. 465 00:31:43,240 --> 00:31:46,720 But the sphagnum plays an important role in the forest as a whole? 466 00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:48,960 In the boreal forest it's central. 467 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:52,320 It determines what trees grow on this site, 468 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:56,880 what shrubs grow on this site, makes acid tolerant plants grow there. 469 00:31:56,880 --> 00:31:59,680 One of the things I find fascinating about this plant 470 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:03,000 is how in one sense it's a sponge 471 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,200 and yet the environment in which it lives is also very wet. 472 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:07,800 How does that work? 473 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:10,840 Well, it is a sponge. 474 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:14,160 It gets established in a little wet area 475 00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:17,960 where water might be flowing through and it starts to grow 476 00:32:17,960 --> 00:32:21,680 and there's the sponge-like structure to it 477 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:27,320 that allows it to absorb around seven times its weight in water. 478 00:32:28,920 --> 00:32:31,840 It grows to the extent where it will 479 00:32:31,840 --> 00:32:34,920 shut off those little channels coming into the site 480 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:40,200 and then it's really cut off not only the flow through, 481 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:42,720 but it's cut off the flow of nutrients, 482 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:45,240 nitrogen or phosphorus, coming through. 483 00:32:46,880 --> 00:32:48,880 The more sphagnum takes hold, 484 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:52,800 the more it creates conditions where only sphagnum can live. 485 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:55,760 Other plants are eased out leaving boggy musk egg 486 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:59,240 sitting on top of the peat bogs. 487 00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:06,120 And once it's in that state it just will grow, the peat moss accumulates. 488 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:10,360 The only nutrients it gets are from the wind or from the rain, 489 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:14,320 and it just starts releasing acid, 490 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:17,320 starts lowering the temperature of the soil, 491 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,920 making the site more and more favourable to the sphagnum 492 00:33:21,920 --> 00:33:26,160 and less and less favourable to many plants that can't tolerate the acid, 493 00:33:26,160 --> 00:33:28,280 can't tolerate the low nutrients. 494 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:32,720 And a bog starts to form in the forest and grows out from there 495 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:35,600 until the sphagnum creates a mound. 496 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:39,680 So these raised bogs. The raised bogs or the pulses. 497 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:47,160 It's really an organic land form completely created by this moss 498 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:52,240 that is that high in its maturity. 499 00:33:53,800 --> 00:33:55,440 That's amazing. 500 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:07,280 It's really beautiful in here, isn't it? 501 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:11,920 A fine feather moss, fine moss shag forest. 502 00:34:11,920 --> 00:34:13,520 That's fantastic. 503 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:18,280 It's beautiful. 504 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:19,920 Like a giant carpet. 505 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,840 Lichen and all sorts of things peering out of the moss. 506 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:26,640 Yes. 507 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:35,720 Red squirrels have made this, this is red squirrel midden 508 00:34:35,720 --> 00:34:38,560 and this is where they store their winter food. 509 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:42,200 It's amazing, and I think they've got some Jack Pines already in here. 510 00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:47,680 Yes, indeed, yeah. They're starting to put it underground, 511 00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:51,800 from the crop down underground, yeah. 512 00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:56,320 And the whole mound is made out of shelled black spruce cones 513 00:34:56,320 --> 00:35:00,280 that they've taken apart the cones to get to the seeds 514 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:04,200 and this is how they, their food source for, for all winter. 515 00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:07,600 And so they go, they will actually go underground at some point? 516 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:12,280 Yes, when it gets colder than -30 Celsius, 517 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:14,920 the squirrels can't take that temperature 518 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:18,000 so they'll leave the treetops, go underground, 519 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,960 so it's a warning that if you're travelling in the woods 520 00:35:20,960 --> 00:35:24,480 when the squirrels go silent and you're not seeing them any more 521 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:27,400 you know it's that temperature or colder. 522 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:29,560 Stand still, David. 523 00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,600 David, I don't know whether you know but just behind you 524 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:36,200 there's actually a squirrel with a mouthful of cones. No kidding. 525 00:35:37,480 --> 00:35:40,920 That's amazing. They really are busy, aren't they? 526 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:43,160 It's an important time of year for them. 527 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:46,040 How long d'you think they've got until the snow comes? 528 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:49,280 The snow'll come mid-October or a bit later 529 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:51,880 so they're down to under a month at this point. 530 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:53,520 They've got their work to do, 531 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:56,760 just like the beavers, mudding and building up their lodges. 532 00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:59,400 I think we'd better leave them to it. Yes! 533 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:13,640 If the forest is a daunting and harsh place in the autumn 534 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:18,560 it's nothing compared to the long SIX months... 535 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:19,960 of winter. 536 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:26,440 No wonder European explorers were reluctant to come here. 537 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:30,880 Why would anyone want to penetrate this frozen wilderness? 538 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:37,800 Smothered in its winter clothes, 539 00:36:37,800 --> 00:36:40,800 I find it a truly stunning and overwhelming place. 540 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:52,000 With temperatures of -40 degrees it's not for the faint hearted, 541 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,720 but anyone who braves the elements can guarantee a wonderland, 542 00:36:55,720 --> 00:37:00,880 and somewhere, somewhere out there all the wildlife, all the moss, 543 00:37:00,880 --> 00:37:05,040 all the trees somehow manage to survive. 544 00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:08,080 It's a totally different place in the winter, 545 00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:11,040 worlds apart, in fact, from the summer months, 546 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:12,320 but no less intriguing. 547 00:37:29,240 --> 00:37:33,040 It's amazing to think just a few months ago 548 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:35,560 I paddled across this lake in a canoe, 549 00:37:35,560 --> 00:37:38,640 now there's a metre of ice beneath me 550 00:37:38,640 --> 00:37:40,160 and I can just walk across it. 551 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:42,200 It's a fascinating landscape. 552 00:37:42,200 --> 00:37:45,280 In the summer you have the canoe and the canoe paddles, 553 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:48,080 in the winter it's the toboggan and the snowshoe. 554 00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:03,880 This is the beaver lodge that I visited back in the summer. 555 00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:08,960 They've obviously completed it and now it's covered in snow. 556 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:13,440 Somewhere out here was their food raft, I think just there actually. 557 00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:16,120 In here the beavers can overwinter, 558 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:19,600 they can get access to their food under the ice 559 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:23,760 which prevents them falling victim to predators on the surface, 560 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:28,800 and the snow is their insulation. Snow is a strange material. 561 00:38:28,800 --> 00:38:31,360 If I were to take my hand and put it into the snow 562 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:36,440 it's gonna come out freezing cold but actually snow is full of air, 563 00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:38,480 and when it lies as a blanket like this 564 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:42,360 it provides fantastic insulation for anything underneath it, 565 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:43,760 including the beavers. 566 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:45,760 It's a wonderful place to be though. 567 00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:49,040 It's fantastic to be able to come back to the same spot months later 568 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:52,040 and see it when it's got its winter coat on. 569 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:53,520 Wonderful. 570 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:39,440 This cabin is a personal pilgrimage. 571 00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:42,440 The man who lived here was one of the first to understand 572 00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:45,520 the need to protect our wild places. 573 00:39:45,520 --> 00:39:49,160 It's odd that a place so vast should need protection. 574 00:39:54,240 --> 00:39:57,080 Now this is a very special cabin. 575 00:39:57,080 --> 00:39:59,920 I have to come here, I couldn't possibly come 576 00:39:59,920 --> 00:40:04,600 to Prince Albert National Park and not visit this particular cabin. 577 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:10,080 This was occupied by one of the greats of conservation and one of my personal heroes. 578 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:13,920 He was an Englishman, a boy who grew up in Hastings, 579 00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:18,360 called Archie Belaney, but he came to be known as Grey Owl. 580 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:21,640 He had this dream of living as a North American Indian 581 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:25,320 here in the North Woods and he made his dream come true. 582 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:29,520 But, perhaps, more importantly he wrote a series 583 00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:33,440 of very important and significant works of conservation, 584 00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:36,240 talking about the forest here, the wildlife 585 00:40:36,240 --> 00:40:38,520 and the people who inhabited it. 586 00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:40,800 His books were way ahead of their time 587 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:43,560 and they brought the message of conservation, 588 00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:45,320 of a respect for nature, 589 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:49,440 into the living rooms of thousands of people all over the world. 590 00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:51,640 It's a very special place to be. 591 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:54,920 It's very peaceful and it's very quiet, 592 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:56,680 it's very of the man. 593 00:41:30,320 --> 00:41:33,760 When Europeans did start to explore this land 594 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:35,680 they brought tents with them. 595 00:41:35,680 --> 00:41:40,240 Planning and preparation, as always, were the key to survival here. 596 00:41:46,560 --> 00:41:49,440 There's no doubt this is a really pretty environment 597 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:52,000 and there's no reason why you can't camp here, 598 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:53,960 despite the cold temperatures. 599 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:56,280 But there is a lot to know. 600 00:41:56,280 --> 00:41:58,440 You have to be able to read the conditions 601 00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:01,800 and these conditions, this pretty snow, is pretty awful. 602 00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:05,040 It's not good weather to be travelling in, you tend to sweat, 603 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:08,320 you get wet, and when you get wet you get cold. 604 00:42:08,320 --> 00:42:10,520 So my intention now is just to show you 605 00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:12,880 how you can put a tent up in these conditions. 606 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:15,640 I've come into the trees, not the ideal camp site here. 607 00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:19,080 I'd like to have found somewhere with more firewood close to hand, 608 00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:22,280 but there is firewood. But the trees are giving me good shelter 609 00:42:22,280 --> 00:42:24,120 from the wind and that's a help. 610 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:26,160 First job is to tamp the snow down 611 00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:31,680 so that it will freeze and give me a solid surface on which to work. 612 00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:46,200 The snow covers things so quickly 613 00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:50,920 you need to be very organised so that you don't lose things. 614 00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:58,080 So in here I've got things like my shovel, my axe, my mother ship, 615 00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:00,960 the big jacket I put on if the weather's really cold, 616 00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:02,280 those sorts of things. 617 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:11,680 Try to keep your hands dry. 618 00:43:11,680 --> 00:43:17,920 People who are new to the north learn the hard way 619 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:19,280 to keep their hands dry. 620 00:43:19,280 --> 00:43:22,200 If your hands get wet in the snow they will get cold. 621 00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:32,080 In the winter it's definitely not just a case of chopping down 622 00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:34,280 a few trees and making a shelter. 623 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:37,480 You can never take this environment lightly. 624 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:40,640 You have to have wisdom and experience, 625 00:43:41,720 --> 00:43:44,040 and with those it's perfectly possible 626 00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:47,600 to live here comfortably, long-term. 627 00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:06,840 I've come out to look for firewood. 628 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:09,360 Now if there were two of us one of us would come out 629 00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:11,640 and collect all the firewood for the night 630 00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:14,560 but when I'm on my own what I like to do is to come out, 631 00:44:14,560 --> 00:44:16,440 have a little scout around first, 632 00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:19,640 take back enough to get the stove going, to get a brew on, 633 00:44:19,640 --> 00:44:21,320 then come back with the toboggan 634 00:44:21,320 --> 00:44:23,560 to fill up with the other things I've found. 635 00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:28,240 One of the difficulties in this environment is knowing 636 00:44:28,240 --> 00:44:33,720 whether wood is dry and dead or green, 637 00:44:33,720 --> 00:44:37,800 or even sopping wet and just frozen because they're all brittle. 638 00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:41,200 There's a trick. If you take your knife or an axe 639 00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:46,240 and you cut a sliver of the wood, put it on your tongue, 640 00:44:46,240 --> 00:44:49,040 if it's damp, 641 00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:50,760 there's moisture, 642 00:44:50,760 --> 00:44:52,640 as it thaws on your tongue. 643 00:44:52,640 --> 00:44:57,520 If it's dry it's like a piece of blotting paper, and that is moist. 644 00:44:57,520 --> 00:45:00,680 I'm gonna have that small pine there for the moment. 645 00:45:00,680 --> 00:45:02,440 I think that'll be perfect. 646 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:43,480 Well, that's a great feeling. I've got the tent up, 647 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:48,880 I've got the stove on, fire's going, and that is a very important thing. 648 00:45:48,880 --> 00:45:52,160 When you're tired and you're cold it really raises your spirits. 649 00:45:52,160 --> 00:45:55,000 I've already got some snow melting on there for a brew. 650 00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:59,840 The key thing, though, is that with a tent and a wood burning stove 651 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:04,160 it doesn't matter if you're wet because you're gonna get dry, 652 00:46:04,160 --> 00:46:05,760 that's the key thing. 653 00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:09,640 In extreme cold, moisture builds up in your clothing 654 00:46:09,640 --> 00:46:14,680 and your sleeping equipment and it's very difficult to get rid of that. 655 00:46:14,680 --> 00:46:19,240 But in this tent even if it's -35 degrees outside 656 00:46:19,240 --> 00:46:23,680 I know from testing it that with the fire going full on, 657 00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:26,560 at ground level I get +28 degrees. 658 00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:30,920 At the ridge, it's much higher and up there I'll hang all my clothes 659 00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:33,360 and I get them dry and that's the key thing. 660 00:46:33,360 --> 00:46:37,200 It means that you can continue going for a long period of time. 661 00:46:37,200 --> 00:46:42,680 It's perfectly possible to sleep out even in very low temperatures if you have a big fire, 662 00:46:42,680 --> 00:46:48,280 but eventually that moisture builds up in your clothing and you have to head indoors. 663 00:46:48,280 --> 00:46:53,440 With a tent like this, you've got a sustained period outdoors without any problems. 664 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:05,080 In some ways it's easier to spot wildlife here in winter. 665 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:07,280 There are certainly less places to hide. 666 00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:11,640 I saw wolf scat in the autumn but now I get a long-distance view 667 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:15,600 of a whole pack of wolves crossing a frozen lake nearby. 668 00:47:19,480 --> 00:47:23,920 Fresh snow certainly makes following animal tracks a lot easier. 669 00:47:25,480 --> 00:47:27,800 These predators can only survive 670 00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:30,880 because there is actually enough food for them to prey on 671 00:47:30,880 --> 00:47:35,320 so it's essential that even tiny animals can survive these winters. 672 00:47:35,320 --> 00:47:37,120 In fact, the snow helps them. 673 00:47:39,520 --> 00:47:43,040 David Henry is back to help guide me through this magical place. 674 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:54,200 The snow in the boreal forest is so fluffy, it's filled with air. 675 00:47:54,200 --> 00:47:58,480 It's 90% air so the snow is filled with tiny little, 676 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:04,160 millions of tiny little air chambers which makes it excellent insulation. 677 00:48:04,160 --> 00:48:08,160 Now ten minutes ago we buried a thermometer 678 00:48:08,160 --> 00:48:09,840 right down next to the ground, 679 00:48:09,840 --> 00:48:14,520 but outside it's -13 degrees right now. 680 00:48:14,520 --> 00:48:16,720 Let's see what it is down there. 681 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:22,480 It's -4. 682 00:48:24,680 --> 00:48:28,480 So tonight it'll probably get to about -25 683 00:48:28,480 --> 00:48:35,240 but under the snow it's consistently around -4, the whole winter long. 684 00:48:35,240 --> 00:48:40,840 Completely sheltered from the wind, and the mice and the voles need that. 685 00:48:40,840 --> 00:48:44,600 That's the habitat they survive the winter. 686 00:48:44,600 --> 00:48:50,280 In this very stable, slightly cold environment. 687 00:48:50,280 --> 00:48:54,280 And the heat from the ground melts the first inch or two, 688 00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:56,240 you get all this sugar snow, 689 00:48:56,240 --> 00:48:59,440 so they have a little passageway next to the ground 690 00:48:59,440 --> 00:49:03,440 that they move around in, nicely insulated for the winter. 691 00:49:22,440 --> 00:49:25,160 David, there's a trail of a snowshoe hare, isn't it? 692 00:49:25,160 --> 00:49:29,240 You bet, floating in that nice soft snow. 693 00:49:29,240 --> 00:49:33,120 It is incredible how little they sink in. Yeah, yeah. 694 00:49:33,120 --> 00:49:34,480 Astonishing. 695 00:49:34,480 --> 00:49:37,400 Well, I don't know about you but I fancy a bit of a drink. 696 00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:41,360 It tasted good this morning. Let's go and get a fire on, shall we? Yeah. 697 00:49:46,280 --> 00:49:49,560 Good number of snowshoe hares in here, eh? Yeah, you can see them. 698 00:49:49,560 --> 00:49:51,640 Yeah. 699 00:49:51,640 --> 00:49:55,080 It's hard to describe just how cold it is here. 700 00:49:56,120 --> 00:49:58,280 This looks like a good spot. 701 00:49:58,280 --> 00:50:00,560 Yes, good, we're out of the wind. 702 00:50:00,560 --> 00:50:03,160 The thought of a healthy fire and a cup of tea 703 00:50:03,160 --> 00:50:04,960 is almost warmth in itself. 704 00:50:04,960 --> 00:50:07,880 If we use this as a seat, eh? Sure. 705 00:50:07,880 --> 00:50:10,200 If we clear a space here, put a fire here. 706 00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:12,840 I don't know what the ground'll be like down there, 707 00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:16,440 I'll have to have a look in a moment, and put a brew on. 708 00:50:16,440 --> 00:50:19,560 That'll be good. OK, good. I'll go get the shovel out. 709 00:50:21,120 --> 00:50:25,120 To make a space for the fire I need to clear the snow back. 710 00:50:25,120 --> 00:50:28,720 Now you can use snowshoes but I've come prepared. 711 00:50:28,720 --> 00:50:33,040 Oddly, a shovel is the one piece of equipment manuals rarely mention. 712 00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:36,640 Shall I leave you with the shovel? 713 00:50:36,640 --> 00:50:40,200 I can do some shovelling. I'll go and get some firewood. OK. 714 00:50:44,600 --> 00:50:48,160 Nice bit of dead birch bark to start the fire, that's always helpful. 715 00:51:01,080 --> 00:51:03,120 It's really nice working with David. 716 00:51:03,120 --> 00:51:05,360 You can see he's used to being in the forest 717 00:51:05,360 --> 00:51:07,680 cos he doesn't take his snowshoes off, 718 00:51:07,680 --> 00:51:11,280 he leaves them on all the time. Very good. 719 00:51:11,280 --> 00:51:15,920 For me bush craft and local knowledge make a wilderness come alive. 720 00:51:15,920 --> 00:51:18,360 Some may say survival is just common sense 721 00:51:18,360 --> 00:51:22,040 but if you can learn from the past, study the ways of the locals, 722 00:51:22,040 --> 00:51:24,040 and adapt to the resources and demands 723 00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:28,160 of the environment you're in, you have a head start over nature. 724 00:51:29,080 --> 00:51:31,640 Think you can bluff your way through nature 725 00:51:31,640 --> 00:51:33,760 and you are sure to come a cropper. 726 00:51:39,120 --> 00:51:43,560 To hang the pot I could just put a branch straight across there 727 00:51:43,560 --> 00:51:45,840 and just have a horizontal bar and hang it, 728 00:51:45,840 --> 00:51:50,240 but my favourite way of suspending a cooking pot in snowy conditions 729 00:51:50,240 --> 00:51:53,720 is with a tripod because it's much, much more stable 730 00:51:53,720 --> 00:51:57,040 and so I've knocked one of those up quite simply here. 731 00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:02,840 And it's good in, in the soft conditions. 732 00:52:02,840 --> 00:52:05,240 It gives a greater degree of stability, 733 00:52:05,240 --> 00:52:07,720 and control. 734 00:52:09,120 --> 00:52:11,000 That's good. 735 00:52:11,000 --> 00:52:13,760 And of course there's water all around, the snow, 736 00:52:13,760 --> 00:52:17,280 I just need to make sure I collect clean snow. 737 00:52:17,280 --> 00:52:19,960 If I was here any length of time I'd leave these long 738 00:52:19,960 --> 00:52:24,680 so I can hang things to dry but we don't need that right now, so I'll just trim it off. 739 00:52:30,280 --> 00:52:33,520 Whilst David collects the leaves from the Labrador tea plant 740 00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:37,600 I employ the first nations tip of using spruce boughs 741 00:52:37,600 --> 00:52:43,240 to provide critical insulation from the cold, freezing ground. 742 00:52:55,640 --> 00:52:58,760 I reckon that looks like it's coming to the boil, doesn't it? 743 00:52:58,760 --> 00:53:01,360 Yeah. Did you get some Labrador tea? I did, yeah. 744 00:53:05,880 --> 00:53:08,480 If ever I needed a cup of tea, it's now. 745 00:53:08,480 --> 00:53:10,480 It tastes a little bit like green tea. 746 00:53:10,480 --> 00:53:16,280 It's not my usual choice of cuppa but it certainly hits the spot. 747 00:53:16,280 --> 00:53:19,680 Oh, that's good and hot. Let that steep. 748 00:53:19,680 --> 00:53:24,360 There are resources everywhere if you know where to look. 749 00:53:26,560 --> 00:53:28,760 Well, let's try this, shall we? Sure. 750 00:53:28,760 --> 00:53:30,720 They say you shouldn't drink too much 751 00:53:30,720 --> 00:53:33,200 because of the strength of some of the chemicals 752 00:53:33,200 --> 00:53:35,240 but it was very good for pioneers. 753 00:53:35,240 --> 00:53:37,320 It was a source of vitamin C, wasn't it? 754 00:53:37,320 --> 00:53:41,800 Between the choice between being cold and having hot tea 755 00:53:41,800 --> 00:53:44,520 you can stand to risk a little bit. 756 00:53:51,880 --> 00:53:54,320 Nothing like it on a cold day. 757 00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:02,880 It may be a vast place, but it's a fragile one too. 758 00:54:11,880 --> 00:54:14,280 The snowshoe hare is preyed upon by lynx. 759 00:54:14,280 --> 00:54:18,080 In fact, they are completely interdependent. 760 00:54:18,080 --> 00:54:22,840 It's typical of the mutual reliance of all things in this forest. 761 00:54:22,840 --> 00:54:24,520 So, David, tell me about 762 00:54:26,240 --> 00:54:29,480 this relationship between the snowshoe hare and the lynx. 763 00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:32,760 Well, it's fundamental to the boreal forest. 764 00:54:32,760 --> 00:54:39,080 The hares have just crashed over this winter, 765 00:54:39,080 --> 00:54:44,840 so they're down again and it's usually the predators that drive them down 766 00:54:44,840 --> 00:54:47,160 and the lynx is very important 767 00:54:47,160 --> 00:54:50,920 in that along with great horned owls and coyotes. 768 00:54:50,920 --> 00:54:55,520 The thought is now is that the hares ran out of food 769 00:54:55,520 --> 00:54:57,920 in the places where there's good cover 770 00:54:57,920 --> 00:55:00,120 and that drives them out in the open, 771 00:55:00,120 --> 00:55:02,560 makes them more exposed to the predators, 772 00:55:02,560 --> 00:55:06,040 and then the lynx and the other predators cause the crash. 773 00:55:06,040 --> 00:55:07,680 And then they crash. 774 00:55:07,680 --> 00:55:11,560 Yes, and then they crash, one or two years later then the predators crash. 775 00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:16,520 And the other thing that a fellow in Alaska has researched 776 00:55:16,520 --> 00:55:20,880 is that when some of the plants in the boreal forest 777 00:55:20,880 --> 00:55:23,560 are heavily browsed by the hares 778 00:55:23,560 --> 00:55:27,600 they put out new growth that has toxins in it 779 00:55:27,600 --> 00:55:32,240 and these chemicals are in the plants for about three years, 780 00:55:32,240 --> 00:55:35,720 that holds the hares at a very low level. 781 00:55:35,720 --> 00:55:39,160 So how long does it take for the populations to recover? 782 00:55:39,160 --> 00:55:43,440 Well, it takes about three of four years for the plants 783 00:55:43,440 --> 00:55:48,680 to put out new growth that doesn't have these anti-hare chemicals in it. 784 00:55:48,680 --> 00:55:51,360 And then the hares have a better food source, 785 00:55:51,360 --> 00:55:53,560 they start having bigger litters 786 00:55:53,560 --> 00:55:56,320 and we start the whole ten-year cycle again. 787 00:55:56,320 --> 00:55:58,480 They start having three or four litters 788 00:55:58,480 --> 00:56:01,640 and the population starts to increase. 789 00:56:01,640 --> 00:56:06,200 And there are other animals that crash as well, aren't there, like the caribou? 790 00:56:06,200 --> 00:56:09,240 Yes, the caribou, but that's a much longer cycle. 791 00:56:09,240 --> 00:56:12,600 I think the thinking is it's a 40-year cycle 792 00:56:12,600 --> 00:56:17,760 that the caribou build up and decline on that cycle. 793 00:56:17,760 --> 00:56:23,640 But in a lot of the Indian cultures there are myths about starvation? 794 00:56:23,640 --> 00:56:24,880 Ah, strong ones, yes. 795 00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:28,920 This was a real and active thing that they experienced in the part of the world. 796 00:56:30,440 --> 00:56:33,200 When the caribou were low or hadn't migrated 797 00:56:33,200 --> 00:56:38,360 back to where the Indians were they'd go through these winters of starvation. 798 00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:43,600 It just shows how everything from human to the tiniest of the rodents 799 00:56:43,600 --> 00:56:46,400 is interdependent in this forest. 800 00:56:46,400 --> 00:56:51,280 It's true, these strong cycles in the boreal forest just bring that out, 801 00:56:51,280 --> 00:56:55,840 that everybody depends on those cycles and lives by those cycles. 802 00:56:58,000 --> 00:57:01,640 I've really enjoyed these days we've spent tracking in the forest here. 803 00:57:01,640 --> 00:57:04,400 I shall remember them, for a long while to come. 804 00:57:05,920 --> 00:57:11,440 Well, you know, I've been enjoying this park for almost 40 years 805 00:57:11,440 --> 00:57:17,200 and it's a wilderness of intimate experiences, 806 00:57:17,200 --> 00:57:21,360 whether you're watching otters 807 00:57:21,360 --> 00:57:24,000 or you're tracking moose through the forest, 808 00:57:24,000 --> 00:57:28,040 it's just a wilderness that gives you great experiences. 809 00:57:28,040 --> 00:57:31,920 And I would, I would certainly agree with you there. It's beautiful. 810 00:57:42,200 --> 00:57:45,520 Next, my journey shows what finally drew Europeans 811 00:57:45,520 --> 00:57:49,440 to this uneconomic backwater and turned it from a quiet corner 812 00:57:49,440 --> 00:57:54,840 of human civilisation into one of the largest countries on earth.