- Vincent Jankunis, Ember Archaeology
- Timothy Allan, Ember Archaeology
- Alexandra Burchill, Circle CRM Group Inc.
Boreal forest covers approximately 60% of Canada’s land mass and is home to 70% of the Indigenous communities in Canada. Archaeologists who choose to work in this expansive and culturally rich environment must regularly contend with influences on the archaeological record and their approach to studying the past. First, there is the ecosystem itself which impacts the archaeological record with its acidic soils and natural regeneration cycle via forest fires. Then there are often the logistical constraints of the cultural resource management (CRM) framework on Boreal Forest archaeology, which restrict archaeological inventories to areas of industrial development. At times the cumulative effect of these environmental and methodological factors limit what archaeologists can conclude from their research. Often, archaeological sites identified within the Boreal Forest are described as inconsequential lithic scatters, or isolated campsites, a situation we have heard discouragingly described as “putting dots on a map”. Yet, decades of populating those maps with those little dots has facilitated growth in our understanding of the past, allowing archaeologists to say not just where sites were, but who was at the sites, what people were doing, when they were visited and why. In this session we explore the challenges of conducting research in the Boreal Forest of Canada, the strategies used to overcome those challenges, and how archaeologists have had to adapt to manage these unique and non-renewable resources.