One of nature’s woody behemoths — the North American snow forest — may soon begin shrinking. The continent’s boreal forest reposes in subarctic latitudes, spanning much of Alaska and Canada.

For more than six months a year, Quebec’s boreal forest is covered in a thick blanket of snow. While this is essential for the balance of our ecosystems, for the people living downstream from forested ...

A soft, thick coat of snow makes a lot of the world seem to slow down or even stop — at least temporarily. The fluffy piles absorb sound and make the world quiet and still. But deep underneath, in ...