The Boreal Forest, a 2011 gold proof coin from Canada.

 

The Royal Canadian Mint presents the 2011 Boreal Forest 50 Cents Gold Proof Coin, a commemorative 1/25oz 99.99% pure gold coin featuring the guardian of nature's delicate balance.

The Boreal Forest is a vast woodland that circumvents the globe across the Northern Hemisphere. It’s home to thousands of species of flora and fauna—a critical source of life-giving oxygen and a major filter for absorbing carbon dioxide. In fact, Canada's boreal forest stores more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem on earth.

Celebrated First Nation’s artist Corrine Hunt has brought her distinctive vision of traditional Kwakwaka’wakw and Tlingit forms to create these special-edition collectibles. Every design is visual poetry that gives the time-honored traditions of conservation and respect a contemporary voice with powerful lines and well-honed economy in composition.

2011 is the International Year of Forests—a time to reflect on the significant role the wilderness plays in reducing global warming and preserving the earth’s environmental balance.