Describes an investigation of the organic petrography and hydrocarbon generation potential of the Eocene fossil forests of Axel Heiberg Island, using optical microscopy, reflectance analysis, and Rock-Eval pyrolysis. Results from both petrographic and pyrolysis methods are examined in combination to evaluate the petroleum potential of these materials. Implications for the potential generation of hydrocarbons in the Cenozoic sequences of the Canadian Arctic are discussed.