BOREAL FOREST/TAIGA

Specific Locations:
Found in a nearly continuous belt across North America and Eurasia, specifically Canada and Russia

SPECIES: PLANTS

• Evergreen Spruce tree
• Fir tree
• Pine tree
• Deciduous Larch tree
• Lamarack tree

SPECIES: ANIMALS

• American Black Bear
• Bald Eagle
• River Otter
• Gray Wolf
• Red Fox
• Bobcat

ENDANGERED SPECIES

• Woodland Caribou
• Grizzly Bear
• Wolverine

CLIMATE

• Mostly dominated by cold arctic air from the arctic circle
• Winter lasts 6-7 months
• Summer is rainy, hot, and short
• Fall is the shortest season
• Spring brings flowers, ponds melt, and animals come out of hibernation
• Annual rainfall: 12-33in.
• The temp. is below freezing for half of the year

RECENT CHANGES

• Burning at an unprecedented rate during past few decades
• Climate change has caused more wildfires
• Wildfires are contributing to climate change
• Global warming will lead to more fires
• Vegetation changes as a result of the fires may reduce magnitude of future fires

UNIQUE FEATURES

• Fires are needed to get rid of old and sick trees
• Very little plant variety since evergreen trees never drop their leaves so the soil lacks nutrients
• Softwood timber, which is used to make paper, is often found in a boreal forest
• Most of the biome is uninhabited by humans

CONTINUED

• Animals migrate or hibernate during the long winter
• Most have special adaptations such as thick fur or ability to change color during seasons
• Is an endangered biome
• Not many animals but millions of insect

THREATS TO BIOME

• Climate change
• Industrial logging/forestry
• Oil and gas exploration
• Road building
• Mining
• Use of pesticides
• Animals hunted and trapped for fur

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