Taiga Plains
Landforms To the South are the Boreal Plains, and a big area of forests. There are a lot of wetland habitats. This area is home to the Whooping Crane. To the west there are the foothills of the Boreal Cordillera in British Columbia and southern Yukon To the north there is the Taiga Cordillera.
Climate The Taiga Plains has short, cool summers and long, cold winters. Summer temperatures range from 7ºC in the north to 14ºC in the south. Winter brings averages of -26ºC and -15ºC . Snow and freshwater ice lasts for six to eight months. There is generally little rainfall here, only 200-500mm a year.
Vegetation Fires are fairly common, and many species are especially adapted to it. Trees in the Taiga Plains include paper birch, willows, trembling aspen, jack pine, black spruce, and balsam fir. Some of the smaller plants that grow here are fire snag, Labrador tea, bearberry, ericaceous shrubs, cotton grass, bog cranberry, and blueberry.
Soils Taiga soil tends to be young and poor in nutrients. It lacks the deep, organically enriched profile present in temperate deciduous forests. The thinness of the soil is due largely to the cold, which hinders the development of soil and the ease with which plants can use its nutrients . Acids from evergreen needles further leach the soil, creating spodosol, also known as podzol.
Wildlife Lynx Caribou antler Gray Jay Willow Ptarmigan Wood Bison Sharp-tailed Grouse Red Fox Ermine Moose Red Squirrel
Human Activities Most settlements in the Taiga Plains are located by rivers. Most of the landscape has been virtually untouched by human activity. A majority of the 22 000 people who live there make their living through subsistence activities. Petroleum exploration, mining, and forestry also take place. Good fishing, hunting and skiing.
Major Cities- Population There is a total population of 34 000 people. The GDP is $500 million. The major cities are Hay River, Inuvik and Fort Simpson.
Interesting facts The Taiga has a biome and environment group that is found near the Arctic Circle around the 50 degree mark. Taiga is a moist sub arctic forest with coniferous trees across North America. The sun stays up later in this area. On one day of the year the sun stays up the whole night and day. Most of the landscape has been virtually untouched by human activity. There is a large number of insect populations.