1. Thomas Couch and Madeline King
Boreal Forest/Taiga
Thomas Couch and Madeline King

2. What is the boreal forest?
biome characterized by coniferous forests
consists mostly of pines, spruces, and larches
also known as a taiga
world’s largest terrestrial biome
Larch

3. The beginning theory
scientists believe the taiga was once completely covered in glaciers
cold weather due to environment from thousands of years ago

4. Where can you find them?
North America – inland Canada, Alaska, northern Minnesota through upper peninsula of Michigan and northern New England, upstate New York
known as Northwoods
globally found in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Japan

5. What plants can you find there?
cone-bearing and needle leaved trees
firs and pines (conifer types)
mosses and lichens

6. What animals can you find there?
carnivores – Siberian Tiger, lynx, bobcats, and wolves
large herbivores – elk, deer, and moose
small herbivores – porcupine, squirrel, and other small rodents

7. What is the climate? cold
annual temperatures usually range from degrees Fahrenheit
precipitation varies from about cm per year (mostly in the form of snow)

8. Climate Cont. winters are cold and long, summers are cool and short
little evaporation in summer due to snow and low temperatures
moist ground during growing season
growing season is less than three months

9. What are some threats to the forest?
global warming (most serious threat)
as the planet warms, the southern reaches of the forest will become warm enough for deciduous trees to outcompete the conifers and replace them
logging – trees are slow to regrow thus hurting the environment, and are subject to flooding

10. Fun Facts
90% of the boreal forests in Canada are owned by the British Crown
represents 29% of the world’s forest cover
 Taiga (Russian word) refers to the more barren northern locations; boreal refers to the more temperate, southern area

11. More Fun Facts
 only 30 of the 300 bird species from the summer stay for the winter
can reach -65 degrees F in the most northern areas during winter
boreal forests in Canada has largest area of wetlands in any ecosystem of the world
Canada still has 91% of the forest cover that existed at the beginning of European settlement