1. What is a Taiga, Really?
By Keith Davis

2. Intro
The taiga, or “forest” in Russia, also known as the boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome made up of mostly coniferous forests, with trees like spruces and pine trees.
Taigas make up 29% of all forest in the world, making it the largest land biome on the planet.
Most taigas are found in places like the northernmost parts of North America, Russia, Sweden, Norway, and even northern Japan.

3. Climate and Weather
Taigas tend to be very cold and snowy during the winters and fairly pleasant, but humid during summer. However, it’s the coldest land biome behind the tundra and ice caps.
Temperatures can range from -65℉ to -1℉ during winter and from -7℉ to 70℉ in the summers.
The warm weather tends to be exceedingly short, generally lasting no more than three months max.
Autumn and spring are so short(1 to 2 weeks each), one would likely never feel any noticeable difference.

4. Climate and Weather(cont.)
Precipitation is generated differently in different times of the year.
During winter, snowfall ranges from inches over the 8-9 month period.
Summer generates inches of rainfall over the 2-3 month period.
Total precipitation adds up to about 30 to 60 inches a year, compared to inches in a deciduous forest.

5. Vegetation
Because of the harsh climate, most plants are unable to survive in a taiga.
A few can, however, like coniferous trees(spruces, pines, firs, etc.) as well as some lichens and mosses.
Coniferous trees have waxy needles instead of the more traditional leaves of deciduous trees. The wax keeps the needles from freezing and allows them to stay on the tree year-round, making them well-suited to a cold climate.

6. Lichens and Mosses
Lichens and mosses, shown right, tend to grow on trees and rocks.
Lichens grow from algae/cyanobacteria(bacteria capable of photosynthesis) living in filaments of fungus.
Moss generally grows in a group and will grow where sunlight can reach it.

7. Vegetation of the Taiga
Spruce and Fir
Lichen and Moss

8. Primary Productivity
During winter, there may be a max of 6 hours of sunlight. Whereas during summer, there can be up to 24 hours of sunlight.
Due to the fact that the vegetation is not incredibly reliant on sunlight, the amount of sunlight(or lack thereof) isn’t important.
Carbon sequestration is accomplished via the various flora.

9. Wildlife
Wolves, bears of various kinds, lynxes, foxes, wolverines, among others are mammalian predators of the taiga.
Moose, reindeers, elk, beavers, mountain hares, among others, are mammalian herbivores.
Siberian thrush, white-throated sparrows, as well as golden eagles and ravens are some of the various birds found in the taiga.
Brook trout, salmon, as well as various species of frogs make up the bulk of the aquatic population.

10. Threats
While deforestation is an issue, boreal forests are generally in areas too harsh for the average human to be comfortable living in(northern Canada, Russia, etc.).
Given the fact that the taiga is the most prolific land biome on the planet and is one of the harshest, even deforestation hasn’t hit it as hard as rainforests or deciduous forests.

11. Works Cited http://lillianagreenetaiga.weebly.com/precipitation.html