Boreal Forest / Taiga

Charlie Wetherbee & Jordan Lautt • AP Environmental Science 2˚

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Global Distribution Boreal Forest / Taiga

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 Distribution
Boreal Forest / Taiga

• Boreal forests comprise the largest terrestrial biome, covering

Q u ic k T im e ª a n d a
d e c o m p re s s o r
a re n e e d e d t o s e e t h is p ic t u re .
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approximately 17% of Earth’s land area.

d e c o m p re s s o r
a r e n e e d e d t o s e e t h is p ic t u r e .

• These forests cover large regions of northern North America and Eurasia,
usually extending from 50˚ to 60˚N. They are bordered on the south by
temperate forests in North America and steppes in Eurasia, and recede to arctic
tundra at their northern extremes.
• Canada, Russia, and
Scandinavia are almost entirely
covered by taiga; the biome is
defined by its climate, which
occurs almost exclusively in the
high latitudes of the northern
hemisphere. There is no taiga in
the southern hemisphere except at
altitudes conducive to these
conditions.
 Climate ConditionsBoreal Forest / Taiga

• Boreal forests are characterized by their harsh climate, a result of their high
latitude. This location on the globe creates extreme temperature swings
between seasons as well as months of bitter cold in the absence of sunlight.
• Summers are short, humid, and warm. Winters last at least six months, during
which the average temperature is below freezing; snow can remain for nine
months. Tundra and ice caps are the only terrestrial biomes that experience colder
temperatures than the taiga.
• Verkhoyansk, Russia,
located in the heart of the
Siberian taiga, often
experiences winter lows
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below -90˚F and summer
highs above 90˚F, the
widest temperature range
on the planet.
 Climate Conditions Boreal Forest / Taiga

• High latitude locations prevent the sun from reaching far above the horizon even in
summer– winters months can experience almost perpetual night.
• Most precipitation occurs
as summer rain, though
boreal forests only receive
12-30” of precipitation
annually. Low evaporation
rates enables denser QuickTimeª and a
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• Precipitation also occurs

in the form of summer fog
and heavy winter snow.
Precipitation remains
relatively constant
throughout the year.
 Dominant Flora and Fauna Boreal Forest / Taiga

• There are two common types of boreal forest. Closed forest consists of densely
spaced trees and mossy forest floor, while lichen woodland, found at higher latitudes,
has trees that are more sparsely distributed and a ground cover of lichen.

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Dominant Flora and Fauna Boreal Forest / Taiga

• Trees in the taiga are almost exclusively

coniferous– pines, firs, spruces, and larches. These
trees have dark green needles in order to minimize
water loss, protect against the cold, and absorb
more solar energy. Roots are shallow due to the
thin soil, and can be chemically altered depending
on the season. Conical shape, needles, and
drooping limbs reduce the snow load.
• Boreal forests have low biological diversity, but
do support some other non-coniferous species.
Lichens and mosses grow on the shaded forest floor
and become dormant during winter months when
buried by snow. Grasses and other herbacious
plants grow during the warmer months, and
wildflowers often spring up from the melting snow
in early summer. Broadleaf trees like aspen, birch,
and willow can occasionally be found in the taiga.
 Dominant Flora and Fauna Boreal Forest / Taiga

• Large mammals like bears, caribou, foxes,

wolves, lynx, and moose dominate the taiga due to
their ability to fight the bitter cold or hibernate.
• Several tiger species are found in the southern
boreal forests of Asia, most notably the highly
endangered Siberian tiger.

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• Rodents and other small animals like wolverines,

beavers, muskrats, and snowshoe hares also
populate the forest. These are herbivorous, and
they provide the majority of the food source for
some of the carnivores listed above.
 Dominant Flora and Fauna Boreal Forest / Taiga

• Boreal forests are also a vital habitat for migrating birds. Billions nest and
reproduce in the forests during their short but temperate summer. And
estimated 1.4 billion birds are hatched each summer in Canadian forests alone.

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 Challenges of the Forests Boreal Forest / Taiga

• Harsh climate (cold, long winters, large seasonal temperature swings) and
low energy levels (less sunlight absorption) limit biodiversity and production.
• Soil is thin and poor. Nutrients are often in short supply, and smaller
producers can only take hold when snow does not cover the forest floor. Low
biodiversity and energy flow result in few nutrients, further hindering
productivity.
• The short growing season limits the amount of undergrowth, which is more
susceptible to cold damage than well-adapted conifers. This also results in
fewer primary consumers and less available biomass in general.
• Many taiga regions are very dry, almost desert-like. Snow that remains on
the ground for much of the year cannot be used until it melts.
 Human Threats
Boreal Forest / Taiga

• Boreal forests have been subject to huge amounts of deforestation because

they supply the majority of wood for timber and paper products.
 Human Threats
Boreal Forest / Taiga

• Forests often cover land

with large fossil fuel
reserves. Forests in Siberia
have been compromised
because of the oil boom that
is revitalizing the economy
in that barren landscape.
Concern for the
environment is minimal
because it threatens the
livelihood of the people.
The growth of the oil sands
industry in Canada is even
more damaging because
strip-mining is the first step
to retrieving the oil.
 Human Threats
Boreal Forest / Taiga

• Global warming poses

perhaps the largest challenge
to the world’s boreal forests,
with the highest temperature
increases expected at the high
latitudes where the forests are
found. As the climate warms,
the taiga’s characteristic cold
weather and long winters will
become milder, allowing
different organisms to be able
to survive and potentially
causing steppes or more
temperate forests to take over
in the taiga’s southern areas.
 Sources
Boreal Forest / Taiga

Cover image:
Encinas, Javier. “Canada's Winter Wonderland (Banff, AB)”. 9 Jan. 2010. Online image. Flickr. 23 Feb. 2010.
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/forevernomad/4256519166>

Main sources:
"Boreal Forest." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 23 Feb. 2010
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/74016/boreal-forest>.

Wikipedia contributors. "Taiga." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 24 Feb. 2010. The Wikimedia
Foundation. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiga>

Cunningham, William P., and Mary Cunningham. Environmental Science, A Global Concern. 10th ed. New
York: McGraw Hill, 2008.
 Sources
Boreal Forest / Taiga
Other sources and images:

http://birds.cornell.edu/bigyear/photo-gallery/alaska/YukonFlats_vyn.jpg

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/bigyear/field-notes/AKtravellog

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/forests.php#boreal

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/74016/boreal-forest

http://www.borealforest.org/world/world_overview.htm

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/travelogues/163764d1248421124-more-pics-hyd-bandipur-madumalai-nagarahole-
dark-forest.jpg

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/geography/images/eco_023.gif

http://desertplanet.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/russia-siberia-cold-snow1.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2d/Picea_glauca_taiga.jpg

http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/418469main_10YearAverage_full.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:P.t.altaica_Tomak_Male.jpg

http://wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/BaikalForest_%28pixinn.net%29.jpg

http://www.somers.k12.ct.us/~mporter/images/52-19a-PopCycleHareLynxPhot.jpeg