The Boreal Forest (Taiga)

By: Dina Sawan and Dana MahmoudClass: 6A

The Meaning of Boreal and TaigaThe origin of the word Taiga comes from

Russia/ M0ngolia, it means forest. The origin of the word Boreal comes from

Latin, it means northern.If you combined Boreal Taiga together it

would mean “Northern Forest”.

http://www.answers.com/topic/boreal

Where does the Boreal Forest locate?The boreal forest locates in the northern part of

the world, in Canada, Russia and Alaska.The Taiga is south the Tundra and north the

deciduous forest.It extends across northern America and Eurasia.

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/boreal.htm

ClimateThe Taiga has cold arctic air, because of the

earth’s tilt the Taiga is turned away from the sun in the winter.

Summer is a rainy, hot and short season in the Taiga.

The lowest and highest temperatures that occur for taiga are the following:

Winter's LOWEST temperature in taiga is -65°F.Winter's HIGHEST temperature is 30° F.Summer's LOWEST temperature is 30° F.Summer's HIGHEST temperature is 70° F.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga_climate_page.htm

The Plants in The Taiga ForestThe Taiga is known to have the Conifer trees.The Conifer trees shed snow easily, and they

retain their needles through the winter.

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/boreal.htm

Conifer Trees The needles themselves are well-adapted,

with thick waxy coatings and small surface area, to resist cold conditions and minimize water loss, an important consideration even in the swampy taiga where water may be frozen much of the year.

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/boreal.htm

White FirThe White Fir is 60-100 feet tall and can live up

to 300 years making it a very large for. The leaves are 2 to 3 inches long and slightly flattened. They are silvery blue to silvery green, curve up from the stem and are soft to the touch.

The cones are 2-5 inches long colored an olive green to purple color. They grow upright in the top of the tree. The bark is described as being thin.

The bark is ashy gray with resin blisters. You can find the White Fir in most of the western regions of North America. It is the only native fir of the North American Taiga.est tree.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga_plant_page.htm

White FirThe most used part of the White fir is the

wood, which is used as lumber. The tree is also often used as a Christmas tree. It smells great and has sturdy branches, which hold their shape well. Squirrels enjoy the White Firs seeds.

Porcupines like to gnaw on the White Fir's bark. The tree is also a great home for the grouse. In the winter it makes a great roosting place and they can feed off of the buds and needles.

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga_plant_page.htm

Black Spruce Spruce is a common plant of the taiga biome, which can

grow to an astonishing height of about 25 meters. An old black spruce tree resembles a tall spike.

Black spruce is common in the taiga due to its adaptability to grow in poor soil and cold climates. Compared to the branches of the conifer tree, the black spruce tree’s branches are shorter.

Sharp needles of about half an inch long with four sides are a characteristic feature of this conifer.

The bark is rough, thick and gray-brown in color. The pinecones of spruce are a major food for the birds in Taiga biome.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/taiga-biome-taiga-animals-and-plants.html

Jack Pine The jack pine tree grows to about 27 meters tall and

the base almost similar to the height. Young jack pine has reddish colored barks, whereas an older tree has gray barks. The branches are long.

These two characteristic features of jack pine allow them to adapt during the snowfalls and cold weather conditions.

It is found in semi-cold regions of taiga with sandy soils. Leaves and pinecones of jack pine are a source food for the rodents and other animals living in the taiga biome.In addition, other deciduous trees found in the taiga biome include birch, alder and aspen.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/taiga-biome-taiga-animals-and-plants.html

The Animal Species in the Taiga Forest There are a lot of animal species in the Taiga forests.There are birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.There are several species which include ducks,

geese, loons and swans.There are 3 species of amphibians which are the

mink frog, wood frog and blue spotted salamander.About fifty species of mammals are found in the Taiga

Shield, including the large herbivores barren-ground caribou, woodland caribou, and moose. Wolves, black and grizzly bears and the lynx are the larger predators. Smaller predators include the coyote, red and arctic fox, muskrat, wolverine, weasel, mink, marten, otter, and least weasel. The smaller herbivores include the snowshoe hare.

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

Birds-Long Eared OwlThe Long-Eared Owl is a medium sized owl

which is approximately 35 centimeters long (around 13 inches) and weighs 8-10 ounces.

It is called long eared because of the feather on its head that look s like ears.

They do have ears one 50% larger than the other.

This allows them to hear very well and clearly.

es.org/taigaanhttp://www.blueplanetbiomimal_page.htm

Amphibians-The Blue Spotted SalamanderBlue spotted salamanders are quite small,

they are only 14 cm long and they are not easy to find.

They have a long thin body, though they are not nearly as small and thin as the Jefferson Salamander.

They have long toes: four on the front feet, and five on the hind feet. Males tend to be smaller than females, though they have longer, flattened tails.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-spotted_Salamander

Mammals-Ground CaribouBehavioral AdaptationsThe most important behavior caribou have

adapted for survival is their annual migration from their summer range along the north coast to the boreal forests of the Richardson and Ogilvie mountain ranges. This 700 km trip allows the caribou to seek conditions essential for survival. The summer feeding grounds of the north coast become unpredictable with intolerable weather and feeding conditions.

http://www.borealforest.org/index.php?category=world_boreal_forest&page=overview

FactorsAbiotic Factors Biotic Factors

1.Large amounts of precipitation

2.Both cold and hot seasons

3.Little amount of sunlight reaches through the trees

4.The soil is very fertile5.Distant from the sea

1.Black Bear 2.Fox3.Squirrel4.Deer5.Coyote 

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_major_abiotic_and_biotic_factors_of_the_taiga_biome

Human ActivitiesThe main human activity in the Boreal forest in

Canada is clear cutting, where most if not all trees are removed from an area of forest.

Clear cutting is an appropriate forest management practice for the Boreal forest. It most closely mimics the natural pattern of disturbances (notably fire) and, as such, helps to replace the even-aged stands that are typical of northern Ontario. In other words, clear cutting is just one element in an integrated forest management system that accounts for the full life cycle of a stand.

http://www.ofia.com/sustainability/viewpoint/clearcutting.html

Human ActivitiesWhilst fires are a natural part of many forest

ecosystem types, including the Boreal and the American West, and tropical (or dry) seasonal forest, many fires today are initiated by humans.

There is concern that these fires, or “wildfires” are increasing in frequency and severity. In other ecosystems, e.g. moist tropical forest, some temperate broadleaf forests, fire is a very rare occurrence naturally, but here too, fires appear to be increasing.

http://www.borealforest.org/index.php?category=world_boreal_forest&page=overview

Thank YouFor Listening