LOCATION Boreal Forests are also known
as TAIGA forests
What portion of forests are BOREAL?
Boreal forests are CIRCUMPOLAR, meaning they circle the earth, spanning the top of Northern Europe, North America, and Asia (Called the “great green scarf” the Earth)
82 % of all Canadian Forests are boreal (Largest Canadian Biome)
100 % of NL forests are boreal
CLIMATE Coldest biome on Earth other
than the tundra Latitude is 50-60 degrees north
of equator Long, cold winters lasting 5-6
months of the year Short, warm summers Precipitation is generally snow Temperatures:
–50 0C to 300C throughout the year
average is less than 10 0C for eight or more months of the year
GROWTH RATE The Boreal forest is the SLOWEST
GROWING FOREST on EARTH WHY?
Shoot/root growth does not occur until temperature is high enough
Short Growing Season – 130 days
Low decomposition rate due to cold temperatures, so nutrient levels in soil are low
Extreme weather is common, killing buds and reducing growth
Cold snaps during growth season can reduce growth for the next season
SOIL CONDITIONS
SOIL is THIN(SHALLOW).
Soils is ACIDIC Due to decomposing needles
Soil has LOW DRAINAGE Evergreens provide permanent
shade, so soil is often waterlogged as a result.
Soils is NUTRIENT-POOR Decomposers are slower in cold,
acidic soil Waxy coating of evergreens
makes for a slower decomposition rate
BIODIVERSITY On a species level, it the LEAST BIODIVERSE
of all forest types Sometimes called the “spruce-moose” forest! Why?
With colder temperatures, and slower decomposition rates, ENERGY AVAILABILITY IS LOW
Recall the FLORA means “plants” and FAUNA means “animals”
BOREAL FOREST FLORA Boreal forests are mostly CONIFEROUS, with a
smaller portion of DECIDUOUS TREES Most common trees are coniferous softwoods
BLACK SPRUCE and BALSAM FIR. Other softwoods include Eastern larch and
pine. The smaller portion deciduous hardwoods
include white birch and trembling aspen.
BALSAM FIR Used in NL for pulp and
lumber Most abundant tree on the
island, 2nd most abundant in Labrador
At maturity, about 12-15 m in height meters in height and 30-50 cm in diameter
Can reach ages of 70-100 yrs old
Favourite snack of MOOSE Most common naturally
disturbance is INSECT DAMAGE
Needles are flat (will not roll in fingers) and grow horizontally on twig
Memory Tool: Flat is Fir
BLACK SPRUCE Provincial tree of NL Used in NL for pulpwood and
for Christmas trees Most abundant tree in
Labrador, 2nd most common on island
At maturity, about 9-12 m in height and 15-30 cm in diameter
Can reach age of 200 years Most common disturbance is
FIRE, cones are adapted to survive fire
Needles are four-sided, will roll in fingers and are spirally arranged
The other common spruce in NL is white spruce.
EASTERN LARCH (TAMARACK) Makes good posts
and poles.
Many locals incorrectly call this tree a juniper in NL
It is an unusual conifer because it drops its needles in winter (deciduous conifer).
WHITE BIRCH Most common birch in NL
and most important HARDWOOD in NL
Also called the paper birch or canoe birch
Used for fuel wood and in value-added wood products
scattered over the island but common in valleys on west coast of island
Other less common birch is YELLOW BIRCH
BOREAL FOREST FAUNA What types of fauna live
in our forests?
Moose Black Bear Woodland Caribou Canadian Lynx Snowshoe Hare Red Squirrel Little Brown Bat
Mink Coyote Beaver Newfoundland Marten Red Fox Masked Shrew Voles Rock Ptarmigan
LINKS http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=YNG7
_aAhyY4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xhj
_qVII1Wg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB
9uzMjiYSQ http://fliiby.com/file/130754/cuwxmfpb
fd.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifx
RXL0KGXQ&feature=related http://www.hww.ca/media.asp?mcid=2
ADAPTATION 1 – PREVENTING DESSICATION)
Coniferous leaves are modified to prevent dessication, which means “drying out”
They are modified into needles or scales that:decrease surface area reduce water loss by transpiration
(evaporation from leaves)
ADAPTATION 2 – WITHSTANDING SNOW LOAD
Conifers have downward sloping of boughs, allowing trees to shed a heavy snow load.
ADAPTATION 3 – WITHSTANDING EXTREME COLD
At low temperatures between 0 to -40 degrees Celsius, other trees might freeze to death.
In conifers, liquids in the tree remain liquid, a process known as super cooling.
Some conifers that can survive below -40 degrees Celsius include white and black spruce, and tamarack
ADAPTATION 4 – MAXIMIZING PHOTOSYNTHESIS
Due to the ALBEDO EFFECT, darker objects absorb more heat energy as compared to lighter–hued objects.
The dark green of conifer needles helps the trees absorb the maximum heat from the sun and begin photosynthesis as early as possible
ADAPTATION 5 - CONES
Example: Black Spruce It produces two types of
seed cones, CLOSED and OPEN CONES.
Open seed cones drop each year and sprout in any area where there is enough light to grow.
Closed cones cannot release their seeds unless heated to a high temperature by fire. The heat of the fire melts the resin that acts like glue to keep the seed cone closed