What is a

Taiga,
Really?
By Keith Davis

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.

Climate and Weather

Taigas tend to be very cold and snowy during the
winters and fairly pleasant, but humid during summer.
However, its 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.

Climate and Weather(cont.)

Precipitation is generated differently in different times
of the year.
During winter, snowfall ranges from 20-40 inches over
the 8-9 month period.
Summer generates 10-20 inches of rainfall over the 2-3
month period.
Total precipitation adds up to about 30 to 60 inches a
year, compared to 40-60 inches in a deciduous forest.

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.

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.

Vegetation of the Taiga

Spruce and Fir

Lichen and Moss

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) isnt important.
Carbon sequestration is accomplished via the various
flora.

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.

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 hasnt hit it as hard as rainforests or
deciduous forests.

Works Cited
http://lillianagreenetaiga.weebly.com/precipitation.h
tml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiga
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/taiga/
http://www.eniscuola.net/en/argomento/taiga/taiga-b
iome/conifer-forest/