Nikki Barnes
Courtney Helton
Nachaela Chaffin
Table of Contents
 Slide 3- Introduction
 Slide 4- Map
 Slide 5- Definition
 Slide 6- Geography
 Slide 8- Zones
 Slide 10- Meteorology
 Slide 13- Human Influence
 Slide 15- Botany
-Douglas Fir- Slide 18
-Willow- Slide 19
 Slide 20- Zoology
-Snow Leopard- Slide 21
-Red Fox- Slide 22
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
 Includes area from coastal ranges of
Northern California to the southern part of
Alaska
 Stretches through Oregon, Washington, and
Minnesota and other northwestern states
Map
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
Northwestern Coniferous Forest
 Definition: a type of forest characterized by
cone-bearing, needle-leaved trees
Geography
 Sandy and gravelly soil along river beds
 Mountainous, uneven grounds
 Ranges from 2000 to 12,000 feet in elevation
 Includes Rocky Mountains
 Forest is divided into zones at different
elevations including many types of trees,
plants, and animals
Geography
 Forest is divided into zones at different
elevations including many types of trees,
plants, and animals
Zones
 Mountain Complex of Southern
Rockies- reaches altitudes of 12,000 feet
 Creosote Bush-greasewood Associationhot, dry, lower slopes below 6,000 feet
 Pinyon-Juniper Association- between
5,000 to 7,000 feet
 Ponderosa Pine Zone- found from 6,000
to 8,000 feet
Zones
 Douglas-fir Zone- 7,500 to 9,000 feet
 Spruce-fir Zone- between 8,500 and
11,500 feet
 Alpine Tundra Zone- occurs above
timberline
 Subalpine Zone- found around 2,000
feet in elevation
Meteorology
 Precipitation varies from 50 inches per year
in southern portion
 Relatively dry summers
Meteorology
 Up to 200 inches of precipitation on
mountain slopes
 Climate consists of long winters with heavy
snows and short, dry summers with cool
temperatures
Meteorology
 Lower slopes of the eastern cascades are
especially dry, rainfall ranging from 10-40
inches a year and a long dry summer
 Cold winters and cool summers are caused
by arctic air masses resulting in extreme
temperature variations
 Most precipitation occurs during warm
months
Human Influence
 Clear-cut logging is the biggest threat
 Clear-cutting accelerates soil erosion,
degrades wild-life habitat, and leads to
the loss of biodiversity
Human Influence
 Land is being cleared for ski slopes,
landfills, housing, new roads, etc.
Botany
 Coniferous forest cover huge areas but have fewer
kinds of plants and animals than any other forest.
 Many coniferous forests are enormous; they are
some of the last wild places in the northern
hemisphere.
 Some of the coniferous forests in Canada are half
frozen and the trees only grow for a few weeks a
year.
Botany
 Both big leaf maple and red alder are pioneer tree
species on recently burned and heavily logged
areas in the region.
 Western Larch and Western White Pine are
important successional species in this eastern
extension.
 The Creosote bush-greenwood association
occupies the hot, dry lower.
Douglas Fir
• Shining green color
• Wood is very strong.
• Needles do not fall
off easy.
• Usually grows
between 40-60 feet
in height but
occasionally this
tree can grow up to
250ft high.
• Leaves are between
1- 1 ½ inches in
length.
Willow Tree
 There are about 300 different
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
types of willows.
The longest willow grows over
120 feet high.
They are planted in wet regions
so their roots can soak up the
water to dry out the soil.
By providing shade, the willow
protects the fields.
The twigs are used to make
baskets and wicker furniture
because they can bend so
easily.
The willow bark provides a
material that can be used to
relive pain and fever.
 Service Berry
Other Plant Life
 Western Wallflower
 Jeffery Pine
 Snow Brush
 Squaw Carpet
 Waterleaf
 Ponderosa Pine
 White Fir
Zoology
 Because the plants grow so slowly, animals need
to roam over large areas to find enough food.
Snow Leopard
 Soft, grey coat with white
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on the stomach and solid
black or brown spots on his
head and limbs.
Black streak down its back.
Lots of fur o their paws for
protection from the cold
and snow.
Head and body length= 4759 inches and the tail is 3139 inches long.
Lives mostly in the
mountains and rocky
places.
Red Fox
 Hunt mostly at night and
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


remain active the year round.
They often roam grassy
meadows and listen for
squeaks of mice.
They sometimes stand on
their hind legs to get better
view in tall grass.
A fox may lie in wait and
pounce on a ground squirrel
or wood chuck.
Most commonly found in
Canada and Northern North
America.
Questions
1. North Western Coniferous Forest range from ____________ to ______________.
2. What kind of soil is in the Northwestern Coniferous Forest?
1. 2,000 to 12,000 feet
2. sandy and gravelly
3. Why do animals in the Coniferous Forest cover so much land to find food?
4. Where do snow leopards live?
3. Plants grow so slowly because of weather
4. Mostly in mountains and rocky places
5. What are the two pioneer tree species in the Coniferous Forest?
6. How do people use the Willow tree?
5. big leaf maple and red alder
6. Used for basket making and wicker furniture and also in some medicines
7. What is the climate like in the Northwestern Coniferous Forest?
8. When does precipitation occur most in the Coniferous Forest?
7. consists of long winters with heavy snows and short, dry summers with cool
temperatures
8. during warm months