Boreal Forest
By: Jeremy Royster & Julie Morris
3rd Period Ecology Class
2010
Location
 Boreal Forest are located in Europe, Asia, North
America,& Siberia.
 Boreal is one of the largest land biomes.
 Boreal Forest are also known as Taiga.
 Taiga is a Russian word for swampy nature.
Soil Type
• The main soil order associated with the taiga is
spodosol.
• Spodosol is soil that contains a high proportion of
aluminum oxide and organic material, created through
water percolation.
Climate
 Cold continental climates.
 Long severe winters.
 Up to six months with mean temperatures below
freezing.
 Short Summers.
 Which means only 50-100 free days from the winter
weather.
Plants found in Boreal Forest
 Pines Cones
 Fir
 Moss
 Lichen
 Giant Sequoia
 Many plants are found in the Taiga, but coniferous trees
are obviously the dominant plant form.
 They shed snow easily and retain there needles during
winter.
Species in Boreal Forest
 Bobcats
 Tigers
 Bears
 Moose
 Elk
 Porcupine
 Rabbits
 Wolf
 And many more.
 Numerous animal species are found in coniferous forest.
Adaptation
 The animals adapt to all the snow in the Boreal Forest.
 Caribou have hooves that splay out to help balance in the
snow.
 Some of the moose adapted long legs to keep the above the
snow.
 Birds have adapted to long nights by storing seeds in there
throat pouches.
 They wait until the night is over to digest the seeds.
Competition
 There is not much competition in the boreal forests
 Being that bear usually hibernate during long winters the
bobcats and other animals have more food
 Moose and other herbivores have a wide variety of plants to
eat.
Human Effects in the Boreal Forest
 Humans have caused fires over many years in the forest.
 Because of the fires many animals lose there homes.
 The fire doesn’t kill the animals directly, but it causes them
to lose shelter, food, and puts them in stress.
Interesting Facts
 Over 50 percent of the world's Boreal forests are in Russia
 The rest of the boreal forests are in Canada, Sweden,
Norway, and Finland
 The Boreal forest region of Canada is not only trees--it is also
wetlands, grasslands, tundra and rivers.
 The boreal forest is one of the earth’s three major forest
types and covers over 11 percent of the planet’s surface area.
Quiz
 1. Name at least five animals that live in the boreal forest
 2. What is one major thing that humans do to effect the
boreal forests
 3. What is the soil like in the boreal forest
 4. Name 3 plant that are in the boreal forest.
 5. How do moose and birds adapt to the cold weather in the
boreal forest