Alvin Lok, Derron Siu, Jack Yao
Boreal Forest
Location
The boreal forest is located in North
America, Europe, and Asia in almost a
continuous line. It is right below the tundra
biome and right above the temperate
rainforest, grassland, and temperate
deciduous rainforest biomes.
Climate
The winters in the Boreal Forest are long
and cold with average temperatures below
0oC during half of the year. The summers are
short and moist with only about 50 to 100
days without frost. The average
temperature ranges from -5oC to 5oC. The
average annual amount of precipitation is
15-20 inches (38-51 cm). The boreal forest
has low temperatures and snowmelt, so
there is a low evaporation rate which makes
it a humid biome. The growing season is
usually less than 3 months.
Abiotic Factors
Temperature:
The boreal forest has very long, cold winters and short, mild summers.
Sunlight:
Since boreal forests are found in the northern regions, they may receive up to 20 hours of
sunlight per day in the summer, while during the winter daylight is limited to just a few short
hours.
Precipitation:
The boreal forest receives between 20 and 200 centimeters (8 to 79 inches) of precipitation per
year. Since the cold winter season is longer than the summer, most of the precipitation occurs
in the form of snow.
Food Chain
Endangered Species
The whooping crane is an endangered species which lives in
the boreal forest biome. It is listed as globally endangered by
the World Conservation Union. The whooping crane is the
tallest bird in North America and one of the oldest birds on
Earth. This species is endangered because its habitat and food
sources are getting destroyed due to human development.
Humans are draining marshes for farms which are destroying the whooping crane’s habitat.
This also destroys the whooping crane’s food source because the marshes are also where they
find their food. There are now a reduced amount of
marshes remaining in North America for the birds to rest
and eat when they are migrating. Currently, the birds are
protected under the Federal Species at Risk Act. There is
also a cooperative recovery effort between Canada and the
United States. Before 1996, there were many captive
breeding programs already in place in the US, but since
1993, a captive breeding centre was created in the Calgary
Zoo and in its first 11 years, there were 20 offspring
produced and they were released into the wild. There is a
breeding area in Wood Buffalo National Park for whooping cranes and it is protected along with
other sites where the whooping cranes stop during their migration. The birds migrate to
Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas, or somewhere near it.
Adaptation of Species:
Plants: Firs, spruces, and pines are the dominant are the main trees in the boreal forest because
they are have adapted to the cold conditions and short growing season. Trees in this region
have a conical shape, needle leafs, evergreen habit, and dark colour. The conical shape helps
shed the snow and reduces the loss of branches. The needle leaves reduce the surface area so
water can be conserved. This is needed because in the winter, the ground is frozen, so there is
no water. The plants have an evergreen habit because then the plants can photosynthesize
right when the temperature is right, so they do not waste time during the growing season,
which is very short. Finally, they have a dark colour because it helps the plants absorb as much
heat from the sun as it can, so it can photosynthesize earlier.
Animals: Animals in the taiga adapted in this biome by hibernating, storing food, migrating, and
having physical attributes. Some of the animals live through the cold winters by sleeping
through them. This makes it possible for the animals to little or no food at all through the
winter. Some animals that hibernate are ground squirrels, badgers, and the wood frog. Small
animals store food in dens or burrows. This helps them because they don’t have to look for
food during the winter because they did that before. Many birds migrate south in the winter
and go back in the spring and summer to breed. This allows them to benefit from the boreal
forest’s wetlands and plants minus having the risks of the severe winters. Some animals that do
this are songbirds, water fowl and moose. The animals that stay in the boreal forest throughout
the entire year have physical adaptations like thick fur, camouflage, and wide feet to help them
survive the winter.
Human Impact
Humans have made a big impact on boreal
forests. Some examples are forestry, mining, oil
and gas extraction, power generation, and global
warming. Forestry is Canada’s biggest natural
resource industry and many communities
depend on the forestry industry for the
community’s survival. There is lots of oil under
boreal forests and more demand for oil may
force oil exploration in these forests, then forest
land may be removed for roads and pipelines.
Large hydroelectric projects can also impact
boreal forests because these projects can remove trees and clear land which removes wildlife
habitats and affect the populations of species. This can change how an ecosystem functions.
What can be done to reduce the impact is looking at the management of boreal forests. For
example if trees are cut down, then that area should be reforested (replanted with new trees).
Also, better regulation by the government would also help.