Boreal Plant Addoptation

The boreal forest corresponds with regions of subarctic and cold continental climate. Long, severe winters (up to six months with mean temperatures below freezing) and short summers (50 to 100 frost-free days) are characteristic, as is a wide range of temperatures between the lows of winter and highs of summer.

The climate of the boreal forest is characterized by strong seasonal variation with short, moderately warm and moist summers and long, extremely cold and dry winters. Temperature range is extreme, especially in the mid-continental areas, where seasonal fluctuations can be as great as 100°C.

Boreal forests include numerous species of coniferous and deciduous trees, shrubs, grasses, and species of fungi and lichens. Large and small mammals have adapted to the harsh conditions of the boreal forest, and billions of birds breed in or migrate through the boreal forest each year

Made up largely of pine, fir, and other coniferous trees, the boreal forest, or taiga, is actually 50 percent bigger than the Amazon rainforest. In North America, it spans a third of Canada's landmass and much of Alaska.