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Coniferous Forest
Global Locations
Coniferous forests, or taigas, are the largest biome on earth, and cover most of Canada and Alaska, small areas of the northern continental U.S., much of northern Europe, and almost all of Russia.
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Climate
The tiaga usually has short, moist and warm summer, followed by long, cold and dry winters. The coniferous forest recieves most of its precipitation in the form of snow, which is mostly deposited during the winter months. The soil is relativly poor in nutrients, so plants have to adapt in order to survive both this limitation and the harsh winter months.
Prominent Flora
Coniferous forests are usually made up of only a few types of coniferous, or evergreen trees, such as the fir, spruce, or taramack. Because of the poor soil and long winters, the trees that grow in the taiga usually have long, deep root systems that allow them to gain the maximum amount of nutrients from the soil. Besides the trees, there is not much more plant life in the taiga, since the densely packed trees prevent sunlight from getting to the understory.
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Prominent Fauna
The taiga supports an abundance of life, from small mammals like hares and chipmunks, to birds like the woodpecker and the hawk, to large predetory mammals like the Alaskan Timber Wolf (pictured) and the bear.
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Threats to the Coniferous Forest
Logging by humans is the largest threat to coniferous forests today, as logging operations have already consumed massive tracts of forest, especially in Russia.