Abstract for F001
Boreal Forest & Woodland
Forêts et terres boisées de la zone boréale
Boreal Forest & Woodland (or taiga) extends across the northern regions of North America and Eurasia, with extended cold winters and short mild summers. It is bounded on the north by tundra and on the south by either the northern limit of temperate lowland and subalpine forests or grasslands (steppes). A number of ecological factors, including topography, climate and edaphic conditions, control Boreal Forest & Woodland distribution. It is dominated by needle-leaved (usually evergreen, conical-shaped) conifers, and broad-leaved deciduous hardwoods. Lichens and mosses often dominate the ground layer. The structure of Boreal Forest & Woodland varies from closed forest to lichen woodland and forest tundra. Closed forests dominate the southern boreal zone; lichen woodlands dominate the northern regions; and isolated forest-tundra patches occur in the tundra zone near or just above treeline. Boreal forests are disturbance-based, with fires the primary disturbance.
Source: Faber-Langendoen, D., T. Keeler-Wolf, D. Meidinger, C. Josse, A. Weakley, D. Tart, G. Navarro, B. Hoagland, S. Ponomarenko, J.-P. Saucier, G. Fults, E. Helmer. 2014. Classification and description of world formation types. Part I (Introduction) and Part II (Description of world formations). Hierarchy Revisions Working Group, Federal Geographic Data Committee, FGDC Secretariat, U.S. Geological Survey. Reston, VA, and NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
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