The Taiga Biome

* Largest biome on Earth

* Covering ~1.2 billion acres

* Northern Hemisphere (Canada, US, Eurasia-Russia & Scandinavia)

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50 to 70 degrees North latitudes only (not South)

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* As low as -65 up to 30 degrees F in Winters

* From 30 up to 70 degrees F in Summers

* Only 50-100 frost free days (known as the growing season)

* Water is locked up in snow/ice most of the year

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Vegetation has to cope with drought conditions

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* Not a lot of rainfall

* Much of that as falling snow

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Temps below freezing ~6 months out of the year

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* Northern limit grades unevenly in to Tundra

* Limited by very harsh arctic climates

* Southern limit grades off to deciduous forests/grasslands/savannas (depending on the amount of precipitation) as temperatures increase closer to the equator

* BLACK SPRUCE:

* cone seeds eaten by birds

* Enjoys colder climates and poorly drained soil.

* Survives cold with layered twigs, waxy needles, rough bark

* Wood is sought after because of its thick layered wood

* BALSAM FIR

* wide base and narrow top, can grow to be 200 yrs old

* Somewhat shallow roots that don’t grow deeper than 30 in

* Seeds are winged

* Food supply for moose and red squirrels

* Sometimes used as lumber, being lightweight/low bending/low in shock resistance

* LABRADOR TEA

* Not a true tea

* Rhododendron tomentosum, groenlandicum, neoglandulosum

* Attractive to insects in the summer

* Grows well in mossy or shrubby ground

* WHITE POPLAR

* Deciduous, do not live long, grow...