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Taiga
The taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic
region. The subarctic is an area of the Northern
Hemisphere that lies just south of the Arctic
Circle.
GRADES
4 - 12+
SUBJECTS
Biology, Earth Science, Geography, Physical
Geography
1/5
P H OTO G R A P H
Caribou
A herd of barren-ground caribou runs past a
snow-covered forest in the Northwest
Territories, Canada. Many kinds of animals
have adapted to live in the cold, subarctic
climate of the taiga.
P H OTO G R A P H BY M A R I A ST E N Z E L
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E N C YC LO P E D I C E N T RY VO C A B U L A RY
The taiga is a forest of the cold, subarctic
region. The subarctic is an area of the
Northern Hemisphere that lies just south of the
Arctic Circle. The taiga lies between the tundra
to the north and temperate forests to the
south.
Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia have
taigas. In Russia, the world’s largest taiga
stretches about 5,800 kilometers (3,600 miles),
from the Pacific Ocean to the Ural Mountains.
This taiga region was completely glaciated, or
covered by glaciers, during the last ice age.
The soil beneath the taiga often contains
permafrost—a layer of permanently frozen soil.
In other areas, a layer of bedrock lies just
beneath the soil. Both permafrost and rock
prevent water from draining from the top
layers of soil. This creates shallow bogs known
as muskegs. Muskegs can look like solid
ground, because they are covered with moss,
short grasses, and sometimes even trees.
However, the ground is actually wet and
spongy.
Plants and Fungi
Taigas are thick forests. Coniferous trees, such
as spruce, pine, and fir, are common.
Coniferous trees have needles instead of broad
leaves, and their seeds grow inside protective,
woody cones. While deciduous trees of
temperate forests lose their leaves in winter,
conifers never lose their needles. For this
reason, conifers are also called “evergreens.”
Conifers have adapted to survive the long, cold
winters and short summers of the taiga. Their
needles contain very little sap, which helps
prevent freezing. Their dark color and triangle-
shaped sides help them catch and absorb as
much of the sun’s light as possible. In the taiga,
tree growth is thickest beside muskegs and
lakes formed by glaciers.
Taigas have few native plants besides conifers.
The soil of the taiga has few nutrients. It can
also freeze, making it difficult for many plants
to take root. The larch is one of the only
deciduous trees able to survive in the freezing
northern taiga.
Instead of shrubs and flowers, mosses, lichens,
and mushrooms cover the floor of a taiga.
These organisms can grow directly on the
ground, or have very shallow roots. They can
survive in the cold, and with little water or
sunlight.
Animals of the Taiga
Many kinds of animals live in the taiga. All
animals have to be well-adapted to the cold.
Birds native to the taiga usually migrate south
during the freezing winter months. Small
animals, mostly rodents, live close to the floor.
Many birds of prey, such as owls and eagles,
hunt these animals from the trees of the taiga.
Moose, the largest type of deer in the world, is
able to live in the cold taiga. Like all deer,
moose are herbivores. They favor the aquatic
plants growing on the taiga’s bogs and
streams.
Few large carnivorous animals live in the taiga.
Bears and lynx are fairly common. The largest
cat in the world, the 300-kilogram (660-
pound) Siberian tiger, is a native taiga species.
Siberian tigers live in a small part of eastern
Siberia. They hunt moose and wild boars.
Threats to Taigas
Taiga ecosystems are threatened by direct
human activity and climate change. Animals of
the taiga, such as foxes or bears, have always
been hunted. Their warm fur and tough skin,
turned into leather, have helped people
survive in harsh climates for thousands of years.
The most serious threat to taigas does not
come from hunting activity, however.
Civilization is dependent on sturdy buildings
for homes, industry, and schools. The trees of
the taiga are cut down for lumber projects, as
well as paper, cardboard, and other supplies.
The export of wood and paper products is one
of the most economically important industries
in Canada, for instance.
Clearcutting is the most popular type of
logging in taigas. Clearcutting involves cutting
down all the trees in a designated area. This
destroys habitats for many organisms that live
in and around the trees, and makes it difficult
for new trees to grow. Clearcutting also
increases the risk of erosion and flooding in the
taiga. Without a root system to anchor it, a
taiga’s soil can be blown away by wind or worn
away by rain or snow. This exposes the bedrock
and permafrost beneath the taiga, which does
not support many forms of life.
Climate change puts taigas in danger in
different ways. Warming climate contributes to
a partial thawing of the permafrost. Since this
water has no place to drain, more area of the
taiga is taken over by muskegs. Few trees take
root.
Warming temperature also changes animal
habitats. It pushes native species out and
attracts non-native species. Animals such as
the Siberian tiger are not adapted to warm
weather. Its coat is too heavy, and it stores too
much body fat to thrive in a temperate habitat.
Non-native insects such as the bark beetle can
infest trees such as spruce. Millions of these
insects bore into the bark of trees, laying eggs.
The infested trees die. Bark beetle infestations
can kill entire forests and thousands of
hectares of taiga.
FA ST FAC T
Tipsy Timber
In drunken forests, trees tilt in different
directions. These trees arent tipsy from
beer or other alcohol, but from taiga
soil conditions. When permafrost layers
in the soil thaw, the ground sags. This
causes nearby trees, which have very
shallow roots, to lean toward the
depression.
Articles & Profiles
World Wildlife Fund: East Siberian Taiga
Website
NASA: BOREAS—The Boreal Ecosystem
Atmosphere Study
Credits
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R E L AT E D R E S O U RC E S
A RT I C L E E
Timber Resources T
Trees are important because they provide T
valuable commodities, including wood, d
paper, and fruit. However, forests are not
distributed equally around Earth, and ther…
are economic and social implications of
some regions having more timber resources
31
than others.
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