Boreal Conifer Forest - Code: Ne1B

A massive belt of unending conifers stretching from Quebec to Alaska, the Boreal Conifer Forest is one of the planet’s last great wildernesses. The winters here are incredibly harsh with little daylight, temperatures rarely above freezing (32°F/0°C) and with nighttime lows plummeting as low as -60°F (-54°C). The summers by contrast are short, moist and extremely buggy. Most of this habitat’s 15-20 inches (4-500mm) of precipitation falls between the months of May and September. Nearly all plant growth also happens during this time period.
When you visit this kind of forest, it feels very monotonous, certainly much more so than grassland or desert. The forest seems endless, with heavy canopy cover between 60-160ft (20-50m) tall, though usually less than 90ft (30m) tall, and little undergrowth. The forests are typically even-aged as well, adding to the uniformity of the landscape. The tree diversity here is low, as is typical at high latitudes. The dominant tree species here are narrow conical spruces, as well as a smattering of firs and pines. Black Spruce (Picea mariana) tends to predominate in wet, boggy areas while White Spruce (Picea glauca), Jack Pine (Pinus banskiana) and Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) prefer more well drained soils. There are areas of scattered deciduous trees as well, though these are generally treated as separate habitats in this book. Paper Birch (Betula papyifera), Resin Birch (Betula neoalaskana), Mountain Maple (Acer spicatum) and Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) are the most notable of these. 
The forest floor is covered in a litter of pine needles, decaying trunks, and lichen. You can easily walk through the drier parts of this forest without a trail. The understory is generally sparse, and though deadfall can be heavy, there are few shrubs to impede you. The shrubs that are found here are often similar to those found in the Eurasian Spruce-Fir Taiga and include Canada Buffaloberry (Shepherdia canadensis), Prickly Wild Rose (Rosa acicularis), bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), Lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) and Mooseberry (Viburnum edule). Boggy areas are dominated by many sphagnum and feather mosses and shrubs like blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) and cranberry (Oxycoccus spp.). Even though precipitation is not high, the low temperatures mean that precipitation exceeds evaporation, producing an abundance of water. Glacial deposits block drainage, generating many potholes and depressions, and in combination with the positive water balance, mean that the whole region is dotted by Open Water, Boreal Bog and Fen, and Nearctic Sedge and Grassland Marshes.
The Northern Spruce-Fir Forest subtype is a southern form of the Boreal Conifer Forest found at higher elevations in the n. Appalachian and Acadian Mountains. This forest is dominated by balsam fir, with lesser amounts of red spruce (Picea rubens), white birch (Betula papyrifera var. cordifolia), and mountain ash (Sorbus sp.) present. The steep slopes characteristic of this subtype results in more well drained soils and fewer mosses and bryophytes or bog associated plants. Additionally, the high winds and heavy winter ice accumulation cause in widespread disturbance. As a result this subtype is much denser with many small or stunted trees and impassible piles of debris.
The Appalachian Coniferous Forest largely resembles the Boreal Conifer Forest in structure and wildlife. The tree composition varies somewhat from Boreal Conifer Forest with the endemic Fraser’s Fir (Abies fraseri), and red spruce dominating. Black Spruce and Balsam Fir are absent.