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A coniferous forest is a forest of cone- bearing gymnosperm trees. The trees have needles instead of leaves and produce pine cones. Birds, insects, and mammals are the most common animals found in the coniferous forest. Most animals hibernate or migrate, as they cannot live in this habitat year-round.

The most common animals found are birds and insects. While there are multiple types of bears in the coniferous forest, the grizzly bear is the largest, weighing in at anywhere from pounds, and feet long. The American Black Bear, Grizzly Bear, and Wolverine are also considered the most ferocious. One type of poisonous animal in the forest are monarch butterflies. This is caused by the milkweed nectar they eat. Aside from the hundreds of species of insects living in the forest, the tassel-eared squirrel is one of the smallest animals to reside there. Some other animals found in the coniferous forest are… Bald Eagle Bald Eagle Bobcat Bobcat Lynx Lynx Gray Wolf Gray Wolf Long-Eared Owl Long-Eared Owl Red Fox Red Fox River Otter River Otter Snowshoe Rabbit Snowshoe Rabbit

The food web shows that the wolf, who go after moose and elk, lynx (also bears and wolverines) are at the top of the chain. On the second level are the birds, owls, weasels, and fox. And finally, insects, birds, squirrels, and mice are at the bottom.

 Needle leafs are dominant plants in the Coniferous forest  Some other types of trees and plants are the Evergreen Spruce (Picea), Fir (Abies), Pine (Pinus), Deciduous Larch or Tamarack (Larix)  Trees are tall and narrow  Trees grow close together for protection from the wind

 Most trees have pine needles:  Needles are important adaption to extreme conditions  Contain very little sap  Absorb light easily  Trees have thick bark which resists heat from summer fires  In North America one or two species of Fir, and one or two species of Spruce are dominant

o Coniferous forests are located in northern parts of Alaska, Canada, Asia, and Europe. o They receive anywhere from cm of rain per year. o Have cold, snowy winters, with temperatures ranging from -65˚ to 30˚ F. o Also have warm summers, with temperatures ranging from 30˚ to 70˚ F. o Have a lot of mountains, and are covered with snow most of the winter (if not longer), which lasts 6-7 months.

Majority of the rain fall occurs during the mid-late summer Average temperature is below freezing six months of the year Fall is the shortest season, and summer is the next shortest. Spring brings flowers, melted ponds, less snow, and animals come out of hibernation.

Soil:  Podsolization occurs because of the acid soil substance under needle-leaf trees  Main soil associated with Coniferous forest trees is Spodosol  Soil is poor in Coniferous forests Location:  Often cover mountainsides  Covers about 15% of Earth’s land

 Often Coniferous forests have small lakes or swampy areas  Coniferous forests are covered in snow usually from October to May

The largest Coniferous forest can be found in a ring through Alaska, Canada, northern Europe, and northern Asia; it is called Taiga. Softwood timber, which is used to make paper, is found in coniferous forests. Coniferous forests are the largest land biomes of the world. Sequoia trees are the largest life form and the longest lived life form on Earth and are located along the northern coast of California, which is a Coniferous forest Some live to be 3,000 years old! Whoa, that’s a long time! Fun Facts!

You can find coniferous forests anywhere from California, Alaska, Canada, and all the way to Europe; again it is the most common forest found on our planet! Some reasons you would want to go to a coniferous forest is for its beauty. It is a great place for sight seeing, photography, animal seeing, hunting, and just some peace and quiet. Spring would be the best time to take a trip there; the animals are coming out of hibernation, many plants are blooming, and it is not too hot and not too cold. The most visited coniferous forest is Great Smokey Mountains National Park, and also the most visited national park in America. It is located in North Caroline and Tennessee. Travel

" Taiga - Boreal Forests." Virtual Teacher Aide. Web. 26 Sept < C lark, John Owen Edward., and Stella E. Stiegeler. The Facts on File Dictionary of Earth Science.New York: Facts on File, Print. " Coniferous Forest Biome." Biomes of the World. Web. 26 Sept < D estruction, By. "Habitat Awareness Coniferous Forest." Helping Kids Save The Earth - Inch In A Pinch - Habitat Awareness Web. 26 Sept < " Taiga." Radford University Home Page. Oct Web. 26 Sept < html>. " Taiga Climate." Blue Planet Biomes. Web. 26 Sept < " Coniferous 3." Thurston High School Springfield Oregon Web. 26 Sept <