The Taiga biome stretches across a large portion of Canada, Europe and Asia. It is the largest biome in the world. Winters are cold and summers are warm. Lots of conifers grow here. There are many trees in a Taiga such as the Balsam Fir, Black Spruce, Douglas Fir, Eastern Red Cedar, Jack Pine, Paper Birch, Siberian Spruce, White Fir, White Poplar, and the White Spruce.

Special Adaptations Over many years, evergreen species have adapted to improve their chances of surviving the taiga. There are a few broad leaf trees in the taiga: birch, poplar, and aspen. These trees lose their leaves in the fall so that they can survive a heavy snowstorm without risking their branches. By shedding their leaves, these trees save energy during the winter months. In the spring, these trees have to grow back new leaves. Needles are adapted to the taiga environment. Needles lose less water and shed snow more easily than broad leaves. Evergreen trees in the taiga keep their leaves, but their cone shape helps prevent damage. Branches droop downward, which helps shed excess snow. The needles help keep the trees warm during the winter.

The Balsam Fir The Balsam Fir has a wide bottom and a narrow top, and they can grow to be feet tall. Some common names for this tree are the Eastern Fir, Canadian Balsam, and Blister Fir.

The Black Spruce The Black Spruce can grow to be 25 meters tall. As the tree gets older, the top gets more and more like a spike.

The Douglas Fir The Douglas Fir tree is a very big tree they can grow feet tall and feet wide. Because of this, they are one of the most important lumber trees in the world. Some common names for this tree is Bigcone Fir tree and Rocky Mountain Fir tree.

The Eastern Red Cedar The Eastern Red Cedar is a small evergreen tree that grows from feet tall. This tree grows in a pyramid shape. Some common names are Red Cedar and Graveyard tree.

The Jack Pine The Jack Pine usually grows to be 27 meters tall and a 32 centimeter diameter. Some common names are Eastern Black, Blackjack, and Prince’s pine.

The Paper Birch The Paper Birch can grow from feet tall. Some common names are canoe birch, White Birch, and Silver Birch.

Siberian Spruce This tree can grow up to be about 30 meters. The trunk has 1.5 meters in diameter.

White Fir White Fir trees can grow from feet tall. They also can live up to 300 years.

White Poplar White Poplar trees do not live very long. The Poplars leaves are silvery white.

White Spruce This tree sometimes can grow to be 150 feet tall. Some common names are The Canada Spruce, Cat Spruce, and Single Spruce

Abiotic Factors The abiotic factors of the taiga biome are: very hard soil, very cold temperatures and tons of snow. The available water is frozen, so the needles on the conifer trees luckily keep moisture in.