Boreal forest: living around Thompson Drive

Boreal forest: living around Thompson Drive. . , Life in the boreal forest , Boreal forest forms a belt that circles the northern part of the globe, including Canada, Russia, Scandinavia and Alaska. The location of boreal forest ecosystems is generally determined by soil temperature, the amount of warmth accumulated during the growing season and the lowest temperature regularly experienced during winter. Cold is a dominant factor of this region's climate due to low sun angles, long winter nights and persistent winter snow pack., Boreal forest often occurs on permafrost, or continuously frozen ground. Cold soil temperatures limit the primary productivity, or amount of photosynthesis, of the forest plants. The forest's major tree species are well adapted to the cold soils, extreme winter temperatures, a cool growing season and low annual precipitation., Animals that live in the boreal forest have adapted to survive the long, cold winter. Some of these adaptations are hibernation, migration, caching food and nighttime torpor or shallow hypothermia., Land of little sticks , True boreal forest is often referred to as taiga, a Russian word meaning "little sticks.” These northern forests are dominated by coniferous trees, mostly white and black spruce. Other significant vegetation includes birch, aspen, poplar, willow and an abundance of moss., Forest fauna , Hundreds of species of migratory birds, like the Wilson's Warbler (left), rely upon the boreal forest for breeding habitat. Resident bird species include crossbills, chickadees and Boreal Owls., The forest is also home to many species of mammals, including moose, red squirrels (right), brown and black bears, beavers, snowshoe hares and lynx., Forests on fire , The boreal forest is well adapted for growth following fire, the major type of natural disturbance, which is frequently caused by lightning. Other significant natural disturbances are floods, snow breakage and insect outbreaks. Large scale outbreaks of insects like the spruce bark beetle can weaken or kill trees over vast areas, making them more vulnerable to forest fires., UAF in the boreal forest , University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers study forest growth and yield, forest soils, boreal plants and animals, carbon storage and forest response to wildland fire and climate., The boreal region contains more than 30 percent of the earth's terrestrial carbon as non-decomposed or partly decomposed organic matter. Warming at high latitudes could increase the rate of decomposition, which could lead to less carbon storage and the release of more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.