The boreal forest (or “taiga”) is the world’s largest land biome. The boreal ecozone principally spans 8 countries: Canada, China, Finland, Japan, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. It is typically comprised of coniferous tree species such as pine, spruce and fir with some broadleaf species such as poplar and birch.

The main boreal forest includes closely spaced evergreen and deciduous trees, as well as shade-tolerant shrubs with herbs and feathermoss carpets beneath them. Finally, the southern part of the region is similar to the main forest but contains the occasional temperate deciduous tree and other plant species.

Taiga, also called boreal forest, biome (major life zone) of vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees, found in northern circumpolar forested regions characterized by long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation.