Boreal Forest Types

Girls in woods Extending across northern North America and northern Europe and Asia, the boreal forest biome, or "taiga", is the coldest, largest, and slowest growing forest ecosystem on Earth. Coniferous trees are characteristic but there is regional variation in other plant associations. Boreal forest diversity is quite apparent in Labrador.

The Lake Melville area is part of the High Boreal Forest Ecoregion, one of ten ecoregions defined in Labrador. Within this ecoregion are distinct forest types which are determined by local combinations of biotic and abiotic factors and the history of disturbances at particular sites. Features of several forest types can be found along Birch Brook Trails.

Boreal Forest Types: The Rabbit Run

rabbit run hiking trail A stroll along the two kilometer Rabbit Run takes about twenty minutes and provides exposure to sites similar on a miniature scale to boreal forest types in our ecoregion. From the chalet, take the left side of the Rabbit Run loop. As you walk, notice abrupt transitions from one site to another.

Plants that grow profusely in one location may not be found a few meters farther along the trail. Compare availability of sunlight, water, and soil nutrients in adjacent sites. Has one or more condition changed? Are there differences in soil type and depth, underlying bedrock features, or elevation? Within the soil, essential fungal associations between the roots of different plants are more difficult to assess but may also determine the distribution of plants. It's a complicated system!

A forest is clearly much more than a large piece of land covered with trees. In a forest ecosystem, organisms interact with each other as well as with their physical environment and nothing exists in isolation. These topics are discussed further in a trail guide being prepared to aid on-site investigation.