Boreal

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‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍ Team Members: toc Are you ready for an adventure? Well then the Boreal forest is the place for you to visit! Travelers will have a lot of fun exploring the different varieties of plants and animals. Boreal forests is the largest ecosystem on Earth, boreal forests cover 11% of land on the planet. Boreal forests are also known as the taiga. Boreal takes up millions of acres of North America. The Boreal forest is home to multiple plants and animals. Many migrating birds fly here for the summers. (Fish) All boreal forests are located in the northen part of the North Hemisphere. They are usually found within 50 to 60 degrees north latitudes. Some countries this forest can be found in are Siberia, Scandinavia, Alaska and Canada. Boreal forest are usually categorized by having 40-100 cm of snow, thin and nutrient poor soil, trees such as pine, fir, and spruce (conifer trees), and animals such as lynx, fox, wolf, deer, hares, chipmunks, shrews, and bats. Also due to many trees being cut down for logs this forest may soon disappear if it doesn't stop.
 * Bello, Gail ||
 * Leger, Anna ||
 * Holmes, Colin ||
 * LeBlanc, Christopher ||
 * Marmion, Jennifer ||
 * Correa, Marco ||
 * Raimo, Michael ||
 * Introduction:**

Climate Description:
In a Boreal forest the climate is warm,rainy, humid summers and extremely cold winters. Winters are generally longer than summers. biome is located just below the tundra and is almost at the "top" of the world. the winters get tons of snow and is below 0 degrees for most of the year. Most of the year about 6 months the temperature is below freezing sometimes even -70 degrees! The amount of precipitation is a very high amount mostly 15-20 inches of rain. =Location 1: Yukon=



The boreal forest in Yukon is about 115 million acres (larger than Sweden) and comprises about 8% of Canada's boreal forest. A great activity that is fun for the whole family is kayaking through the Yukon river which is the 5th longest river in North America and extends 3,200 km long. While touring through Yukon, you will likely never see the same type of bird twice as it is home to more than 240 million birds of more than 150 different types of species. Yukon's diverse and rich variety of animals is what truly makes this place feel more alive and makes for a stunning view. About 80% of Yukon is still complete wildlife and contains beautiful glaciers and mountains. These wondrous sights make Yukon a wonderful territory to go sight-seeing throughout the year! Yukon's inhabitants are very friendly and most are aboriginal to the area. And don't worry about traveling to different places! There are plenty of roads and highways to get from place to place! When sight-seeing, be sure to be on the lookout for beautiful gems and crystals during your trip. Yukon is home to many different minerals. The climate throughout the year in Yukon varies between seasons. During the summer, the average temperature is 70 degrees and during the winter is -7 degrees. Expect to pack light to medium clothing during the summer and heavy clothing during the winter.

=Highlighted Species:=



During your travels through Yukon a common species you might see more than once is Caribou. Woodland Caribou can be found in many boreal regions in Canada such as British Columbia, Yukon, Newfoundland and Labrador. It's thick winter fur coat helps it live through the cold tempatures and concave hooves help it trudge through thick snow. Caribou usally migrate back and forth from the tundra (to avoid insects in the summer) and forest regions. To help identify between a male and female Caribou is to first observe the size of the antlers. Female Caribou have smaller antlers than those on male Caribou but usally carry them longer before having them shed off because of mating. Caribou have recently began to decline because of poaching, and logging which damage Caribou habitat and bring more predators.

=Food Web:=

1st Level Consumer:

2nd Level Consumer:

3rd Level Consumer:



=Location 2: Ontario=

Ontario is located in south-central canada. It borders Qubec, Manitoba, Minnesota and northwest New York. The boreal forest covers most of Ontario. The average temperature is 2 C and the maximum temperature is 42.2 C. It receives 600 to 900 mm of precipitation a year usually in the summer months with rain and thunderstorms. There is a lot of frozen rain in this region which causes many vechicle accidents and deaths from slippery roads. Also thunderstorms aren't uncommon so forest fires happen as a result of the lightning. In the winter the boreal forest receives around 430 cm of snow. As for sunshine, Thunder Bay gets 2200 hours of sunshine which is the most in east Canada. In this region there isn't as much sunshine in the north and the east. Winds in this area aren't very high and aren't very fast either. Also the highest winds barely exceed 100 km per hour.

__Highlighted species:__


In Ontario you are likely to see a Cow or Bull Moose. Cows are female and bulls are male. There used to be many more of these creatures but hunting has greatly decreased the population. Their diet consists of both land and water vegetation. Its main predators are wolves, bears, and humans. Moose are solitary meaning they do not form herds. However slow-moving and sedentary moose can become very aggressive and move so fast it may surprise you if they are made angry or something startles them. Their mating season is in the autumn and can lead to intense fights between males who are competing for their right to mate with a specific female. In Canada it is estimated that there are 500,000 to 1,000,000 moose. In Newfoundland in 2007 there were 150,000 that are descendant from 4 that were introduced in the 1900’s. An average adult moose stands 4.6–6.9 ft. high at the shoulder. Males weigh 840–1,500 lb. and females weigh 440–790 lb.("Moose"). Moose are important to their ecosystem because their eating of twigs and shrubs is an influence on how the forest develops and they are a rich food source for larger predators and multiple scavengers. = = =__**Food Web:**__= __**1st Level Consumer:**__

__**2nd Level Consumer:**__ __**3rd Level Consumer**__

**Location 3: Alaska**


Boreal forest cover very little amount of space in Alaska. This boreal forest stretches from the Kenai Peninsula to the Tanana Valley near Fairbanks, and as far north as the foothills of the Brooks Range. This ecosystem has weather that is very cold, long winters, permafrost, and forest fires. Alaska's boreal forest is a mix of both forest and open area. It contains aspen grove and spruce, bogs, meadows, marshes, lakes, and rivers. Plants and animals here in Alaska are well prepared for bitter cold weather, short summers, and frequent fires in the Earth's largest ecosystem. From flying in the sky, hanging out in the trees, or even swimming in the water, you are sure to find many species in these forests. Waterfowl are often seen in the lakes feeding on fish, aquatic plants, and insects. Many forest birds are often seen swarming through trees looking for beetles, caterpillars, flies, spiders, and berries. Hawks, owls, and falcons haunt the forest and skies, watching for little birds and small mammals. Caribou migrate in this forest for the winters.

Highlighted Species:
Alaska- In Alaska you could find Trumpeter swans. Trumpeter swans usually travel to Alaska's boreal forest from the winter in North America. Trumpeter swans make their nests in pounds and marshes. Trumpeter swans eat fish, aquatic plants, and insects. Trumpeter swans are categorized as Waterfowl.

Food Web:
__1st Level Consumer:__ Wolves __2nd Level Consumers:__ Moose, SnowShoe Hare, Caribou, and Trumpeter Swans. __3rd Level Consumers:__ Trees, Plants, Fish, and Insects



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