The Newfoundland Highland forests are a

taiga Taiga (; rus, тайга́, p=tɐjˈɡa; relates to Mongolic and Turkic languages), generally referred to in North America as a boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests consisting mostly of pines, spruc ...

ecoregion located on the island of Newfoundland in

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It has a total area of 4,031,999 acres (1,631,692 hectares).

Terrain

The terrain of this region is mostly between 300 and 700 meters above sea level. It is characterized by steep, rugged Palaeozoic and Precambrian rock, commonly bare or ridged.

Climate

The winters are snowy and cold, and the summers are cool. The region receives between 1,000 and 1,400 millimeters mean annual precipitation. Mean annual temperature: 4 °C Mean summer temperature range: 11.5 °C to 12 °C Mean winter temperature range: -3.5 °C to -4 °C.

Flora and fauna

The region contains boreal forests with dwarf black spruce (''Picea mariana'') and

balsam fir ''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...

(''Abies balsamea''), dwarf kalmia (''Kalmia polifolia''), and various mosses. Various mixed evergreen and deciduous shrubs can be found in exposed areas. The

Arctic hare The Arctic hare (''Lepus arcticus'') is a species of hare highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes. The Arctic hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20% of its body, and a ...

(''Lepus arcticus'') is found in this region. It is their southernmost limit to their range. Other species include: * Canada goose (''Branta canadensis'') *

Great horned owl The great horned owl (''Bubo virginianus''), also known as the tiger owl (originally derived from early naturalists' description as the "winged tiger" or "tiger of the air"), or the hoot owl, is a large owl native to the Americas. It is an extre ...

(''Bubo virginianus'') *

Brown-headed cowbird The brown-headed cowbird (''Molothrus ater'') is a small, obligate brood parasitic icterid native to temperate and subtropical North America. It is a permanent resident in the southern parts of its range; northern birds migrate to the southern ...

(''Molothrus ater'') *

Snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sin ...

(''Lepus americanus'') * Caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') * Red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') *

Newfoundland pine marten The Newfoundland pine marten (''Martes americana atrata'') is a genetically distinct subspecies of the American marten (''Martes americana'') found only on the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; it is one ...

(''Martes americana atrata'')

Conservation

The region is threatened by an increase in harvest of wood for lumber and the pulp and paper industry. Higher elevations are mostly threatened by mining interests and granite quarrying. Further threats come from high all-terrain vehicle traffic, which affect some areas. 80 to 90 percent of the region is considered to be intact. Large areas of the region are protected. These are: * Gros Morne National Park: Comprising upper elevations, and located in western Newfoundland, this area contains 1,942 km². of protected land. * King George IV Ecological Reserve: Also located in western Newfoundland, this area contains 19 km² of protected land. * Barachois Pond Provincial Park: Located in southwestern Newfoundland, this protected area is 34.97 km².
Terrestrial ecoregions of North America: a conservation assessment
', Taylor H. Ricketts, p.379

References

External links