What kind of forest is called coniferous? Coniferous forests of Russia. Coniferous forest zone
Coniferous forest is one of the most interesting wildlife objects on our planet. A lot of effort has been spent on its study and not in vain - after all, the forest has always been a source of untold wealth for humans.
Coniferous forests grow mainly in areas with cold climates. If we imagine their location on the globe, we will see a wide belt covering the northern part of Russia, Scandinavia, Canada and America. At the same time, there are few relict forests left; they are gradually being replaced by artificially planted ones.
The main trees of the coniferous forest are cedar, pine, fir, and larch. These species have different requirements for soil moisture and fertility, which is why forests are divided into two types - dark coniferous (spruce, fir, cedar) and light coniferous (pine, larch). In Russia, a mixture of these two types is often found.
Like any other forests, coniferous forests have several floors (tiers). The tiers of a coniferous forest are usually clearly defined. Upper (arboreal), understory (or shrub), herbaceous-shrub layer and moss-lichen cover. However, due to insufficient light in dark coniferous forests, the understory and herbaceous-shrub layer may be absent.
The species composition of plants depends on the degree of illumination, soil composition and many other factors. But there are plants of the coniferous forest that are recognized as its characteristic and integral part. Shrubs include juniper, currant, buckthorn, and willow. Shrubs – blueberries, lingonberries, cranberries, heather. Herbs – Ivan tea, angelica, hogweed, sorrel, wintergreen and many others. The most typical species for coniferous forests are ferns and mosses (lime moss, sphagnum).
As already noted, the diversity of species largely depends on the quality of the soil. The soil of a coniferous forest can be not only clayey, but also loamy and sandy. Coniferous forests grow both on rocky outcrops and in swampy areas.
An area dominated by spruce and cedar trees may seem gloomy and unsociable. Their branches tightly close to each other, creating a difficult barrier to the sun's rays. Who would want to live in such a place? There are a lot of people who want to do it. Here you can hear the chatter of woodpeckers, the hooting of the tawny owl and the great owl, the sharp cries of the jung and the trill of the nutcracker. Wood grouse, grouse, crossbills, tits, chickadees, wrens - all of them are birds of the coniferous forest. Without some of them (nutcrackers, crossbills), its very existence would be difficult.
It’s good to go to a pine or spruce forest to pick mushrooms. The dry earth, covered with a thick layer of pine needles, seems to spring under your feet, urging you on. In the spruce forest there are boletus, chanterelles, russula, saffron milk caps, puffballs, and champignons. The pine forest will delight you with boletus, honey mushrooms, pigs, and greenfinches. Milk mushrooms and rows are autumn mushrooms of the coniferous forest.
What else will the forest, where giant cedars and slender pines reign, give its guests? Pine nuts, essential oils, berries, medicinal herbs - this is a small fraction of all his treasures. And let's not forget about hunting and fishing.
Trees themselves are actively used in construction and the production of various materials. Forests also play a huge role in creating an atmosphere suitable for breathing.
Today, many people have appreciated the benefits that come from relaxing in a coniferous forest. And it becomes a tradition to gain strength not only on the seashore, but also in the green thicket.
Inhale the aromas of resin, pine needles and listen to the singing of the wind in the crowns. Picking mushrooms, berries, and pine cones are already forms of active pastime. What can we say about dark nights and conversations around the fire?
Hello, dear readers of the Sprint-Response website. In this article you can find out the answers to the questions of the Super Game in the program “Field of Miracles” on October 27, 2017. The winner of the game agreed to the Super Game, so it took place. Answers to all Supergame questions can be found on our website in the same section. By the way, the winner won the Super Game, she guessed the main word.
Here are the questions in the Super Game "Fields of Miracles" 10/27/2017
Word horizontally (11 letters). What was the coniferous forest called in the European part of Russia and the Urals?
The word on the left vertically (5 letters). What was the name of the area under forest, bushes, cleared for arable land?
The word on the right vertically (6 letters). An old Russian proverb says: “There is space in the steppe, in the forest...”?
Answers to questions from the Super Game "Fields of Miracles" 10/27/2017
RED FOREST, -I, Wed. Coniferous forest. All species of resinous trees, such as pine, spruce, fir, etc., are called red forest, or red forest. S. Aksakov, Notes of a rifle hunter. I don’t want to say that the red forest is worse, but the aspen forest is also beautiful. (Soloukhin, The Third Hunt.)
Fight- the same as cleansing; a place where the forest is cut down, uprooted and burned for crops; arable land cleared from under the forest.
There is space in the steppe, in the forest land.
- Krasolesye
- Fight
- Land
Vast and picturesque coniferous forests stretch between the tundra in the north and the deciduous forest in the south. One type of such forest is called northern boreal, it is located between 50° and 60° north latitude. Another type - temperate coniferous forest, grows in lower latitudes of North America, Europe and Asia, at high mountain elevations.
Coniferous forests are found mainly in the northern hemisphere, although some can be found in the southern hemisphere.
This largest terrestrial biotope in the world consists primarily of conifers—trees that grow needles instead of leaves, cones instead of flowers, and seeds that develop in cones. Coniferous trees tend to be evergreen, meaning their needles remain on their branches year-round. The only exception can be considered the genus of larches, whose needles turn yellow and fall off at the end of each summer. Such adaptations help plants survive in very cold or dry areas. Some of the most common species are spruce, pine and fir.
Precipitation in coniferous forests is from 300 to 900 mm per year, and in some forests of the temperate zone - up to 2000 m. The amount of precipitation depends on the location of the forest. In the northern boreal forests, winters are long, cold and dry, and summers are short, moderately warm, with plenty of moisture. At lower latitudes, precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year.
The air temperature in the areas where pine and spruce forests grow is from -40° C to 20° C, the average summer temperature is 10° C.
Coniferous forests - an evergreen kingdom
Conifers grow where summers are short and cool and winters are long and harsh, with heavy snowfall that can last up to 6 months. The needle-shaped leaves have a waxy outer coating that prevents water loss in frosty weather. The branches, in turn, are soft and flexible and usually point downwards, so that snow easily rolls off them. Larches have been found in some of the coldest regions of our planet.
Evergreen forests consist mainly of species such as spruce, fir, pine and larch. The leaves of these trees are small and needle-like or scale-like, and most remain green all year round (evergreen). All conifers are able to live in cold and acidic soil.
All coniferous forests in the world are classified according to the following types:
- Eurasian coniferous forest with Siberian pine, Siberian fir, Siberian and Daurian ( LAndsister-in-law Gmelin) larches. Scots pine and Scots spruce are important forest-forming species in Western Europe.
- WITHNorth American coniferous forest with a predominance of white spruce, black spruce and balsam fir.
- Tropicalth and subtropicalth coniferous forest with an abundance of cypresses, cedars and redwoods.
Northern coniferous forests, such as the coniferous forest in Siberia, are called taiga or boreal forests. They cover large areas of North America from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean and are located throughout Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and throughout Asia through Siberia and Mongolia to northern China and northern Japan.
The duration of the growing season in boreal forests is 130 days.
Cypress trees, cedars and sequoias grow strictly vertically. The tallest of them can reach 110 m in height. The trees are usually pyramidal. The short side branches grow quite close together, but they are so flexible that the snow simply slides off.
(pine and larch predominate):
(spruce and fir predominate):
Life in a coniferous forest
The biome is noticeably higher compared to the tundra: there are 120-150 species of nesting birds alone, and up to 40-50 species of mammals. At the same time, the biodiversity of coniferous forests is significantly inferior in its richness to tropical regions.
Even evergreen trees eventually lose their leaves and grow new ones. The needles fall to the forest floor and form a thick, springy carpet of pine needles. The light, usually acidic soils of coniferous forests are called podzols and have a compacted layer of humus that contains many mushrooms. Filamentous mushrooms help decompose needles that have fallen to the ground. These organisms provide nutrients from fallen needles back to the tree roots. But since the needles decompose very slowly, the soils under such trees have a low content of minerals and organic matter, and the number of invertebrates such as earthworms in them is extremely small.
Mosquitoes, flies and other insects are common inhabitants of the coniferous forest, but due to low temperatures, few cold-blooded vertebrates such as snakes and frogs are present. Birds of coniferous forests include woodpeckers, crossbills, wrens, hazel grouse, waxwings, grouse, hawks and owls. Common mammals include shrews, voles, squirrels, martens, moose, deer, lynxes and wolves.
Too little light penetrates through the thick canopy of coniferous trees. Due to the constant darkness, only ferns and very few herbaceous plants grow in the lower tier. Mosses and lichens, on the contrary, are found everywhere on forest soil, trunks and branches of trees. There are very few flowering plants.
Currently, extensive logging in the boreal forests may soon lead to their extinction.
The importance of coniferous forests
Coniferous forests are the world's main source of commercial timber. Their use has many advantages:
- Except in very cold areas, they grow quickly and can be cut down every 40-50 years.
- Many conifers make good neighbors.
- Frozen soil makes it easier for machinery and vehicles to access wood in winter.
- Softwood has many different uses - paper, construction and furniture, etc.
- Coniferous wood can be easily harvested like a crop using modern technology.
Acid rain
Over the past 50 years, coniferous forests around the world have been affected by acid rain. The main reasons for which are:
- Air emissions sulfur dioxide power plants, industrial enterprises
- Increased emissions from power plants as well as from cars nitrogen oxides
These pollutants are transported by air masses to areas of Western Europe. Fifty million hectares of forested areas in 25 European countries are affected by acid rain. For example, coniferous mountain forests in Bavaria are dying. There have been cases of damage to conifers, as well as deciduous trees in Karelia and Siberia.
The most common conifers:
- Norway spruce
- White spruce
- Black spruce
- Canadian hemlock
- Cedar of Lebanon
- European larch
- Common juniper (heather)
- Fir
- Podocarp
- Western pine
- Caribbean pine
- Scots pine
- lodgepole pine
- Fitzroya cypress
Coniferous forests are a natural area that consists of evergreen plants - coniferous trees. Coniferous forests grow in the taiga of Northern Europe, Russia and North America. In the highlands of Australia and South America there are coniferous forests in some places. The climate of coniferous forests is very cold and humid.
According to the international classification, there are the following types of coniferous forest:
- evergreen;
- with falling needles;
- present in swampy forests;
- tropical and subtropical.
Based on canopy density, light coniferous and dark coniferous forests are distinguished.
There is such a thing as artificial coniferous forests. Coniferous trees have been planted in mixed or broadleaf forests in North America and Europe to reforest areas where they have been heavily logged.
Coniferous forests of the taiga
In the Northern Hemisphere of the planet, coniferous forests lie in the taiga zone. Here the main forest-forming species are as follows:
In Europe there are pure pine and spruce-pine forests.
Pine forests
Western Siberia has a wide variety of coniferous forests: cedar-pine, spruce-larch, larch-cedar-pine, spruce-fir. Larch forests grow in Eastern Siberia. In coniferous forests, the undergrowth may be birch, aspen or rhododendron.
In Canada, black spruce, white spruce, balsam fir and American larches are found in the forests.
White spruce
Also found here are Canadian hemlock and lodgepole pine.
Aspen and birch are found in admixtures.
Tropical coniferous forests
In some parts of the tropics there are coniferous forests. Caribbean, western and tropical pine grow on the islands of the Caribbean.
Sumatran and island pine are found in South Asia and on the islands.
South American forests contain coniferous plants such as Fitzroya cypress and Araucaria brasiliensis.
In the tropical zone of Australia, coniferous forests are formed by podocarps.
The importance of coniferous forests
There are quite a lot of coniferous forests on the planet. As trees were cut down, people began to create artificial coniferous forests in place where broadleaf trees grew. A special flora and fauna have formed in these forests. The coniferous trees themselves are of particular value. People cut them down for construction, furniture making and other purposes. However, in order to have something to cut, you first need to plant and grow, and then use coniferous wood.
The coniferous forest fascinates with its beauty and aroma. It retains its crown at any time of the year, which is why it is also called evergreen. But besides its beauty, it serves as an excellent filter that purifies our air. Being in a pine forest for some time, you can feel a surge of strength, since the atmosphere of this place is saturated with phytoncides, which have a detrimental effect on pathogenic microorganisms. That is why many people like to visit the coniferous forest and enjoy its air.
Evergreen tree families
Typically there are only a few tree species in a coniferous forest. The entire class of conifers can be divided into several families:
- cypress (juniper, thuja, sequoia, some shrubs and, of course, cypress);
- pine (more than 120 varieties of pine, cedar, fir, spruce, hemlock, larch);
- yew (yew, torrea);
- Araucariaceae (Vollemia, Agathis, Araucaria);
- legocarpids;
- Also, some botanists make a division into the capitate and taxodia families.
Features of evergreens
Coniferous forest trees have their own characteristic differences. Large breeds almost always have a straight, large trunk and a cone-shaped crown. If the plant is in a dense forest, its lower branches begin to die due to lack of light.
Conifers are also gymnosperms and are pollinated mainly by the wind. Strobili, or, in other words, cones, grow on trees. When they ripen, their scales open and the seed falls onto the soil, after some time it germinates.
In addition, it is worth noting that the coniferous forest zone is located mainly in the Northern Hemisphere (a significant part of it is taiga). This location explains the shape of the “leaves.” They are quite hard and have a needle- or scale-like shape; they also come in flat shapes, in the form of strips. Since the climate of the area in which coniferous trees grow is generally cold, they are given a dark green color to better absorb rare sunlight. Also, the waxy surface of the “leaves” does not allow snow to linger on the branches, while moisture remains inside the needles during frosts.
Coniferous forest and its plants
Compared to deciduous forests, the vegetation in coniferous forests is not as diverse, but it is not sparse. They contain many shrubs and herbs. In addition, there are mosses and lichens. The soil of coniferous forests contains a lot of organic matter, so it is too acidic for ordinary grass and shrubs. But the plants of the coniferous forest are designed in such a way that local conditions suit them. Most often here you can find nettle, celandine, elderberry, strawberry, shepherd's purse, acacia, and fern.
In such forests, moss feels best, which can occupy a significant area, creating a green carpet. There is a huge variety of mosses here, since the conditions for them are ideal. Due to the shadow of the crowns, the moisture practically does not evaporate, and the snow is in no hurry to melt. All mosses differ from each other in color and height. Some are capable of reaching 10 centimeters in height.
Interesting facts
The coniferous forest attracts not only with its beauty and benefits, but also with some interesting facts:
- Among conifers there is a record holder for height. This is an evergreen sequoia whose height exceeds 115 meters.
- The majority of coniferous trees are evergreen. They do not change their “leaves” from 2 to 40 years! The exceptions are larch, glyptostrobus, metasequoia, pseudolarch and taxodium, which shed their needles in the winter.
- There are long-lived trees on earth, and almost all the record holders among them are conifers. For example, in California there is a pine tree that, according to some estimates, is about 4,700 years old.
- There is a New Zealand dwarf pine that surprises with its small size. Its height is about 8 centimeters.
- Coniferous trees can save you from vitamin deficiency. These plants contain seven times more vitamin C than lemons. But besides this, they also contain other microelements, so a drug from these plants can replace a multivitamin complex from a pharmacy.
- The air in the pine forest destroys the tuberculosis bacillus.
- The strongest coniferous wood is larch. For example, Venice is still supported on stilts made from this material.