Boreal Forest Facts

Boreal Forest Facts for Kids

• Boreal Forest actually has another name. Its scientific name is Taiga Biome. A biome is a large community of plant and animal life, living in a major natural habitat, like a forest or lake. Taiga actually comes from a Russian word to describe the swampy nature of the forest in summer. You might also occasionally hear the Boreal Forest called the “snow forest” too.
• Taiga Biome isn’t just a biome. In fact it’s the world’s largest biome, apart from oceans. That makes it the world’s biggest land-based biome.
• The Boreal Forest grows in many countries, including Canada, Alaska, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, and the northern parts of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Japan!
• Boreal Forest actually forms a massive 29% of the entire world’s forest cover. Impressive right? That’s why it’s super important to look after it.
• The Boreal Forest in Canada alone is home to 85 different species of mammals, 130 species of fish, around 32,000 species of insects, and 300 species of birds.
• It can get very cold in the Boreal Forest, especially in Russia. In fact, the lowest ever recorded temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere were taken in the Boreal Forest of northeastern Russia. It can easily get as cold as -54°C in the northern areas during winter.
• There are more lakes and rivers in the Canadian Boreal Forest that in any other similarly sized area on earth.
• You might think tigers like hot weather. But the Siberian Tiger actually lives in the Boreal Forest. Wolves, bears and the Arctic fox live there too.
• Sadly, only 12% of the Taiga is protected. More than 30% is already being prepared for logging (removal of the trees) and other development. This threatens the wildlife that call it home, like the grizzly bear and wolverine.
• Last year, an agreement between 20 wood companies and 9 environmental groups made plans to protect 170 million acres of the Boreal Forest in Canada. It was named the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. Phew!