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Spruce–fir forests can be found in cold regions at high latitudes or high altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere. [1] This includes both areas throughout the high latitude boreal forest of Canada and Russia, [2] [3] as well as mountain ranges at lower latitudes, such as the Rocky Mountains in North America, the Tian Shan in Asia, and the Carpathian Mountains in Europe.
Major stands of southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest. The southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest consists of several stands covering a combined area of between 60,000 and 70,000 acres (24,000 and 28,000 ha), [2] [6] although less conservative estimates have placed the forest's coverage at around 90,000 acres (36,000 ha). [7]
The coniferous forest goes by many names, including: Boreal forest, fir-spruce forest, the North Woods, and the taiga. It is noted in New England for its "harsh" conditions such as cold, subarctic temperatures, a short growing period, sandy-gravely acidic soil, and a high rate of leeching of nutrients out of the soil.
Spruce-fir forests occur at the highest elevations, above 3,200 feet (980 m). Their environment is cool and wet, with frequent fog and precipitation. Red spruce ( Picea rubens ) and Fraser fir ( Abies fraseri ) dominate the forest canopy.
[12] [13] [42] Below the spruce-fir forest, at around 1,200 meters (3,900 ft), forest composition shifts in favor of deciduous trees such as American beech, maple, birch, and oak. [13] American rhododendron is the dominant understory shrub throughout the deciduous layer but is only occasionally present in spruce-fir forests.
The range's highpoint, Roan is clad in a dense stand of Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest and includes the world's largest natural rhododendron garden and the longest stretch of grassy bald in the Appalachian range. [3] The Roan Highlands contain the highest quality remaining stretch of Fraser fir forest throughout the tree's entire ...
Spruce fir stand near the summit of Kuwohi. The Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest—also called the "boreal" or "Canadian" forest—is a relict of the ice ages, when mean annual temperatures in the Smokies were too cold to support a hardwood forest. While the rise in temperatures between 12,500 and 6,000 years ago allowed the hardwoods ...
The decline of the Fraser fir in the southern Appalachians has contributed to loss of moss habitat which supports the endangered spruce-fir moss spider (Microhexura montivaga), an obligate of the Southern Appalachian spruce–fir forest ecoregion. [8] By the late 1990s, the adelgid population had decreased.