Newfoundland Highland forests

The Newfoundland Highland forests
The Taiga

The Newfoundland Highland forests are an ecoregion located in Newfoundland, Canada.[1] Part of the Taiga, the total area of the region is 4,031,999 acres (1,631,692 hectares).[2]

Terrain

The terrain of this region is mostly between 300 and 700 meters above sea level.[3] It is characterized by steep, rugged Palaeozoic and Precambrian rock, commonly bare or ridged.[1]

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.[1]

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.

Type Units Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Period
Min Temp 10.2 7.8 14.9 26.4 34.7 43.6 51.7 51.6 44.9 35.8 27.2 18.3 1991–2009
Mean Temp 17.1 15.4 22.4 33.8 43.4 52.9 60.3 59.7 51.9 41.6 32.4 23.3 1974–2009
Max Temp 24.9 24.1 30.9 40.9 52.4 62.6 69.7 69 60.8 48.8 38.8 30.5 1994–2009
Frost Days 31 28.2 31 30 28.3 14.9 1.7 3.4 11 27.9 30 31 1901–2009
Wet Days 24.2 17.5 15.2 12.5 13.9 13.8 13.8 13.9 17.5 19 20.4 23.7 1901–2009
Precipitation in 5.3 3.6 3.3 2.7 2.9 3.6 3.8 4.1 4.2 4.9 5 5 1901–2009

[4]

Flora and fauna

The region contains boreal forests with dwarf black spruce (Picea mariana) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea), dwarf kalmia (Kalmia polifolia), and various mosses. Various mixed evergreen and deciduous shrubs can be found in exposed areas.

The Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) is found in this region. It is their southernmost limit to their range.[3]

Other species include:

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.[1]

80 to 90 percent of the region is considered to be intact. Large areas of the region are protected. These are:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Newfoundland Highland forests". Eoearth.org. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  2. "Ecoregion : Newfoundland Highland forests". Global Species. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  3. 1 2 World Wildlife Fund (2001). "Newfoundland Highland forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  4. "Climate Data for Latitude 49.25 Longitude -57.75". Global Species. 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  5. Terrestrial ecoregions of North America: a conservation assessment, Taylor H. Ricketts, p.379

External links

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