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Article: Forest, Boreal
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CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Forest, Boreal
Boreal forests are the northernmost forests in the world. These are vast forests that include 29 percent of all the world's forest area in a belt around the Northern Hemisphere, including Scandinavia, Russia, and Canada. In the United States, boreal forests occur in central Alaska and northeastern Minnesota. Boreal forests are dominated by species of spruce, fir, pine, larch, birch, and aspen. Their forest floors are usually covered with mosses and many species of wildflowers.
The distinguishing climatic features are long winters with five to seven months of snow cover and a short cool summer. July mean temperatures fall between 13 and 18 degrees Celsius (55 to 64 degrees ...