All about Coniferous Forests
The word "Coniferous" comes from the root word "Conifer". Conifer trees are sometimes called evergreen trees. Coniferous forests are made up of trees that are evergreen, which means that they never lose their leaves and they star green all year long. In the picture above, you can see a spruce tree. You've probably seen these trees before during the holidays. A Christmas tree is a type of an evergreen tree. Another unique things about evergreen trees is that their leaves look like needles! They are very small and narrow.
In the picture on the left, you can see the leaves or the "needles" on this tree. They are very small and narrow. Because it snows often in a coniferous forest, these small leaves help the trees keep more of their water inside. This is very important for these trees that live in such a cold place. Most of the precipitation that falls in the winter is snow and does not usually melt until spring. The needles help the tree get as much water as possible.
Some examples of these evergreen trees are pine, spruce, balsam, and fir trees. Another unique thing about these trees is that they produce cones. As mentioned before, the climate in a coniferous forest is quite cold. These forests receive an adequate amount of rainfall and have very cold winters and cool summers.
Coniferous forests are located on the northern part of the globe. The darker green shaded regions are where Coniferous forests can be found. There are in Northern Canada and Northern Asia.
These forests are sometimes called "Taiga".
Make sure to check out the EXPLORE page for the Coniferous Forest!
These forests are sometimes called "Taiga".
Make sure to check out the EXPLORE page for the Coniferous Forest!