- Newfoundland Highland forests
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The Newfoundland Highland forests
The TaigaThe 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]
Contents
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.[4]
Climate
The winters are snowy and cold, and the summers are cool. The region receives between 1,000 nad 1,400 millimeters mean annual preipitation.[5]
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 F° 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 F° 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 F° 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 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.[7]
Other species include:
- Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
- Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
- Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater)
- Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus)
- Caribou (Rangifer tarandus)
- Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
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.[8]
80 to 90 percent of the region is considered to be intact. Large areas of the region are protected. These are:
- Gros Morne National Park: Comprising upper elevations, and located in western Newfoundland, this area contains 1,942 sq. km. of protected land.
- King George IV Ecological Reserve: Also located in western Newfoundland, this area contains 19 sq. km of protected land.
- Barachois Pond Provincial Park: Located in southwestern Newfoundland, this protected area is 34.97 sq. km.[9]
See also
- Eastern Canadian forests
References
- ^ http://www.eoearth.org/article/Newfoundland_Highland_forests
- ^ http://globalspecies.org/ecoregions/display/NA0611
- ^ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0611.html
- ^ http://www.eoearth.org/article/Newfoundland_Highland_forests
- ^ http://www.eoearth.org/article/Newfoundland_Highland_forests
- ^ http://globalspecies.org/weather_stations/climate/245/279
- ^ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0611.html
- ^ http://www.eoearth.org/article/Newfoundland_Highland_forests
- ^ Terrestrial ecoregions of North America: a conservation assessment, Taylor H. Ricketts, p.379
External links
Biomes and Ecozones Terrestrial
biomesPolar/montaneTemperate(Sub)tropicalDryWetAquatic
biomesOther biomes Ecozones Categories:- Ecoregions of Canada
- Forests of Canada
- Nearctic
- Taiga and boreal forests
- Terrestrial biomes
- Newfoundland and Labrador geography stubs
- Canadian protected area stubs
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