Taiga

Introduction
Origin
Distribution
Environmental conditions
- Climate
- Soils
The biota and its adaptations
- Trees
- Other plants
- Mammals
- Birds
- Insects
- Soil organisms
Community structure
- Natural disturbances
- Effects of human use and management of the taiga
Biological productivity

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

A line graph with red and blue shaded areas shows cyclical rises and falls in the populations of snowshoe hares and lynx from 1855 to 1925, illustrating how hare population peaks are followed by lynx population peaks. Small illustrations of a running snowshoe hare and a lynx appear above the graph.

birch trees and conifers, West Siberian Plain

At a Glance

taiga summary

Quizzes

Chutes d'Ekom - a waterfall on the Nkam river in the rainforest near Melong, in the western highlands of Cameroon in Africa.

Ecosystems

Related Questions

How can dry summer weather lead to taiga forest fires?
How cold can winters become in eastern Siberia?
How did glaciers influence the northward spread of taiga forests after the last Ice Age?
How do Scots pine trees survive light ground fires?
How do forest fires change soil temperature and permafrost in taiga regions?
How do forest fires help jack pine and lodgepole pine reproduce?
How do fungi decompose dead plant material in taiga soils?
How do high latitude and the Sun’s angle affect taiga temperatures?
How do larch trees differ from most other taiga conifers?
How do large feet help snowshoe hares and lynx move across snow?
How do northern flying squirrels help taiga trees through their relationship with fungi?
How do reindeer and caribou migrate between tundra and taiga habitats?
How do spruce beetles and spruce budworms damage taiga trees?
How do wolves help control moose populations in taiga ecosystems?
How do wood-boring beetles help fungi decompose dead conifer wood?
How does conifer litter affect taiga soil?
How does permafrost limit tree root growth in the taiga?
How does snow cover make the taiga climate colder?
How does the Gulf Stream affect the location of taiga forests in Europe?
How does the taiga differ from the tundra?
How have taiga boundaries shifted during the past few thousand years?
How is closed-canopy taiga different from lichen woodland?
How long does snow usually remain on the ground in the taiga?
How much of Earth’s land surface is covered by the taiga biome?
How much precipitation does the central taiga receive each year?
What are typical summer temperatures in the taiga?
What do moose eat in summer and winter in the taiga?
What roles do lichens play in taiga woodlands?
Where are taiga forests found around the world?
Where do the northernmost white spruce trees grow in North America?
Where does the taiga end and the tundra begin?
Which three vegetation zones make up the taiga biome?
Which tree species grows farthest north in the world?
Why are boreal forests absent around the Bering Strait?
Why are conifer trees well suited to the taiga biome?
Why are floodplains in the taiga often more productive than nearby uplands?
Why are lynx and snowshoe hare populations closely connected?
Why are mosquitoes especially abundant in taiga wetlands?
Why are taiga soils often acidic and low in nutrients?
Why are taiga winters so cold?
Why can insect outbreaks spread quickly through taiga forests?
Why can taiga plants photosynthesize efficiently during cool summers?
Why do few bird species remain in the taiga throughout winter?
Why do many songbirds migrate to the taiga for the summer breeding season?
Why do some taiga regions have grasslands mixed with forests?
Why do taiga forests grow farther north in western Europe than along eastern continental coasts?
Why does partially decomposed organic matter build up in taiga soils?
Why is the taiga also called the boreal forest?
Why is the taiga important for storing carbon on Earth?
When did science begin?
Where was science invented?
What is a deciduous forest?
Where are deciduous forests found?
Why do deciduous trees lose their leaves?
What types of animals are found in deciduous forests?
What is a savanna?
Where can savannas be found on Earth?
What role does fire play in the maintenance of the savanna ecosystem?
What are the abiotic and biotic components of the biosphere?

Science Environment

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External Websites

The Canadian Encyclopedia - Boreal Zone
National Geographic - Taiga
Alaska Department of Fish and Game - Boreal Forest in Alaska
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Introduction. The boreal forest and global change
Canadian Wildlife Federation - Hinterland Who's Who - Boreal Forest
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - The boreal forests: An overview
Untamed Science - The Taiga
Michigan State University - Michigan Natural Features Inventory - Boreal Forest

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

taiga - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
taiga - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Taiga

northern forest

Also known as: boreal forest

Written by

Glenn Patrick Juday

Associate Professor of Forest Ecology; Alaska Ecological Reserves Coordinator, University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

Glenn Patrick Juday

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026 •History

Taiga, biome (major life zone) of vegetation composed primarily of cone-bearing needle-leaved or scale-leaved evergreen trees, found in northern circumpolar forested regions characterized by long winters and moderate to high annual precipitation. The taiga, “land of the little sticks” in Russian, takes its name from the collective term for the northern forests of Russia, especially Siberia. The taiga, which is also known as the boreal (meaning northern) forest region, occupies about 17 percent of Earth’s...

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