taiga

/tuy"geuh, tuy gah"/, n.

the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.

[1885-90; < Russ taigá < one or more Turkic languages of the Altai Mountain region; cf. Altai, Shor tayga forest-covered mountain]

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or boreal forest

Open coniferous forest (see conifer) growing on swampy ground that is commonly covered with lichens.

It is the characteristic vegetation of the subpolar region of northern Eurasia (principally Russia, including Siberia, and Scandinavia) and northern North America, bounded by the colder tundra to the north and the warmer temperate zone to the south. Spruces and pines are the dominant trees. Soil organisms are protozoans, nematodes, and rotifers; larger invertebrates (e.g., insects) that decompose plant litter are lacking, so humus accumulates very slowly. The taiga is rich in fur-bearing animals (e.g., sable, fox, and ermine) and is home to elks, bears, and wolves. Siberian taiga alone accounts for 19% of the world's forested area and possibly 25% of total forest volume. Despite the remoteness of the taiga, it is a major source of lumber for construction, and huge expanses have been clear-cut.

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also called  boreal forest 

      open coniferous forest growing on swampy ground that is commonly covered with lichen. It is the characteristic vegetation of the subpolar region spanning northern Eurasia, between the colder tundra zone to the north and the warmer temperate zone to the south. See coniferous forest.

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