Newfoundland Highland forests

The Newfoundland Highland forests are a taiga ecoregion located on the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.[2] It has a total area of 4,031,999 acres (1,631,692 hectares).[3]

Newfoundland Highland forests
Highland forests of the Long Range Mountains in Gros Morne National Park
Ecology
RealmNearctic
BiomeBoreal forests/taiga
BordersEastern Canadian forests
Geography
Area486,918 km2 (188,000 sq mi)
CountryCanada
ProvincesNewfoundland and Labrador
Conservation
Conservation statusRelatively Stable/Intact[1]

Terrain

The terrain of this region is mostly between 300 and 700 meters above sea level.[4] It is characterized by steep, rugged Palaeozoic and Precambrian rock, commonly bare or ridged.[2]

Climate

The winters are snowy and cold, and the summers are cool. The region receives between 1,000 and 1,400 millimeters mean annual precipitation.[2]

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°F10.27.814.926.434.743.651.751.644.935.827.218.31991–2009
Mean Temp°F17.115.422.433.843.452.960.359.751.941.632.423.31974–2009
Max Temp°F24.924.130.940.952.462.669.76960.848.838.830.51994–2009
FrostDays3128.2313028.314.91.73.41127.930311901–2009
WetDays24.217.515.212.513.913.813.813.917.51920.423.71901–2009
Precipitationin5.33.63.32.72.93.63.84.14.24.9551901–2009

[5]

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.[4]

Other species include:

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.[2]

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 km2. of protected land.
  • King George IV Ecological Reserve: Also located in western Newfoundland, this area contains 19 km2 of protected land.[6]
  • Barachois Pond Provincial Park: Located in southwestern Newfoundland, this protected area is 34.97 km2.[7]

See also

References
  1. "Newfoundland Highland forests | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  2. "Newfoundland Highland forests". Eoearth.org. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  3. "Ecoregion : Newfoundland Highland forests". Global Species. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  4. World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Newfoundland Highland forests". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  5. "Climate Data for Latitude 49.25 Longitude -57.75". Global Species. 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  6. "King George IV Ecological Reserve". Department of Environment and Climate Change. Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  7. Terrestrial ecoregions of North America: a conservation assessment, Taylor H. Ricketts, p.379

55.0000°N 70.0000°W / 55.0000; -70.0000

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