Taiga forests. Description and features of the natural taiga zone What trees are in the Russian taiga

When mentioned beautiful word“taiga”, an image of a huge mysterious impenetrable forest appears. What do we know about the taiga zone, what vegetation can be found here and what group of plants do the taiga trees belong to? Let's take a closer look at the forest space that occupies a huge area on our land.

Taiga is a collection of coniferous forests. This evergreen, rugged coniferous massif reigns in the north of Eurasia and North America and is located simultaneously in the subarctic and temperate climatic zones.

Climatic conditions vary throughout the zone, but are quite severe: summers are short, winters are long and cold. Precipitation here exceeds evaporation; in addition, there are The groundwater and in some places areas of shallow frozen layer. Therefore, the taiga is characterized by wetlands and lakes.

Certain groups of taiga plants make it possible to divide it into dark coniferous and light coniferous.

Light coniferous taiga

Distributed in Central and Eastern Siberia. Moreover, it is light coniferous forests can be found in the Urals, in Western Siberia, In Canada.

Light-coniferous tree species grow here, which include pine and larch. Accordingly, there are pine (European part of Russia and Siberia) and larch forests (Eastern Siberia). These forests are spacious and bright.

Dark coniferous taiga

Distributed in Northern Europe, North America, mountains of the Northern Hemisphere (Altai Mountains, Carpathians, Alps, Canadian Cordillera, Sayan Mountains).

Dark coniferous forests are common in areas with significant moisture. In Siberia, dark coniferous taiga is found only high in the mountains, which is associated with an increase in precipitation here.

Spruce and fir grow here, very shade-tolerant plants with dense crowns, forming such a dense canopy that the forests are in constant twilight.

Taiga structure

What group do taiga plants belong to? Like all other plants, they can be divided into three large groups: trees, shrubs and grasses. Let's look at these three groups.

Common feature coniferous forests taiga is the simplicity of the structure. Under the crowns of the upper tree layer and a small undergrowth there is a continuous carpet of mosses, and above it there are very few types of grasses and shrubs.

Tree layer, or what group of plants do taiga trees belong to?

Taiga forests are of great value, and they are called the green lungs of our planet. Taiga is a huge coniferous kingdom; accordingly, the tree layer is presented here coniferous trees.

Light-coniferous taiga, as already mentioned, is pine and larch. But along the banks of rivers and lakes you can find birch, dwarf cedar, aspen, and cedar pine.

In the dark coniferous taiga, the main representatives of the tree layer are common spruce, fir and Siberian cedar. In addition to coniferous species, there are pine, birch, and sometimes larch, and in the south of the European taiga zone - gray alder, elm, oak, Norway maple, and linden.

Herbaceous-shrub layer

The severity of the taiga enlivens the undergrowth - shrubs and grasses. Here you can find such shrubs as: juniper, dwarf cedar, wild rosemary, buckthorn, wolf's bast, honeysuckle. Herbs: meadowsweet, Asian hogweed, Siberian hogweed, Siberian brunnera, northern linnaea, spring grass.

The undoubted wealth of the taiga zone are berry bushes and shrubs: lingonberries, blueberries, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, crowberries. You can also find raspberries, currants, and rose hips.

Enough large areas occupied by meadow plants of the taiga. Along the banks of rivers there are meadows that produce good yields of valuable fodder and medicinal herbs. Typical representatives of the meadows are: tortuous pike, white grass and sheep fescue. It must be said that taiga meadows arose in those spaces where forests were cut down by man. That is, they are of anthropogenic origin.

Moss cover

In the coniferous forests of the taiga, quite a lot of species of mosses grow - these evergreen plants that remain green even in winter under thick snow, and come to life with the arrival of spring.

The peculiarity of mosses is that they grow only in sufficiently humid conditions. In the absence of moisture, the life processes of mosses seem to freeze and they dry out. However, they do not die, and as soon as it will rain, the moss carpet comes to life.

Mosses are shade-tolerant plants of the taiga, so in dark-coniferous spruce forests, where very little light penetrates, they completely fill the free space. Here they are presented in many types. In the light-coniferous taiga there are much fewer moss species.

The harsh conditions of the taiga zone limit the diversity of its flora, but despite this, taiga plants form their own amazing world, which, like all living things on our planet, amazes with its integrity and uniqueness.

The largest forest in the world - the Siberian taiga

Forests are the lungs of our planet. Many processes on our planet depend on them. The most large forests world amazes with its scale, unique plants and animals. Where is the most big forest?

On the territory of Russia there is the largest forest on the planet - the Siberian taiga. Taiga forests begin in the European part of Russia and, growing from the upper reaches of the Volga and the Gulf of Finland to the East, cover the Urals, Altai, the entire Western and Eastern Siberia, making his way into the steppe latitudes and capturing Far East. The taiga zone occupies more than 79% of the country's forest area and extends over 9 thousand km.

Taiga is located in the subarctic and temperate zones. This explains the natural differences in different parts taiga The dark coniferous taiga is rich in trees such as spruce, cedar, fir, and the light coniferous taiga is famous for its numerous pines and larches. In places where coniferous trees have been cut down, aspen and birch trees grow. In the dark coniferous taiga it is gloomy, as the crowns tall trees close and almost do not let through Sun rays. There is no undergrowth in these places, and only mosses and ferns grow, and the air is filled with resin and pine aromas. This is also the main habitat for brown bears.

And in the light-coniferous taiga, larch became the queen of trees. This is a very hardy tree, the root system of which can survive even permafrost. Larch wood is very durable construction material, capable of lasting hundreds of years. The light-coniferous parts of the taiga have a more diverse vegetable world. These places are rich in dwarf birch trees, alder trees, and bushes with berries.

The largest forests in Russia, together with others, occupy 45% of the area of ​​the entire country. This is about 17% of the world's forest area. The Siberian taiga enriches everything with oxygen North hemisphere planets. The largest forests are an important component of our Earth's biosphere.

The flora of the taiga amazes with its enormous diversity; here you can find trees, shrubs, and herbs. It is not for nothing that the taiga has earned the “title” of the green lungs of our planet. It is taiga plants that largely provide balance carbon dioxide and oxygen on Earth.

Let's take a closer look at the plants of the taiga.

Taiga: what is this?

The taiga forest is huge ecosystem, geographical location which is the north of Eurasia, the North American continent and Scandinavia.

Basically, the plant world is represented precisely coniferous plants, although there are many deciduous trees: aspen, rowan, birch, alder. Taiga cannot be called a place with favorable conditions, which is why its inhabitants - both animals and plants - have to adapt to the harsh, unkind climate.

The evergreen taiga is heterogeneous; within it there are:

• light coniferous (includes larch and pine);
• dark coniferous (spruce, fir and cedar grow here).

Due to the fact that there are a lot of swamps in the taiga, there is ample space for mosses and lichens. There are also bushes. What plants are most typical for taiga places?

Coniferous representatives

Deciduous trees

Shrubs

Shrubs

Interesting! In taiga forests you can also find shrubs that are traditionally perceived as garden shrubs: raspberries, rose hips.

All plants and animals that nature has “settled” in taiga forests are frost-resistant and have a good root system that can develop in cold or marshy soils. That's why there are so many here coniferous plants, since needles are a special form of leaves that help reduce moisture evaporation.

Boreal taiga forests are the largest ecosystem in northern Eurasia, North America and Scandinavia. Taiga plants are represented mainly by conifers, mosses, lichens and small shrubs, but taiga is different. There are several types of boreal taiga forest, in which certain plants predominate. Taiga forests are divided into light-coniferous taiga, dominated by pine and larch, and dark-coniferous taiga, dominated by spruce, Siberian cedar, and fir. The taiga soil is soddy-podzolic and acidic.

Let's look at the main plants of the taiga, which in some way can be useful to a traveler, hermit or commercial hunter.

First, let's look at the habitat of these plants:

We see that coniferous forests spread across almost the entire north of the land. On my own behalf, I would like to add that taiga also covers the mountain ranges of the European Alps, the Carpathians, and the Rocky Mountains of North America, which is not shown in the diagram.

Coniferous trees of taiga forests

Siberian spruce

The most important representative of the taiga. The basis of the dark coniferous taiga, which has become its symbol. Most often, spruce grows in mixed forests, but is often the main forest former. Spruce wood is used in logging and is suitable for construction, although a little worse than pine wood. A spruce cone appears at the age of 15 to 50 years, depending on the place of growth. The interval between harvests is 3-5 years. Needles and cones are rich in vitamin C and others useful substances, they also contain a lot essential oils. The needles secrete phytoncides that play an antibacterial role.

Scots pine

Pine forest

Scots pine, along with spruce, is widespread in Russia. The basis of the light-coniferous taiga. Pine wood is widely used in construction; due to its high resin content, it is one of the best natural building materials in the taiga zone. The resin has a very pleasant smell and is used for distilling tar, turpentine, and rosin. Previously, resins were widely used in shipbuilding and other construction projects that required the preservative properties of pine. The needles contain vitamin C and other beneficial substances.

Fir

I call fir the most affectionate tree of the dark coniferous taiga due to the fact that its needles are very soft and do not prick at all. Fir paws are good to use for bedding if you spend the night in the forest without a tent or foam mat. I also prefer to drink tea with brewed needles. The tea turns out aromatic, although without vitamins, since vitamins are destroyed when heated. Fir wood is little used and is poorly suited for construction.

Fir is more medicinal tree, rather than material for construction. Fir resin can be used to cover wounds: it has an antiseptic effect and promotes their rapid healing. Fir oil is widely used in cosmetics.

Siberian cedar

I already have an article about Siberian cedar. Let me just say that this is the most noble tree of the dark coniferous taiga. Pine nuts are highly valued due to their rich composition of nutrients. The presence of pine trees in the taiga indicates the presence of fur in it, which is another important factor. Cedar wood is used in construction and carpentry. It has a reddish tint and a pleasant smell. The wood is less resinous than pine wood. Cedar lives up to 800 years. The growing season is 40-45 days a year. The cones ripen within 14-15 months. Each cone contains from 30 to 150 nuts. Cedar begins to bear fruit on average after 60 years, sometimes later.

Larch forest, Yakutia

Larch is the hardiest tree in the taiga zone. It grows in mixed forests, but most often, due to its resistance to frost, larch forms a monoforest - larch. Larch can withstand frosts of -70°C, and even more. The needles are annual, not at all prickly, soft. Larch loves light areas of the area, so it is very difficult to find it in dark coniferous forests. As a rule, these will be solitary trees or monoleaf forests. Larch wood is very dense due to the short growing season. She has many rings. A thin tree can be very old. Very well suited for construction, it is a desirable material for making the first crowns of taiga winter huts. Wood is not afraid of moisture and rots very slowly. Contains a lot of resin.

Deciduous taiga trees and shrubs

The most popular representative of deciduous trees in the taiga forest. Distributed everywhere. Present in almost all mixed forests northern latitude. Almost all parts of this tree are widely used. Wood is used for construction, crafts, and carpentry. Tar is extracted from the bark, various items are made, and it burns well. In spring, they extract from live birch Birch juice, rich in vitamins and sugars. Buds and leaves are used in medicine.

Another representative of deciduous species in the taiga. Aspen is a relative of poplar; their bark can even be confused. Used for landscaping settlements like a fast growing tree. The bark is used for tanning leather. It is used to produce yellow and green paint. Bees collect pollen from aspen flowers in April, and glue from the blossoming buds, which is processed into propolis. It is used in the construction of houses, used as roofing material (in Russian wooden architecture, church domes were covered with aspen planks), in the production of plywood, cellulose, matches, containers and other things. Young growth is winter food for moose, deer, hares and other mammals. Is medicinal plant. Aspen has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitussive, choleretic and anthelmintic effects. The combination of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties in aspen bark makes it promising in the complex treatment of tuberculosis, smallpox, malaria, syphilis, dysentery, pneumonia, coughs of various origins, rheumatism and inflammation of the bladder mucosa. An aqueous extract of aspen bark is used to treat opisthorchiasis.

From the Berezov family. In the north it is a small shrub, in the south it is a tree about 6 m in height. Distributed in the taiga zone, less common than birch and aspen. Grows on wet soils. Bark and leaves provide dye for animal skins. Practically not used in everyday life. It is food for moose and serves as a refuge for game animals.

IN taiga forest- the guest is quite rare, grows mainly in the south, in the central part of Russia, here and there in Western Siberia and in Amur taiga. Wood is widely used in carpentry and joinery; it lends itself well to processing due to its softness. Medicines are made from some parts of the linden tree, and it is also an excellent honey plant. Basts, bast shoes, and mats are made from the bark of the tree (bast).

Widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia and North America. It grows everywhere in the taiga. The use of rowan is small. The berries are eaten, rowan is a honey plant, and carpentry is made from the wood. The berries are used in folk medicine as an antiscorbutic, hemostatic, diaphoretic, diuretic, choleretic, laxative and as a remedy for headaches. Fresh rowan fruits have a bitter taste, but the first frosts lead to the destruction of the bitter glycoside sorbic acid - and the bitterness disappears. The fruits of the most famous variety of rowan (Nevezhinskaya), containing up to 9% sugar, have sweet taste and until frost.

A small shrub that grows everywhere in the taiga. It also grows in the mountains of Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan. The fruits are cones and contain sugars, organic acids and microelements. Juniper is widely used in folk medicine due to its high content of phytoncides. Used in the treatment of various diseases such as tuberculosis, kidney disease, bronchitis, etc.

It grows in relatively mountainous areas, on the border of taiga and tundra. It grows on stones, very slowly, and lives up to 250 years. The resin of dwarf cedar is rich various substances. Turpentine is obtained from resin, which is an antiseptic, diuretic, causing skin hyperemia, and anthelmintic. Used to treat kidneys and bladder. Nuts are rich in nutrients and are in no way inferior to their older brother - Siberian cedar. Previously, pine needles were used as an antiscorbutic remedy; it also contains more carotene than carrots.