Boreal
Taiga Plains
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The
Boreal Taiga Plains region is dominated by the Mackenzie River and its
tributaries in its northern portion and the boreal transition zone in
the south. Black spruce is a dominant species in the open, coniferous
forests of the north, while the warmer better drained southerly locales
support mixed-wood forests of white and black spruce, lodgepole pine,
tamarack, white birch, trembling aspen, and balsam poplar. Low-lying
wetlands cover 25-50 percent of the zone, and patterned ground features
are common. A large portion of the area is underlain by permafrost,
creating a landscape that is seasonally waterlogged over large areas.
Important birds of the region include Whooping Crane, American White
Pelican, Marsh Wren, Wilson's Phalarope, Yellow-headed Blackbird,
Sharp-tailed Grouse, Mountain Bluebird, Great Gray Owl, Swainson's Hawk,
and Fox Sparrow. The Mackenzie Valley forms one of North America's most
traveled migratory corridors for waterfowl breeding along the Arctic
Coast. |