Boreal
Softwood Shield
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The
Boreal Softwood Shield is a broad, U-shaped region comprised of
seacoasts in the east and vast areas that are more than t5 80 percent
forested by closed stands of conifers, largely white at black spruce,
balsam fir, and tamarack. Toward the south, broad leaf trees, such as
white birch, trembling aspen, and balsam poplar are more widely
distributed, as are white, red, and jack pine. The region is a broadly
rolling mosaic of uplands and associated wetlands, dotted with numerous
small to medium-sized lakes. Peatlands are common in wetland areas.
Representative birds include American Black Duck, Purple Sandpiper,
Yellow Rail, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal
Owl, and Mourning, Palm, Bay-breasted, Connecticut, Cape May, Magnolia
and Tennessee Warblers. Coastlines and offshore area in the east are
important year-round for breeding and wintering seabirds. |