3+Taiga+Plains

Introduction The Taiga Plains are located mainly in the North West Territories, and stretch into a small part of British Colombia, and Alberta. The Taiga Plains Ecozone can be found in the Interior Plains landform region and consists of mainly wetland, flatland, and some foothills.
 * __The Taiga Plains__**  __Created by: Kristin Drury and Brady Martin__



**Landform Region** The landform region that the Taiga plains are in is the Interior Plains, Plains and lowlands make up the majority of the Taiga plains. The land in the Taiga Plains is gentle and rolling, and nearly flat in some areas. These types of land are formed because of erosion and deposition of sediments. Erosion is the wearing away of the land by wind and water. Plains that aren't located along the coast are generally referred to as interior plains (hence the name). When plains are on the interior, they are usually bordered by mountain ranges. The closest mountain range to the Taiga Plains is in the western cordillera (to the west of the Taiga Plains). Plains are usually open, barren land. In the Taiga Plains most of the vegetation that grows here, is in the lowlands, though there are a few open, and dense scattered mixed forests.

**Rocks and Minerals** In this general area there are many natural minerals and rocks. It is primarily made up of layered sedimentary rock. This was created by erosion of rolling hills, creating rocks like; sandstone, limestone, and shale. The rocks in the Taiga Plains were created mainly in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. The Taiga Plains are rich in many different natural resources such as oil and natural gas. The permafrost however makes it almost impossible to drill for these materials because the ground is frozen. Also the working conditions are very undesirable or too expensive to mine or drill there.

**Climate** The climate region that the Taiga Plains Eco zone mainly is in is the Taiga climate region. This area experiences long cold winters, and short cool summers, and the temperature range is about -36°c. Because the Taiga Plains are located in between the Pacific, and Arctic air masses, the weather there is very unstable. The Taiga Plains generally do not get very much precipitation at about 200-400 mm per year! This precipitation generally occurs during the warmer months, due to the surface heating of the wetlands. The main type of precipitation experienced in the Taiga Plains is Convectional. The Taiga Plains Eco zone has been classified as part of a Continental climate region. The factors that contribute to shaping the climate of the Taiga Plains the most would be the abundance of wetlands, and its location between the Pacific and Arctic air Masses. **Vegetation and Soil** The Taiga Plains Eco zone is located in the Boreal and Taiga Forest Vegetation region and is mainly found in the Wet- climate soils region. The growing season is about 80-150 days long, the Majority of the soil in the Taiga plains is fine in texture and very calcified, ranging from moist to very wet. However permafrost does cover a lot of the Taiga Plains. The soil is poor and not very suitable for agriculture and farming. A lot of wetlands are located in the Taiga Plains, meaning most of the soil is drenched and often too wet all the time. The Taiga Plains do support some types of vegetation ranging from water thriving plants that grow in the wetlands like Moss, Willows, Sedge etc., to open, and dense forests filled with black and white spruce, Jack pine, Tamarack, Paper birch, Trembling aspen, and more. A lot of the farming and agriculture that takes place in the Taiga Plains is grown in the part of Alberta the Taiga Plains cover. Mainly wheat is grown in this part of the Taiga Plains, seeing as this type of agriculture is what Alberta is well known for, however the majority of the soil in the Taiga Plains is frozen for most of the year, and the soil is very poor, making conditions for farming and agriculture not very good! ** Human Activity/Tourism ** There are 22000 people who live in this region. However they mostly live along the great rivers, like The Mackenzie. This is because they have to provide for themselves so mining, forestry and petroleum exploration are very popular in this area. There is not much tourism here. However, the parts of the Taiga Plains that are good touristic attractions are Great Bear and Great Slave lakes, and the Wood Buffalo National Park.

**Future** We believe that in the future we will eventually have to spend the money or find a way to somehow be able to tap in to the resources under the frozen ground, seeing as we will be in a time of desperation. We also believe that due to global warming, the temperatures in this area may also rise. This could stop the permafrost, making access of the resources here like oil, more possible. The temperature heating up would make the climates less harsh so people might branch out and move to this region. The human life here will improve our economy as well. **Facts** - Fires are common in the taiga plains - The black bear, lynx, and wolf are the only large carnivores to be found here - This region is too far north for reptiles - Most settlements in the Taiga Plains are located by rivers - Snow and ice last for about 6-8 months out of the year - There are 22 000 people who live here - The eco zone is about 57% forest but has relatively little standing timber volume per hectare. - Taiga is Russian for the land of little sticks __ **Test Questions** __ __ 1. __ __does not live in this area.__ __ 2. ____ Why are the resources in this area not used? __ __ 3.What is the normal climate? __ __ 4.The main rock type is ___. 5.What landform region is it in? 6. What makes the soil quality too poor for plants?

**Sources** **http://www.enr.gov.nt.ca/_live/documents/content/TaigaPlains_map.pdf** **[]** **[]** **[]** **[]** **[]** **[]** **[|http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&params=A1ARTA0009095#SEC928752]** []