Is much of Western Washington Essentially Taiga Biome due to recent Ice Age? (Rainier: best, trees)

[harrishawke]

Wondering since you usually don't get the type of trees and forest density in the latitude it's in.

[jacqueg]

Originally Posted by harrishawke

Wondering since you usually don't get the type of trees and forest density in the latitude it's in.

Taiga? No. We’re cool temperate forest. We are warmer than most areas in our latitude because we are bordered by an ocean. Great Britain is further north than we are, but has a similar climate for the same reason.

Taiga has much longer and colder winters than we have here - in fact, I don’t think there’s any taiga in the US at all. Here’s a description of North American biomes - 92.05.12: North American Biomes

[harrishawke]

So what about the Mountains in the Olympic National Park and Mt Rainier area? Is that more like Taiga or Boreal forests, or is it still considered Alpine? Seems like 10,000 years ago it most certainly would be ecologically, and much of the fauna and flora remained to this day.

[jacqueg]

Originally Posted by harrishawke

So what about the Mountains in the Olympic National Park and Mt Rainier area? Is that more like Taiga or Boreal forests, or is it still considered Alpine? Seems like 10,000 years ago it most certainly would be ecologically, and much of the fauna and flora remained to this day.

Today, we call it alpine. 10,000 years ago, it was of course different. I don’t know whether the definition of taiga would apply. And the most recent Ice Age consisted of several major surges/regressions of the ice, over about a half-million years, including innumerable local variations, so the answer to your question would very much depend on exactly when you are talking about.

In many respects, the Ice Ages are lost worlds. Our present-day categories may not be the best way to describe their conditions.

[Hemlock140]

Olympic National Park is temperate rainforest, with over 100" of annual rainfall. Alpine is without forest, so only above the tree line on the higher elevations of Mt. Rainier. In the U.S., only Alaska would have taiga.

[grega94]

No western WA is not part of the taiga, especially the lowlands, yes we have coniferous trees, but that is a very diverse group of trees that inhabit all parts of the world just like broad leaf trees.

Here is where the taiga actually is.


Here is a forest from Northeastern BC
https://www.google.com/maps/@57.9104...thumbfov%3D100

And something similar can be found in the alpine regions in Western WA
https://www.google.com/maps/@46.7687...7i13312!8i6656

But once you step down into the lowlands it's noticeably different
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.1540...7i13312!8i6656

[Seacove]

I believe we are in a temperate coniferous forest biome.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temper...iferous_forest

Moist Temperate Coniferous Forest Biome

[mistyriver]

Boreal forests (Taiga) are also found in Idaho, Montana and Minnesota and according to this, Washington. Though I’m guessing more far northeastern WA.

https://e360.yale.edu/features/the_r...boreal_forests

[harrishawke]

I understand temperature and latitude wise it's temperate, but when looking at the type of evergreen trees and greenscapes, it looks just like (or very similar to), the Taiga of Canada. After further research, it seems that the region is officially called "montane forest", but the outer periphery of the Olympic Peninsula is not in the mountains.

[grega94]

Originally Posted by harrishawke

I understand temperature and latitude wise it's temperate, but when looking at the type of evergreen trees and greenscapes, it looks just like (or very similar to), the Taiga of Canada. After further research, it seems that the region is officially called "montane forest", but the outer periphery of the Olympic Peninsula is not in the mountains.

please show me examples of forests in the taiga that look like the following from the Olympics
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.5054...thumbfov%3D100
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.8645...7i13312!8i6656
https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6078...thumbfov%3D100

Also just because they are coniferous, doesn't make them boreal species, for instance this photo is from the subtropical Norfolk island