Key Takeaways: Learn About the Boreal Forest

• The boreal forest, also referred to as taiga (from the Russian term for “land of the little sticks”), is the world’s largest land biome, circling the Northern Hemisphere across North America and Eurasia.  
• Boreal forests store an estimated 30–40% of Earth’s land-based carbon, much of it in the permafrost and water-logged soils of fens and bogs, making them critical to climate stability.  
• A NASA Landsat analysis of boreal forests between 1985-2020 revealed that boreal forests grew in size and moved northward. The forests expanded by 0.844 million km² (a 12% increase) and shifted northward by 0.29° mean latitude. 
• More than 60% of all wildfire-related tree cover loss between 2001-2024 happened in boreal regions. Although fire is a natural part of boreal forest ecology, boreal tree cover loss due to fire has increased by ~160,100 hectares per year over the last 24 years.   

Why This Northern Forest Holds Global Climate Power

The boreal forest is the largest land biome on Earth — and one of the planet’s most powerful climate regulators. Spanning the northern reaches of North America, Europe, and Asia, this vast biome stores up to 40% of all land-based carbon. Yet despite its global importance, it faces growing threats from climate change, intensifying wildfires, and expanding industrial activity.

Understanding how the boreal forest works, and why it matters, is essential as warming temperatures reshape this critical biome. 

What is the Boreal Forest?

Often called the taiga, a Russian word meaning “land of the little sticks”, the boreal forest forms a vast ring of coniferous forest across the Northern Hemisphere, just below the Arctic tundra. The trees in this biome reach the highest latitudes (a location's distance north or south of the Earth's Equator) of any forest on Earth. 

These regions are defined by long, cold winters, short growing seasons, and landscapes that are snow-covered for much of the year. Despite harsh conditions boreal forests support diverse wildlife and play a critical role in stabilizing the global climate.   

Where the Boreal Forest Grows

The boreal zone is not a single forest, but a network of linked ecosystems with similar climates, soils, and species. The vast majority of global boreal forest cover is found in Russia and Canada.

It spans:

• North America: Canada, Alaska, and parts of the northern United States
• Europe: Sweden, Finland, Norway, parts of Scotland, and Iceland
• Asia: Russia, northern Kazakhstan, northern Mongolia, and northern Japan (Hokkaidō)

Why Boreal Forests Matter for Climate

Boreal forests are one of the most important carbon-storing ecosystems on Earth. Covering about 30% of global forest area, they store an estimated 30–40% of all terrestrial carbon. 

Much of this carbon is stored underground in permafrost and cold, slow-decomposing peat soils. 

Permafrost is soil that remains frozen year-round, which prevents organic matter from decomposing and locks huge amounts of carbon in place for thousands of years.

Peat, partially decayed vegetation that accumulates in waterlogged soils, is another major carbon reservoir. 

Research estimates that young boreal forests (up to 36 years old) currently store between 1.1 and 5.9 petagrams of carbon (Pg C), and could sequester an additional 2.3 to 3.8 Pg C if allowed to mature.

If these climate-critical forests are cleared, burned, or thawed, that stored carbon carbon gets released into the atmosphere as CO₂, accelerating climate change. Protecting and restoring boreal forests is, therefore, essential for maintaining a stable global climate.

How Climate Change Is Reshaping the Boreal Forest

Climate change is transforming the boreal forest faster than many other ecosystems. According to a NASA Landsat analysis of boreal forest between 1985-2026, the biome is shifting northward as temperatures rise.  

The analysis found that:

• The mean latitude of boreal forest cover has moved north by approximately 0.29 degrees
• Total boreal forest area has expanded by 0.844 million square kilometers, a 12% increase

This shift is driven by several factors, including:

• Warmer temperatures lengthening the growing season
• Tree species expanding into former tundra regions
• Increasing competition from deciduous broadleaf trees in southern boreal areas

While younger boreal forests are effectively absorbing carbon, the long-term stability of this climate-critical biome is uncertain as warming continues and disturbance patterns intensify.

Why Wildfires Are Increasing in the Boreal Forest

One of the most visible impacts of climate change in the boreal forest is the increase in wildfire activity. Fire is a natural part of boreal ecosystems, but climate change is making wildfires more frequent, larger, and more severe.

Global forest monitoring data shows that more than 60% of fire-related tree cover loss between 2001 and 2024 occurred in boreal regions.

Boreal wildfires are especially significant because in addition to trees, they burn carbon-rich permafrost and peat. This releases large amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere and can shift boreal ecosystems toward new, less stable states.

Other Major Threats: Logging and Resource Extraction

In addition to wildfires, human activities continue to degrade boreal forests. Large areas in Canada and Siberia have been affected by logging, including clearcutting practices.

Significant oil and natural gas reserves also lie beneath boreal regions in Alaska, Canada, and Russia. Extraction and infrastructure development is fragmenting habitats, disrupting ecosystems, and increasing carbon emissions.