The Northeastern Himalayan subalpine conifer forests occupy the middle-to-upper slopes of the eastern Himalaya, spanning southeastern Tibet (China), northern and eastern Arunachal Pradesh in India, and extreme eastern Bhutan, including the deep slopes of the Yarlung Tsangpo (Zangbo) Gorge. Between roughly 2,500 and 4,200 meters the conifer belt grades by elevation through blue pine, hemlock (Tsuga dumosa), spruce (Picea brachytyla and Picea likiangensis), and fir (Abies), with Himalayan birch (Betula utilis) the chief deciduous associate and juniper persisting near the treeline. These forests grow in sheltered inner valleys that are partly shielded from the South Asian monsoon by intervening ridges yet still receive ample precipitation, and the steep, intensely wet terrain has helped keep much of the forest cover intact. The ecoregion is a stronghold for wildlife such as the Bhutan takin, red panda, and musk deer. For gardeners, it is a global center of Rhododendron diversity, with more than sixty species tied to its subalpine forests.

At a glance

About the temperate conifer forests biome

Temperate forests dominated by evergreen conifers, from coastal rainforests to montane pine and fir stands. Adapted to cool, moist or seasonally dry climates, they include some of the tallest and longest-lived trees on the planet.

Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion

Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.

Collections for this ecoregion

Curated multi-plant collections whose members all fit this ecoregion's zone range — no won't-grow members smuggled in. Overall fit class shown per collection is the weakest link across its members.

Related ecoregions